8/6/2019 Off-The-Grid Food Production - Cold Frames

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/off-the-grid-food-production-cold-frames 1/2

There are three different, yet similar, shelters that can be used to extend your growingseason – cold frames, hot beds and greenhouses. This article will deal with cold frames.Cold FramesA cold frame can be inexpensively built and easy to maintain. They are simplestructures that provide a favorable environment to start seedlings in early spring beforeoutdoor temperatures are warm enough, or to extend the growing season into earlyspring and throughout the winter months. This would enable an ambitious gardener to

grow greens and cool weather crops year round if the conditions were just right. Somecold frames are elaborate and expensive; others can be a little expensive on the frontend, but with proper use, will yield high returns on your initial investment.Cold frames, or sun boxes, require no electricity. They are kept warm only by the heatof the sun. Ideally a cold frame should be built in a southern or southeastern exposureto the sun, with a slight slope to ensure good drainage. A sheltering fence or hedge onthe north will provide protection against winter winds. You can sink the foundation ofyour cold frame into the ground to use the earth’s natural geo-thermal effects to insulateand provide additional warmth to your young plants.In order to make using your frame simple, you may want to have a walkway to the frontand adequate room behind it to be able to remove the top (or sash). You may also wantto use a system of weights to simplify the raising and lowering of your sashes. Some

gardeners make their cold frames lightweight so that they can move them around theirgardens; others pick a location and make it permanent using the same place year afteryear. And some may want to use “Dutch light,” which is like a portable greenhouse thatis moved around your garden.There are many new designs in cold frames, some of which include the use of passivesolar energy storage. For example, using a 55-gallon drum painted black and filled withwater will cause the water to absorb heat during the day and allow it to release thewarmth of that water at night.Build your frame from scrap wood so the drums will easily fit at the ends, make yourframe the length of your wood – usually 8’ to 12’ long – and the height should be two-thirds the height of your barrel placed on its side. Put one black, water-filled drum on itsside at each end of your frame, hold each in place with a rock or two. Fill the rest ofyour frame – between the drums – with your garden soil. Cover with plastic to hold inthe heat, similar to the picture below.

Off-the-Grid Food Production: Cold Frames

Survival Page 1

8/6/2019 Off-The-Grid Food Production - Cold Frames

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/off-the-grid-food-production-cold-frames 2/2

Building Your Cold FrameYou can build your frame from many types of materials; however, wood, concreteblocks, and cement are the most common. If you choose to build a wooden box, you willwant to choose a wood that will resist decay, like a good grade of cedar or cypress. Thiskind of cold frame is not hard to build and kits are also available for purchasing andassembling on your desired location.Size needs to be carefully considered. You will want it small enough for ease inplanting, weeding, and harvesting. Three to four feet is usually narrow enough to allowyou to easily reach across. If a lady is going to do some of the gardening, you may want

to make it 6 to 12 inches narrower. The sash, or top, should slope to the south to allowyour plants to get the most exposure to the sun’s warm rays.In the event that there is a cold spell on the way, you will want to fill gunny sacks (ortrash bags) with leaves to pile on the sash of your frame, or surround the frame withbales of hay or straw to provide insulation for your seedlings.When warmer weather arrives, ventilation will be needed when the temperature risesabove 45° F. Partially raising the sash will lower the temperature and avoid extremetemperatures from building up. Lowering the sash while it is still warm enough to retainsome of the heat to hold through the night will be necessary. When summer is at itsheight, the intense heat and sunlight can damage plants. You can avoid this by coveringwith old bamboo blinds or shading with lath (narrow strips of wood to form a latticework) over the sash.

Using Your Cold FrameYour cold frame can be used to “harden off” (get them used to outdoor living) seedlingsthat were started inside. This period is important so that your plants don’t suffer asetback by being moved directly from a warm house immediately to the garden beds.The cold frame provides a place for their transition for gradual adjustment to outdoorliving. It is also possible to start cool weather crops and either grow them to maturity inthe frame or transplant them to the garden.In spring and summer months you can use it for propagating new plants from cuttingsoff their parent plants. Young seedlings and cuttings can be started in your frame weeksbefore they can be set into the ground. The soil in a corner of your frame can bereplaced with peat moss or any medium suitable for starting your cuttings.Fall and winter you can continue growing cool weather crops, fresh greens, herbs, andeven root crops. Just remember they will still need proper moisture, fertilization, andinsulation – if necessary.Build, fill, plant, harvest and enjoy the fruit of your labors!

Survival Page 2