And building a cold frame is the perfect solution.
Building cold frame plastic sheeting.
After using for seed starting and hardening off place the pvc cold frame over tender lettuce plants in the fall and harvest in early winter.
3 to 4 feet is a convenient space to reach across.
While a cold frame can be as simple and small as a plastic 2 liter bottle with the bottom cut off carefully placed overtop of a plant to offer a little more warmth what i ve got for you today is a list of 26 different concepts and plans for winter cold frames that encompass a bit more space.
Our polycarbonate is 200 x stronger than glass and half its weight making it a superb easy to use choice to replace broken or existing cold frame glass panels.
Is this the right stuff.
2 1x3x8 foot clear pine for the top frame.
4 4 inch steel l brackets.
It doesn t just have to be used as for replacement glazing either why not build your own bespoke cold frame and specify the exact size of polycarbonate you.
Firstly you must decide upon a suitable location for your cold frame.
Top the box either with glass perhaps an old storm window or a frame covered with clear plastic.
There is no standard size cold frame so its dimensions will depend on the amount of your available space how you plan to use the cold frame and the size of your sash material.
I m building a cold frame this weekend and was going to use 6 mil plastic sheeting.
If you have high sided raised beds you could add a sheet of glass on top to construct a temporary cold frame.
Cold frames made from pvc are smaller versions of hoop houses because the pvc is bent over the plants to create hoops.
Frames constructed out of pvc piping and a strong sheet of plastic for the cover are light enough to be moved from one part of the garden to another.
Everything else about this build is simple easy to use and may even be less expensive than some other cold frame options mentioned here.
If you d like to have a larger cold frame than some mentioned above.
Step 1 location.
Here s our how to guide for those looking to build a cold frame at home.
I ve seen a bunch of posts that mention getting this thickness at home depot in clear.
16 washers sized to fit the hex bolts.
Why should i use polycarbonate to replace the glass panels in my cold frame.
18 gauge perforated steel angle approximately 3 feet.
25 1 4 inch diameter by 1 inch long hex bolts and nuts.
4 x 4 foot sheet of 1 2 inch exterior plywood or 2 2 x 4 foot panels plus scraps of 1 4 inch plywood for corner braces.
Thicker materials will provide more insulation of course.
I looked for this tonight and although it says clear it s not clear like glass or plexiglass is clear.
I used a 72 inch long and 36 inch wide sheet of acrylic for my sash and clear 2 6 cedar for the structure.
The main reason that cold frames are so popular with gardeners is that they are easy to make at home and also cheap to construct while being effective at keeping plants protected.