Do a web search for "cold frame." And go to the library -- see if they have Eliot Coleman's book, "Four Season Harvest." He's way into cold frames. (Any good gardening book will have something on cold frames.)
They're cool, handy little units, and a really good project for you to learn how to build your own garden gidgits on. Commission your DH to teach you how to use a tape measure, a pencil, a handsaw, a t-square and a hammer. (You can advance to Skilsaw later.) Help him build the first cold frame, then build the others yourself. (You *will* want more than one, trust me.) If you paint the inside walls white, it'll reflect light to your cuttings.
Don't put a floor in it. Find a used window somewhere for between cheap and free. You'll want the top to slant, to take advantage of lower sun angles early in the spring. If you're a good scrounge, you can find the lumber you need for cheap/free. You might have to buy the hinges at the hardware store, and the nails. (Use galvanized nails, so they won't bleed rust when they get wet. Or use screws and a screwgun instead of nails.)
My DH and I just built a 7' wide x 12' long x 9' tall lean-to greenhouse with a reinforced visqueen cover, for free. We used lumber, hardware and visqueen we had laying around. It took about 4 hours total, at a *very* laid-back pace. ( He played with the dog while I came up with the dimensions I wanted. I cleaned the woodshop while he was kicking through the lumber pile, talking to himself.)
The old trick of burying fresh horse or cow manure under soil, in the bottom of the cold frame works. The manure produces heat as it decomposes and heats the cold frame. Any horse owner would be more than happy to give you all of the road apples you want.
Have fun with your project : )
Jan