Cold frames any body ever built them??

With the way the weather has been and all I'm thinking about building a few of them. I have some salvaged 2X12s and years ago I picked up 23 pieces of tempered glass, broke one with the rear wheel of the JD-B but still have 22 sheets of it about 2 foot by 6 foot. So any how I'm thinking about build some any body got pictures and or info on them etc.
Thanks

i built 1 last year old, what are you gonna grow in it? i started 4,000 melon , 100 tomatoe plants,and some other plants and flowers for the garden,
i used 2X4 frame, then ripped 2x4 down to 2x2 for the side to mount the plastic,
i didnt have the money for the 6 mil greenhouse plastice so i used the visqueen (regualur clear plastic) 6 mil. layered my floor with black plastic to obsorb and hold the heat (that worked really well) the deminsions was 12ft by 40ft long.
also angle it so the front faces the northeast so you get the most winter sun for it.

also where you located old?
there was still a few months of the year mine wouldnt stay warm enough to grow in, manly dec feb

I'm in Misery or as you would know it Missouri. I would think if you angled it so it faced the south it would do better then any other way. I also figured I would paint the inside of it black and then maybe even put a few soda bottles full of water in it to help hold heat over night. I had a couple books about gardening but I let a friend borrow them and that was about 10 years ago and he can not find them any more. One was called the square foot garden sure wish I still had that one

yea you may be right you want to expose the most square footage to the sun as possible. also since your not useing plastic, but glass. iff i remember right if you can angle the glass it magnifies the sun that much more (to the point youll start to burn your plants up, as far as missouri your like us here in ky (i ve been through missouri many a time)you close to bourbon missouri?

another thing the more water you can store in the better it will hold through the night. the warm moist air in the day will make a nice protective layer for your plants at night.
have you ever made a float bed (like for tobacco plants) i started everything on a float bed and it did really good.

yea you may be right you want to expose the most square footage to the sun as possible. also since your not useing plastic, but glass. iff i remember right if you can angle the glass it magnifies the sun that much more (to the point youll start to burn your plants up, as far as missouri your like us here in ky (i ve been through missouri many a time)you close to bourbon missouri?

another thing the more water you can store in the better it will hold through the night. the warm moist air in the day will make a nice protective layer for your plants at night.
have you ever made a float bed (like for tobacco plants) i started everything on a float bed and it did really good.

yea you may be right you want to expose the most square footage to the sun as possible. also since your not useing plastic, but glass. iff i remember right if you can angle the glass it magnifies the sun that much more (to the point youll start to burn your plants up, as far as missouri your like us here in ky (i ve been through missouri many a time)you close to bourbon missouri?

another thing the more water you can store in the better it will hold through the night. the warm moist air in the day will make a nice protective layer for your plants at night.
have you ever made a float bed (like for tobacco plants) i started everything on a float bed and it did really good.

Nothing complicated about it. If you use untreated lumber it won't last long. SIL built one for daughter, using an old shower door with aluminum frame and hinges and the translucent glass for top.

Key points are to build the frame facing the south. Frame is slightly angled, suspect you need a little sharper angle there than here in SC, but it's not critical. SIL made provision for propping the top slightly open so the inside can be cooled down some when the sun heats it up too much. It's closed at night or in snowy
weather. Put in good soil, plant seeds and water. Don't over water because water vapor will be trapped inside and will recirculate. Soil should be damp but not real wet. Be sure enough dirt is around the bottom of the wood to keep cold air out. Might have to insulate with hay depending on how cold it gets there.

Daughter has also made miniture greenhouses by getting some half circle heavy wire and sticking the ends in the ground. At the peak of the half circle they are maybe 20 inches high. Clear plastic is draped over the wire and the edges weighted down against the wind. She first tried clipping the plastic to the wire with clothes pins but found it wasn't necessary if all the edges were held down. You know you can't get good clothes pins now, the best Chinese ones aren't too strong and the cheaper ones might hold a small lace handkerchief on in a slight breeze? Anyway, she prepares the soil and plants seed before putting the plastic up.

KEH

I've heard it's better to paint the inside white. The plants need light more than they need heat; when the sun is shining you'll need to open it up so it doesn't overheat.

I'm up at the lake of the Ozarks area of Missouri Bourbon is south est of me about 100 miles or so. As for float beds nope an tobacco as far as I know is not grown here

I built a couple- just wooden frames made to fit old storm windows that laid on top. Used them to start cabbage, broccoli , etc plants. They need to be in an open area to get full sun - mine had a slight taper to the sides and you'd face the low side to the south to get the most sun. On warmer days I would prop open or even remove the windows to prevent too much heat from building up.
Putting some jugs of water or even stones inside to absorb/hold heat might help out a little for cold nights_ I never tried it myself. Be sure to make the sides high enough if you plan to start taller plants like tomatoes , or make it so you can put one on top of another if needed. With that much glass you could build a small greenhouse if you have a good south wall of a building to build onto.

Not sure about the lumber but it is probably older treated stuff since it came off a deck. Was thinking as for the angle to take one of the 2X12s and cutting it say 2 foot long and then take that and cut it in half at an angle so it would be zero at the front and 12 inches at the back in 2 foot. As for the soil I would put this on one of my raised beds which is full of composted horses manure and hay which did well last year. Just in the planing stages right now. As for a green house I have one all I have to do is load it up and bring it to my place. It is at my moms right now and that is another one of those round to it things that I never seem to get around to it to do, LOL

I have a 16'x48' hoop style greenhouse. Mine is double layer plastic with air blown between the layers.

heating it can get quite expensive when it is cloudy and north wind blowing.Useing propane blue flame heater and fans blowing the air around inside.I have never tried electric heat because i dont want to be dependent on electricity.

the water bottles will not hold much heat. they cool down at the same rate everything else does.

blueflame is better than the infared heaters for greenhouse applications. the blueflame heats the air where the infared heats the objects.

when the sun is shineing it gets HOT inside. you will need to be constantly opening and closeing vents to keep it regulated.

Best to go ahead and put a exhaust fan with louvers and motorized intake louvers controlled with a thermostat.

i have done it both ways and all it takes is one time to be away when the sun pops out on a cloudy day and everything will be cooked.

i wished i would of insulated the floor when i built mine.

let me know if i can answer any more questions.

Well I have a green house I just haven't loaded it up from my moms and got it home yet. Ya another one of those things I need to do for like 3 or 4 years now

Built one when in high school,just like a cold frame, except I put about a foot of fresh horse manure on the bottom and put about 4" of woods dirt on top of the manure.The manure will produce some serious heat. Would have to hurry home from school and take the windows off until evening. Sold bedding plants for a few years.

Lots of info on the internet, Old. The old timers used to dig a pit below their cold frames and put a substantial amount of manure in the bottom. The manure generated heat. Seems like I read that the "experts" recommended using untreated wood.

My dad had one that was an "A" framed building skylight in it's former life. I remember sweeping the snow off, lifting the lid, and pulling lettuce out of it.

I have a friend who works for Kroger, repairing and replacing the freezers. He has an unbelievable stack of heavy, chrome framed insulated glass freezer doors. He sez he's gonna build a greenhouse "someday". I'm gonna see if I can trade him out of a couple for a cold frame.

I'm getting anxious. Won't be long 'til we need to get some tomato plants going. And then sweet potato slips.

Paul

We have 2 24x96x6 houses made from treated wood. Ours are built like a pole barn and are covered in greenhouse plastic. If you get any sun they are usually warm.