by Alecia Rolling, originally posted at www.therollingacresfarm.com on April 12, 2012
A few years ago, I built a cold-frame for my spring seedlings, and it has since become a mainstay in our garden. Yes, I built it myself, using a handsaw, screws, and a screwdriver! In other words, you need not wait for your husband to do it if you are willing to put in the time. Better yet, if you have teenage sons, this would be a great project for them. I loosely followed some instructions I found online, cutting corners where I needed to save money.
In the end, we had the cold frame you see here. It is heavy and will not blow away. The angle of the sides allows for a fair amount of light, and we simply stapled an old, clear shower curtain to the top frames.
About $80 was spent in lumber, screws, and hardware, but the cold frame is still solid and in good condition 3 years later.