cold frame

has anyone here ever heard of a cold frame? well if not the way I understand it is that it works kinda like a mini green house for starting seeds early outside has anyone here tried this method if so is it worth it or am i better off starting off inside?

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Originally Posted by greenetn05

has anyone here ever heard of a cold frame? well if not the way I understand it is that it works kinda like a mini green house for starting seeds early outside has anyone here tried this method if so is it worth it or am i better off starting off inside?

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That takes me back a lot of years, a lot of gardeners used them in the old days they used old window frames (with the glass in them of course) mainly because they could not afford to buy a greenhouse, if my memory serves me well the worked as well as anything else.:)

housewife tricks, like the bottom cut off a plastic gallon milk jug, placed over seedling, anything to give a bit of protection to the younguns :smokin:

The cold frame is handy for other things in the garden, but it doesn't help a seedling that is concerned with soil temps. If the soil temps are low (how cold does it get at night where you live) then the seedling would be better off indoors until the low temps warm up to around 55-60 degrees.

Long live the cold frame.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by greenetn05

has anyone here ever heard of a cold frame? well if not the way I understand it is that it works kinda like a mini green house for starting seeds early outside has anyone here tried this method if so is it worth it or am i better off starting off inside?

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I used an insulated cold frame for a lot of years. I still use it for things like lettuce and spinach that just need a few degrees above freezing to grow. But ganja seedlings do better with warm nights, so they are inside with the tomatoes and the peppers.

If you have space inside, with adequate light, I'd use that. If you have to germinate out of doors then build a cold frame to protect the seedlings from the worst of the cold.

They are good for over nighting plants when they are hardening off... just remember to take them out during the day so they don't get too hot.

We have used the cold frame in Tenn for years we use 2*12 boards with old shower doors we got from the junk yard and old storm doors I can start seeds in house then move to cold frame for rest of the winter water bottles are good to keep moderate heat at night they collect the heat and release it at night.

I have a couple cold frames I use for strting vegetables in early spring. They work real well to keep soil temp and humidity up. I have an old bathtub for one of them.

We have a couple made out of pvc and plastic. Super easy to make and it gets pretty toasty in there. I put some urbanite chunks and black cloth down to catch some extra heat. Plus helis can't see inside. :D