Soil-less cold frame

[Chris]

Space in my yard is at a premium, especially since my wife has finally succeeded in her plans for a new shed (I did manage to get a gardening work bench in there though).

However, I have a deck with a south-facing wall. I am in Rockaway NY. The spot on the deck also butts up against house wall. If absolutely necessary I can put some kind of heater outside (there's an outdoor outlet on the deck too).

Would I be able to put a small cold frame there? I cannot have soil there, so it would be used to harden off seedlings in Spring, not grow anything.

Any ideas are welcome.

Chris

[Kay Lancaster]

Sure, that'll work. But the usual problem with cold frames is overheating, not needing supplementary heat unless it's unusually cold and a very small frame. I'd consider an automatic opener... makes life much easier unless you're home all the time to adjust the coldframe. e.g.:

'm a little more puzzled as to the "can't have soil there" problem. If your deck can't take much static load, it's probably time to re-engineer it so you don't wind up going through some morning when you step out with your coffee and WHOOPS!!!!

But were I you, I'd probably toss a couple of bags of lightweight planting mix in that cold frame in early fall and poke some holes in them to start winter greens. Fresh homegrown lettuce in January tastes mighty good.

[Chris]

The deck can take the load, but I did not want soil all over the place.

A great idea! It will keep the frame warm and warm up the bagged soil so I can put seedlings into it come Spring! Thanks,

Chris