Sami Grover
DCL
With the holidays over, many of us are starting to plan our gardens. But unless we take some measures to protect crops from frost and to warm up our precious soil, we'll have a long time to wait before we can really get growing. Luckily, there's much that can be done to give nature a helping hand. From building a DIY greenhouse to simply laying down floating row cover, season extension techniques can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish.
For those not yet ready to invest in a full greenhouse, but wanting a little more protection than mulch, row cover and prayers, a cold frame can be a great interim measure. Essentially a mini, movable greenhouse, cold frames both protect from frost and create a warm micro-climate for early plant growth. Jasmin already covered an Instructables entry on building a cold frame, but I thought I'd share my super simple creation with you too.
Having cut all the pieces, I painted them white (to allow more light to reflect on the plants, and to protect from decay), and then attached them together using corner braces. Then it was a simple matter of attaching the windows with a couple of spare hinges we had lying around. I also attached a handle on either end of the frame to allow for easy movement - and we're done.
I plan on using the frames for everything for warming up soil before planting, to starting and hardening off transplants, to growing winter salad crops. The only trouble is, I have so many plans I may need to build a few more.
