How to Build a Cold Frame Planting Bench
A cold frame is essentially a miniature greenhouse, meant to keep seedlings warm in spring when temperatures may still dip below freezing. Designed to hold only seedlings and small plants, cold frames contain soil for planting and a hinged glass or acrylic top to allow light to come through to the seedlings and to provide easy access for the gardener. Though cold frames come in a variety of shapes and sizes, one of the most popular and easy to build is the cold frame planting bench, which suspends a small cold frame at table height for ease of use. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Saw
- Screwdriver
- 2 by 2-inch lumber
- 1/2-inch plywood
- 1 by 6-inch lumber
- 1 by 2-inch lumber
- Wood screws
- Hammer
- Nails
- Chisel
- Plexiglass or other clear acrylic
- Utility knife
- Foam weather-stripping
- Cabinet hinges
- Potting soil
Instructions
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1
Cut 4 36-inch lengths of 2 by 2 lumber.
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2
Cut 2 24 by 36-inch pieces of 1/2-inch plywood.
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3
Cut out a 2 by 2-inch square from each corner of the plywood.
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4
Nail the 2 by 2-inch pieces of wood into the corner cutouts of one of the pieces of plywood to form a platform which will sit six inches from the ground.
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5
Nail the second piece of plywood so its surface is flush with the tops of the 2x by 2s. This will form the bottom of the cold frame. Use chemically treated plywood for better rot resistance.
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6
Cut 2 36-inch lengths and 2 24-inch lengths of the 1 by 6 lumber.
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7
Screw the 36 and 24-inch 1by 6s into the bottom plywood of the cold frame from below. Use a screw about every 6 inches on each side. You’ll now have a box with a bottom and sides for the cold-frame.
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8
Measure the distance between the inside edges of the cold-frame, and cut a piece of 2x by 2 to that length. Screw the new piece of 2 by 2 into what will be the back part of your cold frame, so it is flush with the top edges of the box.
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9
Cut 2 36-inch pieces of 1 by 2-inch lumber. Rest one on the front edge of the box, and one on the back edge so that its back edge is even with the front edge of the new 2 by 2 lip you just installed. Measure the distance between the inside edges of the 36-inch pieces of 1x by 2 once they are in position.
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10
Cut two pieces of 1 by 2 to the length you measured in step 9, and screw them in between the two 36-inch pieces of 1 by 2 to form the frame for the window.
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11
Measure the dimensions of the inside of the new window frame and cut a piece of plexiglass to fit.
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12
Hold the plexiglass inside the frame, and stick self adhesive weather stripping to the inside of the frame on either side of the plexiglass to hold it in place.
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13
Attach two cabinet hinges to the back lip of the cold frame bo, and then attach the window to the hinges with screws. Most cabinet hinges come with screws of the proper size.
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14
Fill the box with dirt so you have about 4 inches between the plexiglass and the surface of the dirt and start planting.
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References
- Photo Credit Traditional cold frame image by Shirley Hirst from Fotolia.com
