The cold frame came out great. The only concern I would have would be moisture getting to the heaters/cords. I don't know if they are rated for out door use and might trip your electrical system. I don't know what kind of electric system you have in Sweden. But we learn so much by trial and error, I hope it works great for you then you might want to build a more perminant one, I think it is a valuable tool for a commercial grower.
You are right. The cords themselves are made for outdoor but the heater itself is not. I need to be careful with it but only plan on using it for a short time. When they run a little bit at night there is pretty much no condensation I have observed. I will have to lift them out when watering the plants.
Looks great! I think that the problem with these kind of heaters is that they will tend to dri the plants inside as they blow hot air. I advise you to consider radiator type (oiled-filled) heaters. they usually come with a thermostat and tend to keep heat much better. just a thought...
Maybe place the heaters on bricks or patio stones to prevent dirt and provide a more stable setting? Love the cold frame. I want to add something like this to our home.
Simeon, Remember you need an air gap between the plastic layers. 12mm minimum from my experience. looking good! The nails will pop through in the wind, Use staples with pieces of paper board lathing.
I saw these videos (part 1 & part 2) back when you first released them. Ever since watching these videos the first time, I've been "designing" one of my own. I've seen so many cold frames that are built small / short and short-term, but I really liked how large / tall you made yours. I have a lot of wind and found the Walls of Water help my tomatoes grow faster and produce faster than those without the Walls. Today, I start building. Mine will be where I keep the tomatoes all season, but not in the greenhouse proper. Thank you for the inspiration on thinking "outside the box" and keep up the great work! I wish you all the best.
hej, i live in sweden too. instead of sand on the floor, i dig out the ground about 1 ft (30 cm) and put small woodchips in (from sawing). Then put a little sand on top. The woodchips get warm when compressed. This raises the ground temperature with about 4 to 5 degrees.
I don't know if you have problems with termites in Sweden, however the woodchips would start to decompose and possibly become "termite bait" next to your house, possibly inviting an infestation. Just my two cents.
I have a couple thoughts on the heater alternatives: Seed starting heat mats, incandescent light bulbs or even a bucket of water with an aquarium heater. It isn't a very big space and you don't need much to heat it up.
Jim I originally thought the same - using large rocks painted black would draw heat like crazy - but I'm thinking he'll be space constricted and the added circulation of the fans will actually hardy up the plants in his favor.
We used to reuse old windows instead of plastic. Easy to open an better insuation. We Put a slurry of lime on the windows when it was to much sun, and when it rained that came off and order was restored
Looks like a sound concept that you've implemented quite well. You may be surprised at how much heat that your cold frame will capture. When you build the next frame, you may want to leave ~10 cm excess plastic on the ends. You can build a simple, removable clamp to keep the ends from flapping in the wind and letting cold air in
I realize this is a bit late, but my grandfather used heated wires in the soil in his cold frame/hot boxes here in the US. They were the only part of his boxes that were not built from scratch.
Great job, Simeon. My only worries are the fan-heaters. The fan is the weakest point. As soon as the fan stops, the heater catch fire immediately. Not a problem when it is solitary in the garden, but so close to your house seem somewhat scary to me!
When I saw you on your knees stapling the plastic, I thought of how painful it would be for me. When you said "I'm still young", I feel off my chair laughing. Brilliant! Looking good so far. Hope it works as well as you want it too. Just in case you need to reengineer it, I have one tip: Stay young! 😊
B Swins Getting old doesn't mean wearing out. Your Diet is key here. My gma is 96 & has Zero problems bending or doing anything else she wants. My eldest aunt is 80. Same. They don't microwave Anything, eat well & get plenty of sleep n exercise & don't spend their days looking into a screen...
