Rethinking Cold-Frames (part 1)

Greens all winter long - that's dream of the cold-frame. But is that the reality? And if not, what role can they play in a garden?

When I first learned about cold-frames, the image of them that was constantly being presented was that of a magic box that defies old man winter. A magic box full of greens that can be harvested all winter long. “What a great idea”, I thought, and proceeded to build three of them from heavy 2”x6” lumber and some glass windows that I had repurposed from someone’s trash. The dimensions were approximately 72” long by 30” wide. They were 12” high in front and 18” in back to make a sloped roof, and were angled South, toward the sun. In early spring I planted greens a month ahead of schedule. Later on I planted tomatoes a month ahead of schedule. Of course, there were pros and cons…

Here’s the cold-frames I used to have in my garden. There’s lots of ways to put them together, and of course, there are kits for sale, for those that are not so handy.

PROS

1. Great start

The heat captured and held by the cold-frames facilitated early germination and suitable growing conditions for the greens and tomatoes, that would otherwise have needed to be started indoors.

2. Fast Growth

When it was just warm enough to ordinarily start moving out transplants from indoors, my cold-frame plants were thriving. For all intents and purposes, the cold-frames turned May into June, and June into July, from the plants’ point of view.