Cold frames, sun boxes, and hot beds are relatively inexpensive and provide a good environment for growing. You can:
- Start cool weather plant seeds outdoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost
- Extend your growing season
- Harden off seedlings you started indoors
- Shelter plants from ice, snow and treacherous winter winds
- Use to compost, thus generate warmth to turn cold frames into hot beds
- And, you can incubate cuttings
- Arugula
- Broccoli
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Chard
- Chinese cabbage
- Green onion
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mustard
- Radish
- Spinach
- Kale
Step 1: Gather Materials
● Discarded wooden window
● Scrap pieces of wood (long enough for each side)
● Screws/ nails
● Hinges
● Tools (saw/jigsaw, drill, hammer, nails/screws, measuring tape, pencil, paint, brush/small roller)
Step 2: Measure
● Measure window dimensions
● Measure wood to match windows dimensions
Step 3: Cut wood for frame
● Cut along pre-measured lines
Step 4: Assemble frame
● Form a box with the 4 pieces of wood that have been cut.
● Prior to nailing/screwing, place the window on top of box, to be certain your wood is cut in the proper dimensions.
● Fasten each side together with nails/screws.
Step 5: Assemble window lid
● Place window on frame to create a lid.
● Fasten hinges to base and window (using screws).
Windows are attached in a way that suits the type of window it is.
Attach the hinge in a location that is easiest to access the box.
Step 6: Paint
● This is not a mandatory step, but it helps the box to endure weathering.
Give it two coats and slop it on. You can give it a happy color.
Step 6: Put the cold frame to use!
● Place on prepared ground in a sunny location.
● Harvest and enjoy!
I selected sturdy wood, but a thinner piece would have been easier to manage.
Some Tips
- Keep an inexpensive thermometer in a shaded spot inside the frame for quick reference. A bright spring day can heat a cold frame to as warm as 100 degrees. Prop open or remove the cover as necessary to prevent overheating.
- Don't forget to water your plants. If it rains, leave the lid open.
- On cold nights, especially when frost is predicted, cover the box with burlap, old quilts, or leaves to keep it warm inside.
"For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." Isa 61:11
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