how to use a cold frame

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.

Where do you put a cold 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. Or position it on top of the soil, using it as a large cloche when sowing or planting directly into the ground.

What do you put in a cold frame?

What Can Be Grown in a Cold Frame? Most commonly, salad greens such as spinach, chard, arugula and a variety of lettuces are grown in a cold frame, but it's not just limited to that. Other vegetables can be successfully grown in a cold frame too, including radishes, leeks and carrots.

How do cold frames work?

Cold frames protect plants from strong winds and retain heat. ... Cold frames are also used to “harden off” seedlings that were started indoors. Try sowing seeds of crops such as radish, lettuce, endive, and scallions directly in the frame for an early or late harvest.

How do I harden my plants in a cold frame?

An intermediate home, such as an unheated greenhouse or cold frame, is a great tool for hardening off. Place seedlings and plants into the structure for a couple of hours on the first day, then gradually increase the length of time they are in place by two or more hours per day.

Can you start seeds in a cold frame?

The answer is a resounding yes, cold frames for spring seedlings is a great idea. ... With a cold frame, you can start seeds as much as six weeks earlier than you would put them in the ground. You can control the soil content more easily in a cold frame than in an outdoor bed.

How do you keep a cold frame warm at night?

Use a birdbath heater or a crock pot to warm up a small cold frame, extending your growing season even further. The warm water in this ceramic pot keeps the cold frame warmer on chilly nights.

When should I use a cold frame?

Advantages and disadvantages of cold-frames

Can be used when you don't have enough space for a greenhouse;
You would love to have an early start on the outdoor growing season or extend your crops' life after the summer is over;
You can use it to protect dormant plants until spring comes;
Cheaper than a greenhouse;

Do cold frames need to be airtight?

When its COLD, you want your cold frame to be as air tight as you can get it. That means filling any gaps between the wood or windows. ALSO, it gets super hot in a cold frame when the sun is blazing, even when its not hot outside.

How big should a cold frame be?

The ideal size for a cold frame is 3 by at least 6 feet, about 12 inches deep along the front sloping to 18 inches at the back. You can build a cold frame out of 1×12 pressure-treated lumber, assembled with nails and screws for permanency or prefabricated corners for easy dismantling and storage.

What are cold frames used for?

In agriculture and gardening, a cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground, used to protect plants from adverse weather, primarily excessive cold or wet.

What can you grow in a cold frame over winter?

Using a Cold Frame to Overwinter Plants

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.

Do all seedlings need to be hardened off?

While nursery plants that are displayed in full sun don't need to be hardened off, smaller seedlings that live under a shade structure are susceptible to shock if not hardened off properly. You'll have the best chance at success if you harden off vegetables, herbs, and flowers before planting them in your garden.

What temperature will harden off plants?

If temperatures remain warm both day and night (at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit), the seedlings should be able to handle increasing amounts of sunlight and can be left outdoors overnight.

When should I start hardening my plants?

Hardening Off Vegetable Seedlings

Begin hardening transplants 1-2 weeks prior to setting out plants in your garden.
The easiest way to harden transplants is to place them outside in a shaded, protected spot on warm days, bringing them in at night. ...
Don't put tender seedlings outdoors on windy days or when temperatures are below 45° F.

Will seeds germinate at 60 degrees?

In most cases an interior temperature of 60-70 degrees is not warm enough for quick germination, but seeds usually will germinate eventually (lack of supplemental heat is especially detrimental to peppers and eggplants, both of which are REALLY SLOW to germinate when left at room temperature).

How much does a cold frame Increase temperature?

It has no artificial heat added. The temperature difference between the inside and outside of the frame is generally not more than 5 to 10 degrees. 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.

At what temp do seeds germinate?

Most seeds germinate when the soil temperature is between 68(and 86(F. Once germination occurs, the optimum growing temperature for theseedling is about 10(F cooler than the optimum germination temperature. Moisture is critical for germinating seeds.

How do you keep a cold frame warm?

To capture more heat, leave room for a few black painted one gallon water jugs. Once filled with water, they will absorb heat during the day and release it slowly during the night, raising the temperature inside the cold frame.

What is the difference between a cold frame and a hot bed?

Hot beds and cold frames are identical in construction; the only difference is that hot beds are heated and cold frames are not. Hot beds are generally used to start seeds. Cold frames protect young plants and harden them off until they can be transferred to a vegetable garden.

Can you start tomatoes in a cold frame?

Tomatoes, planted in many home gardens, are typically a warm-weather crop. ... Planting tomatoes in a cold frame allows you to start your seedlings six to eight weeks before the danger of frost is past.