Can I use a cold frame as a greenhouse?
At its most primitive, a coldframe is nothing more than a clear plastic or glass topped box set directly on the ground, functioning in the garden as a miniature greenhouse. A DIY cold frame can be constructed in several different ways. Some cold frames are made with upcycled window frames. Others look like tiny tents and sit on top of your plants. For this project, you will use wood and sheets of plastic to build a cold frame.Cold frames can be set up on any surface, including grass, concrete or gravel and they’re easy to move around, so you can choose their spot depending on what’s inside – shade for raising cuttings and sunnier for vegetables.For budding horticulturalists, a cold frame is a great addition to the garden. Simply put, cold frames are box-like structures that protect seedlings and other young plants from harsh weather conditions.What can I use instead of a cold frame? You can use a greenhouse, cloche, hoop house, or grow tunnel as alternatives to a cold frame.
Is a cold frame better than a greenhouse?
Cold frames are great for beginner gardeners or those with limited space and budget. They’re perfect for extending the growing season and starting seedlings. Greenhouses, however, are ideal for serious gardeners with larger goals. Somewhere with a clear southern exposure is ideal, as that will allow for the greatest acquisition of solar radiation. In addition to winter growing, cold frames can be used to sprout plants for growth in a regular summer vegetable garden, so building your cold frame near your summer garden is beneficial.Late spring/summer: Throughout the summer months, you can use a cold frame to provide extra warmth for tender summer crops, such as tomatoes, peas, and chillies—which can be quite fickle!Late spring/summer: Throughout the summer months, you can use a cold frame to provide extra warmth for tender summer crops, such as tomatoes, peas, and chillies—which can be quite fickle!Place your cold frame in the best south-facing site at your location. Such a site will optimize the sun’s ability to warm the soil and the plants inside the cold frame during the day, and will slow the loss of the absorbed heat during the night.Using a Cold Frame to Overwinter Plants Some overwintering plants can spend their entire lives in a cold frame. Hardy salad leaves from winter lettuce to mizuna to corn salad (lamb’s lettuce or mache) can be sown in the frame in late summer and will keep in great condition over winter.
Where is the best place to put a cold frame?
Siting your frame Or position it on top of the soil, using it as a large cloche when sowing or planting directly into the ground. Placed next to the house, a cold frame will benefit from the warmth of the building. If you’re placing the cold frame so that it rests on top of your raised bed frame, be sure to fill the gap between the soil level and the bottom of the cold frame so that you don’t lose any heat. Extra mulch or straw tucked into place, is an easy way to fill the void.
What are the disadvantages of cold frames?
Limited space and height – cold frames typically have a smaller growing area and lower height, which can limit the types of plants that can be accommodated. Taller or vining plants may outgrow the available space. Our cold frame shelves can be bought has an additional extra which will create more space to put more seedlings or plants in. Another disadvantage of the wooden sides of a traditional cold frame is that the plants can become drawn to grow towards the light.Essentially, a cold frame functions as a miniature greenhouse to extend the growing season. Historically, cold frames were built to be used in addition to a heated greenhouse. The name itself exemplifies the distinction between the warm greenhouse and the unheated cold frame.Ideally, your cold frame should be south-facing, so that it enjoys the greatest amount of exposure to the sun as possible. Cold Frames with glass on the sides as well as the top will maximise the amount of light inside and make a cold frame feasible even in shadier areas of the garden.
How much warmer is a cold frame than outside?
Gardeners can anticipate the temperature inside a cold frame to be 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the outside air. Different styles of cold frames exist. One easy cold frame to make is a wooden box with the back taller than the front with a window that acts as the lid. Dug down so its ground level is a foot or more below the outside level, a coldframe provides even cozier winter quarter. Covering the plastic or glass with some insulating material on cold nights helps hold in the day’s heat. European gardeners would make straw, rollup mats for this purpose.
Should a cold frame be in sun or shade?
For a cold frame housing growing plants (as opposed to just starting seeds), a south-facing position (in the northern hemisphere) with ample sunlight is crucial. Equally important is protection from harsh northerly or easterly winds, particularly during winter. For greenhouses the adage is ‘East or West is best’ Receives morning sunlight, providing gentle warmth and promoting early growth. Protection from intense afternoon sun, reducing the risk of overheating.