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BUILDING A COLD FRAME The cold frame is a box with greenhouse aspirations - a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground, used to protect plants from cold weather. The transparent top can be anything that lets the sun shine in - polyethylene film, plastic panels, glass panes or even old storm windows (probably not easy to find in Santa Fe). This top/cover admits sunlight and reflects back onto the plants radiant heat which would otherwise escape at night. The ideal location for a cold frame is a spot that allows the gardener to turn the open end toward the southern winter sun for maximum exposure to warming rays. And, if you put the northern part of the frame up against a wall or dirt mound, it will provide some protection against cold North winds. Lots of construction plans are available on the Internet - two examples: runnerduck.com and garden gate magazine.com. The basic plan is to build a wooden frame at least two feet high (for tall plants) and cover it with an old glass window (substitute clear plastic wither rigid or sheeting). Smart builders hinge the roof and slope it toward the sun to capture more rays and improve water runoff. Another improvement might be to paint these walls white on the inside to capture maximum light reflection. Need the cold frame to disappear in summer? Take four or more hay bales and form a "U" facing south. The hay provides insulation and in the springtime you can tear the bales apart and use as garden mulch. Important step - prepare the soil that your cold frame will cover. No big clay clumps here, use some fine, friable dirt that has previously been lightly fertilized. Now you have the option of starting either seeds of plantlets as well as nestling pots into the loose dirt. Think of your cold frame as an outdoor terrarium - when it's sunny and below 50 degrees, open the covering slightly to let out excess hear. If it's sunny and above 50, open the frame completely to keep your plants from cooking. But, on cold cloudy days and at night conserve heat by keeping the frame closed. If there's no sun (even in Santa Fe) and the temp goes into the 20s cover up the cover with boards and/or blankets to conserve hear. Putting a thermometer in the box is highly recommended.Just like a terrarium, a cold frame retains heat and moisture so go lightly on watering. Over-watering leads to disease and rot. Cold frames may have reached artistic nirvana in Victorian times. Garden cloches (bells) and cold frames were essentially mini-glasshouses evolving from the usual wooden cucumber frames with window-pane roofes. These cucumber frames that often turned up in 19th century children's stories, where naughty little boys were in constant trouble for breaking the glass. These frames with windows allowed seeds to be grown early, extending the growing season and provided a chance to experiment with seeds gathered from across the British Empire. "I can make you happy," said he . . . "You shall have a piano in a year or two - farmers' wives are getting to have pianos now . . . and a frame for cucumbers - like a gentleman and lady . . ."
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Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd, 1874. 