The frame for a cold frame can be constructed in no time at all from wood or pallets. The right cover is important to ensure that the plants are nice and warm in the mini greenhouse. These instructions explain how to build the attachment for a cold frame yourself.
If you don't have any old windows at hand, you can also build the cold frame attachment yourself
Material and tool list
Most of the required material is left over after building the cold frame. The following list details the total material and tooling requirements:
- boards and slats
- 2 squared timbers
- Double web plate 4 mm to 6 mm thick
- 2 to 3 hinges
- screws, nails
- jigsaw
- cutter knife
- hammer
- folding rule
How to construct the attachment with skill
An attachment for the cold frame is constructed in such a way that it is aligned at an angle to the sunlight. The slope ensures that your plants still benefit from the light when the sun is low in spring or autumn. In addition, rainwater can run off quickly and does not put unnecessary pressure on the attachment. For this purpose, cut the boards of the side walls in a wedge shape. How to proceed:
- Screw the sloping side walls to the cold frame frame
- Then screw on the back using squared timber
- Measure the double-walled sheet and cut to size with the cutter knife
- Place wooden slats as a frame on and under the double-walled sheet and screw tight
- Attach the double web roof to the wooden frame using the hinges
Instead of the hinges, you can also nail 3 pieces of old leather straps to the frame attachment to be able to open it. To prevent strong wind from lifting the lid, hang a weight on it. Thread a rope through a brick and fasten the end to the cover with a nail.
tips
This attachment is also suitable as a cover for a stone cold frame. For this purpose, the sloping sides and the wooden rear wall are screwed to the stone walls from the inside or outside. Fill the resulting cavities with silicone so that there is no draft in the stone cold frame. Then attach the cover made of double-walled sheet and wooden slats, as explained in these instructions.