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A cold frame is a simple structure that utilizes solar energy and insulation to create a microclimate within your garden. For those of you who have harvested and eaten a salad of fresh greens in February or have flowers blooming well past frost, you know the attraction of using cold frames.
What is the difference between a cold frame and a greenhouse?
The biggest difference between a cold frame and a greenhouse is that a cold frame typically doesn’t use a heat source and might only stand a few feet tall; whereas a greenhouse is a tall structure that has heating and ventilation systems for a year-round controllable climate.
When should I use a cold frame?
When to use a coldframe or mini-greenhouse In late spring and summer, use coldframes and mini-greenhouses to provide extra warmth for tender summer crops, such as aubergine, tomatoes and chillies. This encourages quicker ripening and a larger crop. These structures can also be used for propagating plants.
How do I use a cold frame in my garden?
How to Use a Cold Frame A cold frame can make gardening year-round possible, even in colder regions. Put your cold frame in place two weeks before sowing to pre-warm the soil. Hardening off is fuss-free with a cold frame. Make sure to ventilate your cold frame to keep plants healthy.
What plants do well in a cold frame?
If you are using cold frames to extend your growing season, the following plants grow well in a cold frame environment: Arugula. Broccoli. Beets. Chard. Cabbage. Green onion. Kale. Lettuce.
Can I grow tomatoes in a cold frame?
Using the cold frame in the summer allows you to provide certain plants with more heat before the season actually starts. This is very useful when planting, for example, tomatoes and chillies. The increased warmth from the cold frame will encourage and speed up their growth.
Can I start seeds in a cold frame?
Summary: Cold frames provide an ideal environment for seed-starting. Gardeners are assured ample natural light and need not bother with much hardening off before transplanting.
How do you keep a cold frame warm at night?
A mat or blanket may be placed over the frame on cold nights to conserve heat, but this increases temperature by only a few degrees. There are times, however, when a few degrees can be very important.
Why is it called a cold frame?
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. They were frequently built as part of the greenhouse’s foundation brickwork along the southern wall (in northern latitudes).
Does a cold frame need a base?
You can put your cold frame on pretty much any surface so long as it’s flat and sturdy. As it’s used to house pots, rather than covering anything growing directly in the ground, concrete or paving slabs make an excellent base.
Does a cold frame need to be in the sun?
Siting your frame Place your cold frame somewhere sunny and sheltered, so plants and seedlings get as much light and warmth as possible. A patio provides a stable surface; at an allotment, a few flagstones will do the trick.
Do cold frames need to be airtight?
Does a cold frame need to be airtight? No, a cold frame does not have to be airtight. In fact, it is better if it isn’t airtight to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to move around.
Can you grow strawberries in a cold frame?
Strawberries are versatile plants that can be grown in a number of different ways: in the open ground, in cold frames and under glass, in raised beds, pots and containers and hanging baskets. These can be planted in autumn or early spring as bare root runners (young plants).
What do you put under a cold frame?
Cold frames can protect your plants from frost, but you need to remember to keep the frame closed at night. On days where the weather is particularly harsh, covering your cold frame with bubble wrap, blankets or layers of newspapers will provide your plants with extra warmth, helping to protect them from the frost.
Do you water plants in a cold frame?
Once the plants are all stored away in the cold frame, it is down to you to control the weather conditions inside. Make sure the pots never dry out but also avoid over-watering as this may cause the roots to rot. The plants aren’t going to grow and so won’t take in much water at all during this period.
How effective are cold frames?
Cold frames protect plants from strong winds and retain heat. Gardeners use cold frames to extend their gardening season—both in the autumn to protect plants for a few more weeks and in the spring to get a jumpstart on sowing seeds. Cold frames are also used to “harden off” seedlings that were started indoors.
What do you do with a cold frame in the summer?
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.
When should I start tomatoes in a cold frame?
Planting tomatoes in a cold frame allows you to start your seedlings six to eight weeks before the danger of frost is past. Select a sheltered location in the garden that receives at least six hours of sun daily. Choose tomato varieties suited to your climate. Place sterile potting soil in a bucket and add water.
