Why use a cold frame?
If you do n’t have the meter or patience to shuttle plants in and out of the house , permit them get acclimatize to the sun and wind byhardening them offin a frigid flesh . This handy structure is made toprotect plantsfrom coarse atmospheric condition with no added estrus source .
Choose a location for your cold frame
pose your moth-eaten frame in full sun , near a water source and out of the cold magnetic north wind . A smudge on the south side of the house or garage render lots of sunlight and think over rut . ready a thermometer in spite of appearance ( out of verbatim sunlight for an precise reading ) so you have sex what the temperature is .
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What to use for your cold frame
This cold frame was made using two - string stalk bales , which are about 36 inch long , 18 inch wide and 14 column inch tall . Six bales form a 6 - foot square with a 3 - animal foot opening in the center for plants . Not only are stalk Basel salutary insulators , they also make for easy set - up and tear - down , so it ’s potential to utilize this part of the garden for other thing after . Recycle the drinking straw in the compost pile or use it as mulch for vegetable beds . There are lots of other ways to make a cold - material body — check out out the DIY Cold frame slideshow at the bottom of the clause .
Heat it up
Whatever your inhuman frame is made of , it needs a cover charge to carry in the warmness accumulated from sunlight during the 24-hour interval so Nox temperature ( or frost ) wo n’t damage plants . Two old windows in the photo above make the midland space 5 to 10 degree warmer than it is outside .
To get the best growth from your plants , keep daytime temperature inside the cold frame between 50 and 70 degrees F for cool - weather types and between 60 and 80 degree F for warm - time of year ones . Ideally , the nighttime temperatures should sink about 10 degree lower in spite of appearance .
Monitor the temperature in your cold frame
Keep an eye on the interior temperature and raise and lower the window to keep temporary worker in the optimal range . The photo above shows how raising it even a few inch can prevent excessive heat buildup and help air propagate to avoidfungal disease . Raise the windowpane on the side opposite the direction the wind is be adrift to avoid desiccated , or dry out , foliation and preclude the window from being muff off the bales . shut the windows before the sun sets to wield the heat that ’s accumulated .
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Remove one window completely , like the picture above , then get rid of both as outdoor temperatures are staying in the optimal orbit . Spring weather is rarely a fluid transition , so if cold or C. P. Snow craw up , replace both windowpane until the cold snap passes . For dramatic short - term temperature drops , wrap the whole thing with an old blanket to conserve heat . On the other hired hand , if interior temperature are still staying a slight too toasty , the exposure below shows how you may diffuse the sun with row cover .
Once nighttime temperature are warm enough for the plants you ’re growing , leave behind the windows off both day and night . Do this for a couple of twenty-four hours , then put plants in the ground or containers . Now they ’re hardened off and ready to convey color and mantrap to your garden for the rest of the season !
Try one of these DIY cold frame ideas
Upcycle windows to create a cold frame
take form a collapsible shelter shaped cold frame by connecting two window with a couple of small hinges to keep them from falling apart . A third windowpane at one end blocks harsh wind .
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Use an old door and cinder blocks
Line up inexpensive cinder blocks and top them off with an older door . check that the threshold has plenty of glass window to let sunlight in .
Use hay bales and windows
fix four to six bales of straw ( good insulator against cold ) on the ground around pinnace plant . A window or two placed on top lets in sunshine and can be easily moved so plant do n’t overheat on sunny days . Later on , use the straw as mulch in the garden .
Build a permanent cold frame
Here ’s a permanent inhuman frame made of timber with a formative chapeau that you’re able to expend year after class . Download thefree architectural plan for this insensate frame for more point . Here ’s a permanent cold frame made of lumber with a plastic lid that you may use year after year .
