Cold Frames

Get your crops off to a flying start with a simple cold frame

Sometimes nothing more than some bricks or timber with a pane or old window frame or a styrofoam box with a plastic lid, they protects new plants from frosts and will extend the growing season for others. They can be built from new materials but with an abundance of second hand materials available there is no shortage of materials to choose from

what a good use of all the end of season fruitboxes

Having the roof sloping up, away from the sun ensures maximum light can get into the cold frame they should be lower on one side and orientated to catch more sun Location, Location, Location. Make sure you locate your cold frame somewhere where it will get maximum areas of sunlight and where it won’t be too exposed to wind. Backing onto a brick/rock wall is a good idea as the wall will act as extra insulation

The cold frame can lose warmth through the glass at night, if it is not covered. Place hessian bags or crumpled shade cloth or weed mat on the glass panels in the late afternoon, and remove them mid morning when air is warmer

Think about the insulating value of the material you build it out of i.e. one made out of bricks will store much more heat than one made out of thin timber or you could line it with styrafoam boxes

It should have an opening or hinged lid to allow adequate ventilation.I will be using something like this adaptble to my existing beds.
options are open to interpretation .