I want to get or buy my wife a cold frame. I don't want to grow plants in the winter but I want to be able to start seedlings outside earlier in the early spring. I know cold frames don't have a bottom. My question is if plants are in pots/trays since they start from seed can I put the frame on a deck/porch with a bottom? Thanks!

 

This may be more than you want, but I made one for wifey years ago from old discarded window sashes screwed together, one on each end, and a couple on the front and back. I screwed PT slats under them to keep them together and to allow for water drainage. Now, for the top, I found a very old sliding glass door that was only single pane (not as heavy as thermo), hinged it to the back window sashes and put a support mechanism to keep it up when needed. I sat the whole thing on saw horses. Pretty? Maybe not. Functional, you bet.

 

Or you can buy ready-made. I've never bought a cold frame but Gardener's Supply has them; they have good-quality stuff and are good to deal with. Burpee's is another good company that lists them. Even Walmart has a little pop-up greenhouse which would do the job as long as it's well tied down. Just Google "buy cold frame". A cold frame is a very worthwhile apparatus - I'd bet they've been around for centuries.

 

I made a cold frame out of some pressure treated wood scraps. The walls and lid are heavy duty clear pvc sheets available at fabric stores and stapled to the wood frame inside and out forming double walls for insulation. I hinged the lid with some old piano hinge and use a greenhouse window opener to automatically open and close the lid depending on the temperature inside the box. In my area the temperature can swing considerably so something to regulate the temperature inside the box is almost required especially if you go off to work every day.

 

thanks so much for all the useful info!