Good morning. I put together a cold frame using inexpensive new parts and outright junk. I hope this helps someone.
I had two shelves from a balcony/porch greenhouse that needed up-cycled. They were 54” long but to be safe I cut 72” of 3ml plastic as a covering. To make a roof ridge I cut a 55” piece of 1” PVC pipe to help rain drain off. I secured it by drilling a hole straight through and using some old shoestrings. To fix the plastic to the frame I used a battery powered solder to make even, round holes to slide zip ties through.
What I got was a sturdy, lightweight cold frame that can be hung in my building when not in use.
I will hammer in some stakes to secure the frame to when needed. I plan to grow lettuces and carrots though the winter under the protection they offer.
I like that it's portable. All of my ideas for cold frames tend toward heavy and permanent (like wood and glass), but this design means you can relocate it as you rotate your veggies. Very useful.
Thanks for the positive replies. I also think along the lines of heavy wooden frames. If I hadn’t have had these old shelves laying around I would have not thought of it. I’m growing a small garden of carrots and lettuces. If they need protection for one night I’ll move it into place. If not it can hang in my building out of the way. I haven’t built the second one yet.
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