Simeon, to keep my well pump switch nipple from freezing, I use a heating cable controller/EH38 that comes on at 38F and shuts off at 50F (3.3 and 10 deg C). I use it to control 2 100 watt drop lights. Use outdoor rated fixtures and lights. You may need more than 2. Google heating cable thermostat and see if there is something like that in Sweden. Thanks for doing a great job.
great job I live in sask. Canada. I have to build a green house this year but I need a cold frame this year. I will build the green house this summer but does't do me any good this spring. Thx for the tips and the inspiration to get my crop in the ground. Last year all my seedlings were inside the house and no room this year. Have a great harvest this year.
You are one GOOOOD film- maker! You also have WOOnderul ideas! Thank you for sharing your expertise. I especially liked how you blended the sound of the bouncing visqueen roll-- awesome !
Try putting a piece of lath on top of your plastic before you fasten it. My dad had plastic sheeted greenhouses for his commercial chrysanthemum nursery and he wrapped the edges of the plastic around thin piece of wood before he nailed it in. Plastic would always tear unless you do that, no matter if you stapled, nailed or what.
Sorry, hit the wrong button. Anyway, I was going to suggest that you simply use a light bulb to heat the cold frame. You might be surprised at how much a 100 watt bulb puts out. I kept my pool equipment from freezing in a small enclosure.
For the moisture situation, I would plug the cord into a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet or an extension cord with GFCI (they make them in about 1 foot just for providing that). I would suppose they would have them in Sweden, maybe not.
Good video Simeon. Cold frames date back hundreds of years, it's a fantastic way to transition plants to the outdoors. Yours will do great. Is that Henry in the window behind you? Keep up the good work.
Watching this again due to Justin Rhodes altering their greenhouse so they can harden off their young plants. I remembered watching you build this and their alteration is similar. However... HOW did I miss that bit of editing whimsy at 01:57? Too cute!
My only suggestion is the sides made out of wood. Wind can blow right through those slats. Have you considered running plastic on the inside walls? Or another thing I've see is bubble wrap. Like you use in packing. I'm not sure if you have that product in Sweden. Looks great!
great drivbänk, here is an idea if heating with electricity becomes to experience , install a bathroom fan through the wall and utilize free heat from the house. a drastic rödnacke idea. great channel, thank you. missionarys in the philipines from linköping.
when I first saw your Cold Frame I thought the angle was too low.but I guess because you're in Sweden you're actually using it in the springtime .I use mine in the dead of winter here in Tennessee.and in Winter the sun is much lower in the sky there for my angle need to be different
Since you have the lumber available, I would suggest you build some temporary "rafters" to hold up your plastic in case of a late snowstorm forecast. Snow can cause the plastic to sag and will then accumulate, threatening your plants with a collapse. Having more rafters would support it. The plastic will not shed a heavy, wet snow. Nice project. After starting your plants, the area could be used to house container-grown plants in late season.
Here are non-electric ways to keep plants warmer using materials you have around the homestead: 1) Put jugs full of water inside the frame where the sun will shine on them during the day. They take up space but can up the temp several degrees. Suggest put them next to the outside boards. 2) Put reflective board or cloth over frames at night to reflect the warmth back into the bed. Anything that has an aluminum-look should work whether rigid or flexible. 3) Insulate the frame at night with any kind of barrier. I have used an old quilt. 4) Put frost cloth over the plants at night. An Elliott Coleman trick. :-)
I have 2 55 gallon poly drums in my greenhouse. It helps buffer the heat pretty well. They are a dark blue but work just fine. My winter temps don't get to the extremes that Sweden does but I was able to keep tomatoes, moringa trees and a small palm tree over winter when temps were in the 20F range at night for weeks at a time. Eventually I put a row of 4 open top steel drums filled with water on the north facing side of my greenhouse next to a 330 Gallon tote all filled with water as a wind break.
When you plant your outdoor garden do moose eat your plants? Looking out at your landscape looks so much like it does in Alaska. So similar. Cold Frame looks great. You got me thinking about our greenhouse which is still pretty cold at night but if I built a cold frame for inside the greenhouse that may allow me to sneak some plants out there early. It been reaching 50 degrees F. during the day out there the past few days and I have the gardening itch!
