'Excellent' cold frame ideal for protecting plants in winter now 60% off
As autumn deepens, preparation for winter in the garden becomes essential. If you haven’t got a greenhouse to protect your more delicate plants from the elements, you could consider investing in a cold frame.
A cold frame is a simple, low structure box, usually made from wood, metal, or plastic, that has a transparent lid and panels. Think of it as a mini-greenhouse. It traps heat from the sun during the day and keeps it inside at night, creating a warmer, more stable environment than the open garden.
While some can be quite expensive, this one by British garden and homeware brand Christow is a steal at £35.99 reduced from £89.99.
The Christow frame is built with sustainably sourced wood that has been treated with a preservative to resist rot, and features UV-stabilised polycarbonate glazing panels to let in light without warping.
The pitched roof design helps shed rain and snow, and the dimensions are generous (100cm wide, 65cm deep, and 40cm high), making it big enough to sit atop a raised bed or ground plot. It weighs 4.4kg, so it’s heavy enough not to blow over but easy to manoeuvre. It also has base plates and ground supports so you can peg it down to prevent uplift in windy weather.
The frame also allows for easy panel removal, which helps with maintenance when cleaning, moving, or adding insulation.
It’s delivered in a flatpack but customers who have purchased say the frame was simple enough to build. One shopper who bought from Amazon, wrote: “Surprised how good this was for the money. Easy to put together and the pre-drilled holes all married up, that's a result in its self. No fiddly bits to sort.”
While someone who bought it direct from Christow penned: “Excellent and well constructed.” However, there were a few niggles from shoppers who said it was quite lightweight and they’d had to use bolts to keep it in place.
Shop more cold frames
If you want something bigger, this Zest 4 Leisure wooden cold frame from Dunelm is ample — measuring 167cm wide, 50cm deep, and 38cm high.
It has a timber frame that Dunelm says has been pressure treated to protect the wood against rot and insects causing damage.
The hinged windows are made from Perspex and it weighs a hefty 17kg.
However, if you're after something more cost-effective, this Woltu mini greenhouse costs just £22.99 from Amazon.
It's generous in size, measuring 120cm wide, 60cm deep, and 60cm high. Featuring an alloy steel frame, it has a cover that is made from thickened polyethylene that blocks 90% of UV rays.
It claims to be 100% waterproof, and the ventilation windows have an adjustable double zip with string to hold in place.
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