Help choosing cold frames and everything...

I've recently come into some money and I'm thinking of getting a cold frame or two for the garden and have one heated to use for cuttings and seed germination and one for hardening off (no room for glasshouse:().

The Cold frame's I'm thinking of gettting are roughly £25.00 each and there made from an aluminium frame with 4mm thick twinwall polycarbonate The dimensions are 100cm x 60cm x 40cm (sound OK so far?)

Things I need help with:

1. I'm probably going to use soil warming cables but I'm not sure what length I would need?
2. I'm also going to need a fixed weatherproof outside plug fitted, how much would it cost to get someone in to fit it?
3. I'm in a housing association property, do I need permission for the outside plug? if so what's the likelihood of it being allowed? (what they don't know can't hurt them?)

Can you think of anything that I might of missed?

 

How about a propagator for the cutting etc? (That would be indoors - much easier to control the temperature than a heated frame which, having a large external area : volume ration will be very hard, or expensive, to heat.)

 

Could you recommend indoor propagator? preferably large with a decent thermostat? at roughly £150? (or less )

 

I don't know how much it will cost, but I know that the law requires you to get a suitably qualified electrictian to do it. He/she will need to put a residual current detector (RCD) circuit breaker on there (in case you somehow manage to connect your self to the live or neutral wire while standing in bare feet on your wet lawn - in which case you'd get electrocuted with drawing enough amps to blow the fuse).

Yes, you will need permission from the housing assoc. If you were to just go ahead and do it, and then there was an accident, you'd be doomed.

 

I suppose something like this might be good

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/sundries1/product/kww2057/1.html

 

What I use for cold frames is several breeze blocks (or old bricks) arranged on three sides with the house as the fourth size, covered with an old window or pane of glass. The cost is about £5 for a good sized cold frame. I have at least five of these. Because they are made of breeze blocks they can be taken down in the summer and stored away out of sight. Also they are very versatile and can be assembled to make any size or shape that I want. Mine currently is about 15 feet long.

If you want a heated area, I wouldn't want to be having heated cables outside. I have a 22 watt, two large seed tray sized, propagator, which works well. It is kept inside the house so that it has the benefit of all the house heat plus the extra 5C or 10C that the heating coils give out. Mine cost £20 three years ago. This link http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...rden&hvadid=3052850953&ref=pd_sl_1zpq09ns98_b looks very similar at £25. I wouldn't worry about a temperature controller. I have added one to mine - but I needn't have bothered. Seeds and cuttings are tolerant of a wide range of conditions. Don't worry about the temperature varying. Temperatures fall at night in nature, so seeds and cuttings won't mind.

You might even contemplate a long narrow propagator that can sit on a windowsill. A major requirement at this time of year is for maximum light levels.

 

Hi Aesculus I have one of those twin walled polycarbonate coldframes and to be honest I prefer it to our greenhouse but that might be because Bob doesn't allow me in HIS greenhouse very often!:hehe:

I set my seedlings off on a window cill and pop them outside in the coldframe to get them off to a good start, I do take summer cuttings and these are put in the coldframe straight away.

I don't think you need to spend loads of money on coldframes ours cost £25 on sale the year before last (I think) although with ours you do have to weigh something down on the top to stop it blowing off!

I have seen Peter's coldframes and I must say they are amazing and as Peter says he just builds them up each year and tidy them away when not in use.Hel.xxx.

 

Thanks Helen for your comment - you reminded me that I did have a picture. The glass is just old windows, some from my own house and some from the council recycling centre for free. But don't use old double glazed panels. They are very heavy and have unprotected sides.



Needless to say the cold frames are now full. I have been overwintering borderline hardy plants.

 

Hope you don't mind me adding some extra advice to go along with your photo Peter?

Peter's wonderful coldframes placed where they are will have the added benefit of heat from the house walls and the plants/cuttings etc. will just love that.Hel.xxx.

 

Aesculus,

I think you need to pay more for a better quality coldframe. The cheap ones are not subtantial enough and would, I expect, fall apart after a couple of seasons.

PeteS idea of using blocks is cheap and easy. Although its easy to build permanent ones yourself.