Haha. Yes, same here. Still freezes at night but I want to get started. Eliot Coleman (Maine) says that for every layer he moves the climate 500 miles south on the Amercian east coast. So a cold frame inside an existing greenhouse will give you a climate like 1000 miles further south according to him... Moose and deer can come into the garden but since we live on a small peninsula we have been quite protected from both moose, deer, bears and wolfs even though wolf have crossed the lake when it was frozen in the past.
Awesome. You've got me thinking that's what I'll do! I think it would keep them nice and warm at night. There is heat out there as an option but I might only use that for very rare occasions because electricity is quite expensive here. And with all the windows I'd loose so much heat to the outdoors. So cool our climates and animals are so similar. Hope to visit Sweden someday. My husband heard wolves the other night across the lake. The moose here are quite prolific and I think will be a big issue for anything I plant outside. Glad for the greenhouse for my tomatoes!
I'm at Lat. 61.5 here (AK) and as Simeon mentions, E. Coleman did a lot of experiments with micro climates. His books on that- Winter Harvest and Four Season Harvest- are both very informative. You will find the moose to be your biggest gardening nemesis. Even if they don't eat anything (ha- they eat everything!), they trample! 2 solutions- either a high fence or everything in a huge greenhouse (my choice for several reasons). Good luck and welcome to Alaska!
It might be interesting to "plant" a thermometer in the sand and log the daily temperature to get some idea of how it compares to outside. Lots of interesting data to be gained and comparisons to be made. Total amount of heat stored in the sand and how long it lasts/changes overnight.
The temperature of the thermal mass and how that compares to outside temps is what I was thinking to measure. If the sand doesn't do the job, maybe digging it out and adding stone to increase mass then recovering with the sand might be an option.
couldn't you have used glas instead of plastic? I think that rain, wind and the sun will break it very soon :-( I hope it works :-) Is the foil uv stable? Greetings from south of Germany, Florian
what I said earlier about termites.... I thought you were going to fill the bed to above the wooden siding. Leaving the foundation exposed as you have should not create a problem but worth watching.
Hi Simeon, Are you actively monitoring the air temperature in the cold frame. How long till you do not have to worry about freezing temperatures? Cheers, Bill
Nails alone might not hold that plastic. I'm always using small strips of wood, so that it has more of surface area. Plastic-laminated plywood works best, especially the kind which has one deliberately rough surface. It is water resistant as well to some point.
Generally, a cold frame has a top made of panes of glass on hinges you can crack open to release too much heat. The glass traps the warmth of the sun from the daylight and keeps the box warm. You can add a thermal mass to the bottom of the frame to absorb energy to release overnight. Of course, you don't want to plant inside the cold frame but keep your starters in their individual cubes or containers. With all the wood you have available you could run some flexible pipe through the box and build a rocket heater to warm the box as needed. Just an idea.
You will lose warm air if you do not seal the one inch gape created by the window frames and the top board next to the house. Any concern about moisture damage to the house siding?
Hej! Interesting build, and interesting content as always, looking forward to seeing your plants growing in there! Curious about the walls of the house (is it your house?), are you in the process of changing the boards? I see that the "locklist" (whatever that might be in English) is missing.
Hey Sir -- totally unrelated to the cold frame, but how did you side your house? It looks like regular vertical boards with a small gap in between. Is that to help keep the wall dry?
Good design on the container! Two concerns at this point - Do those heaters have thermostats which will function on low enough temperatures to be of value, and also you say you were using an extension cord for 2 heaters... that's a very High draw of amperage - assuming they draw only 9 amps each. AH! What is the working voltage you have for supply - here in the USA it's typically 120 VAC. Now I'm thinking this is actually a wonderful learning experience for all those involved - as WHERE you are in the world can dictate what is and is not safely and easily done!
Hey there. We have 240 in Sweden. The heater I use are made to keep small spaces slightly above freezing. The thermostat can be adjusted from 0C° upwards. The heaters can run on 1000W or 2000W depending on which setting is chosen. I have already noticed that 1 heater would have been enough.
Your 240 is more efficient and I'm happy you confirmed it. So with one heater on low it's less than 5 Amps - any sturdy extension cord in good condition should have no issue with that. I voiced concern because your house and kids are "connected" thinking better to be safe. Being it is on a homestead, cord eating animals can be problems - cats, porcupines, rats, and others all have been known to bite once too often! LOL Best of Luck
If the plants are going to be eventually moved to a greenhouse: Why not put them, in racks, in the greenhouse first? Then put them wherever you intend to in there?
I'd create a crawl space...doorway: since, you're losing TREMENDOUS heat rolling everything up--and, of course, this (idea) is for when temperatures are really low, obviously? Some sort of a...canopy--over that door "hatch" to keep snow from developing into...ice (meaning you'd have to be chopping you way in there), right? Plus, some sort of a high-end heat venting...nice, probably? (I've got some questions, overall: design-wise--BUT, these are learning...experiences, naturally?) There was a....FUNNY commercial here (in Minnesota) some years ago--I forget for...what, exactly--with a snow-covered garden? The...commentator speaking about "snow peas", "Iceberg" lettuce, and, SO ON (as though viable..."winter crops"), but, I once left some turnips in-ground over winter under straw and snow and they WERE...FINE come springtime!!!
There's real wind where I live. I built a cold frame last year .... totally different. Not against a wall: an A-frame. I didn't use staples, nor nails. If you would record your temperatures (night min and day max) and let us know, THAT would be so helpful. I left my tomato plants out there on nights down to 5C only twice and to 8C maybe 10 times. Two varieties really suffered and developed physiological leaf roll ... I think that it was the extremes of temperature, night to day, that hurt them though I NEVER let them suffer from heat under the plastic. Not once. PLEASE keep a record of the temps and do another video with the results. The two that suffered were cold resistant varieties. Oh .... I had no heater .... did not solve that problem. I own PLENTY of fan heaters. Plenty. THAT'S how I know what they are like. There is NO WAY I'd put one outdoors. In my country, all the instructions that come with them say "Do not leave them unattended". I've had a couple lose their ability to automatically turn off while standing right beside them "Good Grief. WHY'S it so HOT in here???" Actually, if you follow ALL the instructions, you won't be able to use the heater in any circumstance: all circumstance are prohibited by some caution or another. The manufacturers don't want to be responsible.
I have thought of that and will keep an eye on that. I think it will be fine as I will ventilate the cold frame daily and as soon as summer is here it will pretty much be open all the time.
I'm thinking you are going to rot your window sills.
5 лет назад
I think you are right. Attaching this to his house may not be a cost saving great idea, after 5 years. I don't see a moisture barrier, or a way to drain the water/snow off the sills and the cold frame.
I hate metric but I wish America would adopt Celsius. 0 is water freezing and 100 is water boiling. I mean why on earth would you use a temp that is 32 and 212.
I would disagree although I use metric and imperial (standard) sometimes using both on the same project. It's worth noting that the US Automotive industry generally now use metric. As for which is most accurate, I'd suggest that regardless of which unit of measurement you use accuracy is in the hands of the user, the difference in reality between 1mm and 1/32" (the smallest units on a Metric/imperial Stanley Fatmax) is less than the thickness of a pencil line. As far as which is easier well 1/10 of a mm is 0.10, one hundredth of a mm is 0.01 and a thousandth is 0.001. It doesn't get much easier.
Wouldn't a frost watch be better and safer than the heater like this two? www.jula.se/catalog/bygg-och-farg/inomhusklimat/uppvarmning/frostvakter/frostvakt-417021/ www.jula.se/catalog/bygg-och-farg/inomhusklimat/uppvarmning/frostvakter/frostvakt-417013/
So, under $100 if you already have everything but the plastic. And he couldn't spend $5 on some hinges and made that top a lid? Because that plastic will not hold rolling it back and forth everyday. Come on, dude...
