I would appreciate any info, hints, etc. about cold frames. Can you plant now and put the cold frame over the plants? Should the frame be facing south? Is there a better angle for the frame. Besides greens, what's best to plant in one? Thanks for your advice

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), September 05, 2000

Answers

Cindy, I built the ugliest cold frame a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't find any lumber scraps that were even the same thicknesses. I did manage to get the lengths right. But a six-year-old kid could have done better. It's 10 inches deep and it has a 2 x 3 foot old window on top. I didn't bother to angle the front to back; I just elevated the backside with more dirt. I can prop it up with a piece of scrap wood, or take the window off all the way. Mine is facing south, as in the NW our winter sun is really low. I will plant in the box with the window off. When it dips below 50 at night, I'll probably cover it to help germination; keep the "lid" off it during the day. We'll see...I have 3 or 4 more windows to use. I may just stack straw bales around my plants and cover with the windows later. I hope it works! I'm planting greens. Cold frame is mostly to keep the rains off...keep stuff from rotting and extend the growing season slightly.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), September 05, 2000.

Cindy, I haven't had a chance to build mine yet since we moved, but my grandfather used to build cold frames all the time out of old refrigerators when he lived in SC. Strip everything off he could, he would then punch or drill a jillion holes in the back for drainage, the lay it down in a hole leaving 6 inches of the door side above ground. He would then place old windows on top. Figured if the insulation could keep food cold when it was hot outside, it should be able to keep plants warm when it's cold out too.

Most people I've seen using cold frames have either used it to extend the season, and always grown greens of some sort...

-- Eric in TN (ems@nac.net), September 06, 2000.

Cindy: We made a large coldframe out of bales of old straw, and lucked into some glass panels from a neighbor. VERY heavy glass panels mind you. We used the tractor to scoop out some dirt to create the "slope" and faced the whole thing south. Worked very well. Minor problems: glass was hard for me to move/needed to stuff something into the small cracks and crannies where the bales didn't meet exactly.

-- Katie (ktthegardener@yahoo.com), September 07, 2000.

Two years ago, we used straw bales, covered with old wood fram windows purchased at the local flea market for 3 dollars apiece.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 11, 2000.