The last couple of weeks I’ve been working on a project to replace the cold frames I have behind our greenhouse. I’ve got three growing areas back there with about 50 square feet of growing space, and the cold frames provide protection from wind and critters like deer and rabbits. The frames have been falling apart for some time, and I finally decided it was time to replace them. Here’s what they looked like back in the fall of 2020, when they were still in fairly good shape.
back side of greenhouse
And here’s what they look like now, falling apart on the tops and bottoms with mostly rotten wood. This is a photo of one I moved to make room for the new ones, which I decided to buy instead of make.
rotting cold frame
The first step was to get rid of the old cold frame pieces, and put down cardboard around the edges to keep down weeds. Then I could assemble the new beds and move them into place. Finally I covered the cardboard with cypress mulch, and then started planting. I am continuing to use one old cold frame bottom, which will be planted with annual and perennial herbs. That bed does not need to be covered or protected, so the top isn’t really necessary and the bottom itself isn’t really that important.
assembling the beds
The old cold frames were made from untreated pine boards, and only lasted a few years before starting to decay. The new ones are made from white cedar, and with any luck should last as long as I do! They are a bit pricey up front, but given the cost of lumber and the hardware it takes to assemble the frames I thought it would be money well spent in the long run. These assemble with slots and pegs, and can be stacked to provide more growing room. I’ve got two of the 4×4 foot beds stacked together in one bed, and I planted curly kale (Winterbor, Starbor) in there and interplanted with onions. I plan to pull the onions as spring onions/scallions.
new cedar beds
In the third bed, I have a 4×6 foot cedar bed that I just planted yesterday with kohlrabi and lettuce seedlings. I also interplanted these with onions to fill in the spaces between rows. I sprinkled Sluggo Plus around the plants, then covered with the bird netting material.
bed after planting lettuce, kohlrabi and onions
I’ll share more updates as the growing season progresses, but so far I am pleased with the makeover results. I’ll be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres!