DIY Cold Frames for Cheap, Easy, Early Garden Planting

The frost's keep coming here in Tennessee and usually that means the gardening has to wait. So this year instead of waiting for the garden soil to warm up, I thought I would warm it up myself! Cold Frames are like a little greenhouse for your garden beds. They are cheap, easy to make, and help you get a head start on growing everything from Kale to Tomatoes! As an added benefit, I made my cold frame do double duty as a raised bed, meaning I can make a simple removable lid that it perfectly fit to the growing area. Now I can grow using the power of the sun even when everything else is freezing.

Get my FREE COMPOST CHEAT SHEET here!!

Learn more about how I use Cold Frames in the garden on my blog

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I'm Anne of All Trades. In NASHVILLE, I have a woodworking, blacksmithing and fabrication shop, a selection of furry friends, and an organic farm. Whether you've got the knowledge, tools, time or space to do the things you've always wanted to do, everything is "figureoutable." I became "Anne of All Trades" out of necessity. With no background in farming or making things, I wanted to learn to raise my own food, fix things when they break, and build the things I need. 8 years ago I got my first pet, planted my first seed and picked up my first tool. Get a better roadmap of how to grow deep roots and live the life you want subscribing to this channel and look for NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK!

Get my FREE COMPOST CHEAT SHEET here!!

Learn more about how I use Cold Frames in the garden on my blog

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Other places you can find me

My goal is to learn and share traditional techniques and skills while showing my peers how to get from where they are to where they want to go, how to do the things they are passionate about, and what can be done TODAY to engage their own community and grow deep roots. Whether it's carving spoons, making my own hand tools, restoring my antique truck or growing heirloom tomatoes, the farm and workshop definitely keep me busy and support- whether financially through Patreon, through shopping my affiliate links, through buying merchandise, plans or project videos, or even just liking, commenting, and sharing my content with others helps me GREATLY to keep producing quality content to share.

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[medpilot]

I especially enjoy watching your videos because you show everything, warts and all. Most DIY videos I see have been carefully edited to show only the good parts the author wants you to see. You show us what we really may experience, thus keeping the level of frustration down because what we do seems way harder than the other authors post. Thank you.

[preciousmetalhead]

I’m in Knoxville and got tricked into planting tomatoes and peppers 2 weeks ago. I cut the bottoms off of about 30 1 gallon water bottles. Instant green houses. Saved all my plants from frost.

[lint]

Strap or clamp the dolly to big things like that frame and the frame becomes the handle! Much easier to handle. Love your videos.

[smithfamilyhomestead]

We missed u young lady!!
Cheers from Arkansas!!

[clifc]

All that and no splinters! Job well done!

[markbaumgardner]

Anne, I finally tried your channel a month ago and your energy and drive makes you special and I mean that in a good way...🙂 My wife and I have a market -garden and attend 2 Farmer's Markets in Central PA. I have thought about building cold frames, though we over-winter a fair amount of veggies in low tunnels. We were at the gardens in Colonial Williamsburg this fall and they have cold frames with glass frames, but theirs goes 2 feet into the ground and they start them in February and fill them 3/4 the way full with raw/fresh horse manure and the last 1/4 with just regular soil. The manure compost heats and keeps the plants/box above freezing and slowly drops down into the cold frame as it breaks-down and then they just repeat the process next winter again.

[madscientist]

Another vid by Anne, just in time. Nicely done! I really look forward to your content, Anne!

[thomastieffenbacherdocsava]

Got my dose of Anne goodness! Hope you are well!

[dangkolache]

anne "startled screams" are the funniest

[BenNawrath]

Very cool project! I grew up in Vermont where we also get a couple false springs before true mud season. I recently made a little starter pot maker for my parents, since they start veggies inside. Basically you wrap strips of newspaper wound it and press the bottom on and it makes little 3” biodegradable starter pots that you can just chuck in the ground when it warms up outside. And I made it from cherry I cut down at their house! You’re giving a presentation at my woodworking club tomorrow night, I’ll show you during show and tell 😁😇

[makapalatrace]

Hint- tie the frame to the hand truck and then the end of the frame becomes the handle for the hand truck.

[marcyjo]

Love watching you work on your projects. We have the same reactions to a board falling or something heavy having a mind of its own. I’ve been renovating our 1995 trailer by using things on hand and/or making what I need instead of buying. Saves tons of money and is very satisfying.

[madscientist]

The mobile chicken coop and fence is a great idea...to move the coop and chicken scratch area to green areas without killing off the green stuff in one permanent pen!!!

[waddeym]

here in southern middle Tennessee, the rain won't stop long enough for the swamp to dry out.

[larryparish]

Been wondering where the he🏒🏒 you've been. Miss your videos & seeing new projects you come up with.

[idlewildsage]

Happy to have a new vid from you, Anne! Great info as always, and timely for us in the northwoods! Cheers from Wisco!

[mattevans-koch]

Thank you Anne for brightening Friday evening once again. Good idea for the cold frame. Take care and have a great weekend.

[miles]

When I was restoring my hovercraft, I bought a sheet of "Thermoclear" back in the early '90s. It looked just like the material you used. It was available in 1/4 3/8 & 1/2" square holes.

[YouCanMakeThisToo]

As a native Tennessean that’s the most accurate description of our seasons I’ve seen.

[MichaelLeo]

very glad to see you are still out there gettin' it done!