Hearth and Vine

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How to Make a Cold Frame to Protect Your Plants

by 14 Comments

This simple DIY cold frame project is perfect for hardening off seedlings and protecting tender plants any time of year.

DIY cold frame from wood and an old window

I’ve always wanted a cold frame and this year I finally got one. Since it requires a bit of heavy lifting and woodwork I enlisted my husband to help me build it.

This project also fits perfectly in line with the Thrifty Style Team theme this month where we are celebrating the men in our life. 

old window

How to Make Your Own Cold Frame

It all started with the thrifty find of an old window I purchased for $2.99. All it needed was a base to sit on.

Galvanized nails into cold frame

The window measured 32.5 inches by 33.5 inches. So we picked up four, 12 feet long 1 1/4 inch x 6 inch treated lumber boards.

We also bought four 2x2x3 foot long posts for the corners, and one 2x2x42 inch angled deck rail to prop up the window.

Lastly, we bought a box of galvanized exterior framing nails and a set of utility hinges to adhere the window to the top of the box frame.

3 sides of cold frame

Building the Cold Frame Base

  • Start by cutting your boards to fit the window. We used four boards for each side with the bottom open. Half of them (8 boards) should be approximately 2 inches longer to cover the sides.
  • Next, cut down the posts to fit in the corners. We cut ours down to 21 inches.
  • Then lay down four of the shorter boards and nail one post to each end. Repeat with the other four shorter boards. These are the sides of the frame.
  • Then nail four of the longer boards to the two sides you just made. Finish with the final four boards.

Paint on wood frame

Once the frame was finished I decided to rub on a mixture of grey and blue paint to give the cold frame character. That raw wood just didn’t look good to me. I also painted the window frame to match.

Add hinges to frame and window.

Next, the hinges were screwed on the back side attaching the window to the frame.

Cabinet handle on window

We also used an old cabinet pull from our kitchen refresh to use as a handle on the window.

inside of cold frame with cardboard and plants

Even though the bottom is open to the ground, I decided to place some cardboard there to help smother any weed growth. 

Now I have a great place to harden off transplants or a temporary home for divisions.

Come next year during late winter I hope to be able to grow some cold-loving vegetables like spinach or lettuce in this cold frame.

Open cold frame with deck rail

Here’s a final look at the cold frame propped open. It fits perfectly on the side of our house and gets a good bit of sunlight in that area. 

Patti signature

P.S. You may also like this DIY Wooden Plant Stand or this Rolling Wood Crate Plant Stand. You can find them and more on my Gardening Page.

 

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DIY cold frame

 

Thrifty style team logo

Thrift Dads collage

 

Let’s see what the rest of the Thrifty Father’s created:

 

About Patti Estep

Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

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Comments

  2. Susan M says

    I love your cold frame! I’m hoping to get some old windows from my house replaced soon and will keep them for gardening projects like this. I never thought of using them to extend the end of gardening season. I’ve always used them to get a jump start the beginning. Thanks for the detailed tutorial!

    Reply

  4. Meegan says

    What a great idea! I was very curious when I saw the title because I didn’t know what a cold frame was. Thank for teaching me. It came out like perfection!

    Reply

  5. Jane says

    Patti, I think it was genius to find the window first and then build the bottom to fit! I’m thinking about how I could have fresh lettuce all winter with a cold frame! Tell your hubby he did GOOD!

    Reply

  10. Carole West says

    Love this project and it turned out great. I Know you’ve been wanting one for awhile. I ended up with three in my garden and have kale in one right now.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep says

      Thanks Carole. Right now I’m using it as a holding station for divisions and new plants I haven’t had time to put in the ground. But, I am excited to try and grow cold loving veggies in the fall and early winter.

      Reply

  11. Bliss says

    I learned something new this month too… I had never heard of a cold frame before. That’s probably because I just let everything freeze even if I don’t intend too!

    Reply

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