By building a cold frame, you can grow vegetables during the winter so you can feast on fresh produce from your backyard all year. It's not only delicious, but also environmentally friendly because it doesn't use any fossil fuel to get it on your table.
Tools and Materials
(All sizes can be adjusted to fit the gardener's needs.)
36-inch 1-by-12 (use pine, cedar, or other inexpensive lumber)
36-inch 1-by-8
Two 1-by-12s, cut 22 1/2 inches long
Two 36-inch 1-by-2s
Two 21-inch 1-by-2s
Two 24-inch pieces 7/8-inch lattice
Two 24-inch pieces 1 1/2-inch lattice
Two small wood scraps
Glass (or plexiglass) 22 by 34 inches
Wood glue
1 1/2-inch wood screws
1 inch finish nails or brads
Jigsaw
Drill
Hinges (optional)
Cold Frame How-To
Make Cold Frame Box
1. Using jigsaw, cut the two shorter 1-by-12s diagonally lengthwise, from 12 to 8 inches.
2. Glue the wider ends to the 36-inch 1-by-12.
3. Drive screws through the 36-inch 1-by-12 into the ends of the slant-cut sides. At least two per side.
4. Similarly, attach the 36-inch 1-by-8 to the narrow ends of slant-cut sides (finished box should be 24 by 36 inches).
5. Turn box over.
Make Cold Frame Lid
1. Lay 1-by-2 out flat to form a 24-by-36-inch rectangle.
2. Glue and screw 36-inch pieces to 24-inch pieces; predrill holes to avoid splitting wood.
3. Glue 7/8-inch lattice to 1 1/2-inch lattice, lengthwise along an edge. Repeat.
4. Glue the assembled lattice pieces along the outer edges of the 24-inch sides.
5. Secure with finishing nails to create slot for glass.
6. Slide glass into place.
7. Glue and nail wood scrap along edge of frame to hold glass in place. We used scrap pieces of 7/8-inch lattice.
8. Place lid on box. Lid may or may not be attached with hinges.
Tip
You want the soil in your cold frame to be full of organic matter, rich, loose, and fluffy for good drainage -- just like any good garden soil. You'll find you don't have to water very much in the winter because when the sun is low in the sky there is much less evaporation.
Resources
Martha's secret source: a Cold Frame Automatic Opener, which can be purchased at johnnyseeds.com. For more year-round gardening tips, read "The Garden Primer" by Barbara Damrosch and "Four Season Harvest" by Eliot Coleman.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to gardeners.com for giving our entire studio audience a 25 dollar gift certificate.
Cold Frame How-To
The Martha Stewart Show, November 2007
what kind of vegtables did martha say can survive in the cold?
WIth countersunk pilot holes he screws would be much less likely to split the wood (they should be centered 3/8" from the edge) and would clamp the glue joint as it dries. Slipshod instructions like these seem to be the norm in your publications. Martha, your readers deserve better!
I'd like you to add a recommended glass type for the top, to avoid breakage
While the basic idea is great, the sketchy instructions and sloppy techniques described would result in frustration for a novice who tried to make a cold frame by following them, and the end result would be crude at best.
For instance, we are told (in rather oblique language) to glue the back to the ends of the sides, and then screw them together. It would be far better if holes for the screws were drilled and countersunk in the back first. (to be continued)
While the basic idea is great, the sketchy instructions and sloppy techniques described would result in frustration for a novice who tried to make a cold frame by following them, and the end result would be crude at best.
For instance, we are told (in rather oblique language) to glue the back to the ends of the sides, and then screw them together. It would be far better if holes for the screws were drilled and countersunk in the back first. (to be continued)
While the basic idea is great, the sketchy instructions and sloppy techniques described would result in frustration for a novice who tried to make a cold frame by following them, and the end result would be crude at best.
For instance, we are told (in rather oblique language) to glue the back to the ends of the sides, and then screw them together. It would be far better if holes for the screws were drilled and countersunk in the back first. (to be continued)