Tino shows how to beat the winter blues by building one of the niftiest things to have when gardening in a cool climate: a cold frame.
A cold frame is a glass-topped box that traps heat and humidity; two critical factors when it comes to successfully raising seed and cutting-propagated plants. It essentially extends the season for growing tender plants, seedlings and striking cuttings in cold climates. They are a cheap and easy solution.
HOW TO BUILD A COLD FRAME
Find a position the faces as close to north as possible. This will maximise the amount of sun.
Dig out a flattened space to whatever size you want your cold frame to be (this will be determined by the dimensions of your lid. (Tino is using an old timber window frame).
Build the sides of your cold frame. This could be from untreated hardwood or old pavers but Tino likes to use bricks and mortar. "Bricks act as a heat bank, increasing the amount of heat trapped during the day."
- Leave mortar to cure overnight.
Tino knocked up a wooden timber frame to site on top of the brick work
Hinge the window lid to the wooden frame.
Angle the window towards the sun to trap more light (and heat) when the winter sun is low in the sky
Fill the bottom of the cold frame with compost. This will generate heat as it breaks down.
Sow directly into this compost base, or sit punnets on top of it.
Tino's using his to strike hardwood cuttings, strawberries and some tomato seeds he's propagating in trays for spring, which is just around the corner!
Tino's cold frame is just one idea - you can make one out of any materials you have lying around your place. His cost him the price of a bag of mortar.
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