With a cold frame, the windowsill is finally freed from countless seed pots for plant cultivation. You can build the practical box yourself in the garden and use it in early spring to grow ornamental and useful plants. The right filling ensures pleasant warmth without electricity. You can find out how to do this here.

The cold frame should be refilled every year

Prepare the warming filling - this is how it works

The special advantage of a cold frame is the natural development of heat. Seeds can germinate and young plants thrive here when there is still snow in the garden. Natural heating results from the following filling:

  • Horse manure with a third bedding made of straw or leaves
  • Humus garden soil, enriched with mature compost and horn shavings

The task of horse manure is to develop heat as a result of its decomposition. This rises into the compost soil in order to revitalize the soil organisms there. Seedlings and young plants benefit from this interplay, as they are already thriving when the garden is still in deep hibernation.

Fill the cold frame - this is how you do it right

Place the prepared fillings ready to hand at the designated location for the cold frame. Proceed as follows step by step:

  • Dig a pit 50 cm deep
  • Lay out the bottom of the pit with close-meshed vole wire
  • Lay out a layer of leaves or straw on top

Fill the pad with the horse manure up to a height of 20 cm. This is followed by the prepared mixture of garden soil and compost, which also forms a 20 cm thick layer. If you do not want to remove the soil from other parts of the garden, you can of course use the excavation for the filling.

Renew filling every year

The contents of the cold frame only fulfill its function as a natural source of warmth for one season. To reap the benefits next year, dig up the fill in the fall and fill the pit with fresh horse manure in the spring. You can reuse the decomposed organic material for the nutrient supply in ornamental and kitchen gardens.

tips

Give the filled cold frame a week to develop sufficient heat under the closed cover. Only then can you sow seeds or plant the plants in the ground. Please note that the filling must be replaced every year so that the natural heating works.

Category:

Garden design