A cold frame is an essential piece of kit, says Martin Fish, and a perfect companion to the greenhouse or polytunnel. So why not make one?

Martin Fish

WEEKEND PROJECT

When I started work as an apprentice gardener, we had rows of cold frames alongside the old wooden glasshouses. It was during that time that I started to appreciate just how important a cold frame is in the cycle of gardening and growing.

In my garden cold frames are used in spring to harden off tender vegetable plants such as courgettes and beans that have been started off in the greenhouse.Aweek or two in the cold frame acclimatises them to cooler conditions and helps them establish in the garden.Through the summer seedlings can be raised and salad crops can be grown. In early autumn it’s ideal for drying onions and garlic and in late autumn, I use my frames to overwinter plants that are hardy, but benefit from a little protection from wet weather, such as my pot-grown herbs. You can also get some very early crops in spring by standing the cold frame on a hot bed of steaming manure.This creates lovely, warm growing conditions and you can plant and sow much earlier than outside in the garden.