[nate78]

Will a cold frame give my plants a much of a jump in the spring. I have a concrete slab in my backyard. I was going to build a couple of coldframes, put my pots on the slab and hope it gets warm enough for them to take off.

[4seasons]

cold frames are alright. They'll give you maybe a couple weeks jump. I think they are more for wind protection. Be careful that new growth is very tender and can get zapped when you move them back outside.

[VoodooChile]

Most cold-frame construction is sunken in the ground 6-8" to protect from wind and utilize ground warmth. Glass windows on hinges are often employed to keep heat in on bitterly cold-days, and then propped open on warmer days to let heat escape. They usually face south toward the sun.

Cold frames are much more common for vegetable production than landscape plant production. Cool season crops like spinach can be grown and harvested well into winter with a cold-frame, and slow growing warm season crops like leeks can be started well-before the last frost date in spring, to get a jump on the growing season.

If you are looking to force landscape plants along, I would go with a poly-house. They come in many sizes, are cheap but durable, and will both protect against freeze-kill in the winter and hasten things along in spring. If you use the cheap 1 year 4 mil poly, you can simply slice slits in the poly as things warm up to let heat escape, while still retaining protection against late freezes. I don't know where you are nate78, but Midwest Trading in St. Charles IL. has a catalog that is an excellent resource for poly houses.

A concrete slab might actually retain cold longer than regular ground, and slow the emergence of your plants.

Good Luck!

[NCSULandscaper]

Originally Posted by VoodooChile

A concrete slab might actually retain cold longer than regular ground, and slow the emergence of your plants.

Good Luck!

not if you cover it in with a plastic or glass structure, it will do the opposite.........

we utilize coldframes to overwinter plants(30'x50' and 18'x100' structures) and even on the coldest nights, its still comfortable inside of them and we use no heat..........we have 12" of stone underneath our groundcover fabrics that absorbs our sunlight in the day and keeps the plant containers warm at night.......it keeps it so warm, that yes we are even growing new material in there right now and have been since late november

anything tha tyou buiild make sure its has ample ventilation, i have to run exaust fans in mine simply because it would be well over 100 degrees even on a sunny day that stays in the low 30s and have made everything automated, which makes it even nicer.


check out atlas greenhouses, jaderloon, and grower solution..........you can get anything you would possibly need from these suppliers plus some.......these are the only ones i deal with

[4seasons]

matt--
sounds like yours are pushing greenhouses instead of coldframes.
I think of a coldframe as a temp. greenhouse.
all the nurseries I go to have plants in frames throughout the year then just protect
w/ plastic in winter.
My dad has also been growing stuff since last fall-- I wouldn't call his comfortablely warm at night though.
If its a warmer day he just opens a door( the two ends are closed off with T111 siding and a door installed.
Also when the days start getting better he will roll the sides up a couple feet for circulation.

[NCSULandscaper]

it could go either way, if i add a heater it will be a greenhouse, but its considered cold frames...........i guess there would be a difference between ohio and NC, we did alot of pruning on new plants 2 months ago, and have new growth flushing, magnolias are blooming along with forsythia inside the coldframe.........i had to go in the middle of the night to check my guidewires when we had 50mph wind gusts, and temps in the 20s........stepped inside and the air was cool(upper 40's low 50s), touched the floor and the pots and they were just as warm as they could be

here is a pic of one with and without the winter film

[4seasons]

Do you sell retail? Or are they just for holding stock?
looks very nice and neat.
Ive been trying to talk my dad into installing fabric underneath, how often do you
have to replace it?

[dan deutekom]

Matt:

This must be what we call a regional difference. What your pictures show is what we call a hoop house. Your right that we would call it a greenhouse if it has heat and ventilation. A cold frame in our area is only about 18" tall and the heat is regulated by opening the top of it on sunny days. They will give you a 2 to 3 week jump on the start of spring.

[VoodooChile]

Another regional difference would be winters in Wisconsin versus winters in North Carolina.

[NCSULandscaper]

never even heard of the term hoop house, but a cold frame around here can be what i have a pic of or what you are talking about, the small structure

bruce, i sell retail but by appointment only.........most of the container material i grow is stuff i use alot and stock is hard to find during peak seasons, so i have plenty on hand...........my main nursery is field grown ornamental grasses, after this spring i will have 5 acres and roughly 6000+ clumps of grass. The fabric is guaranteed to last 15 years......if ure careful and dont drive stuff ontop of it it could last that long


Dont want to hijack this thread too much but here are a couple pics of that

[4seasons]

Matt

I wish that nursery was up here! Almost every wholesale nusery runs out by like August

[NCSULandscaper]

around here even when something is out of stock, there are plenty of other nurseries around to find it, but you may have to travel a few hours to get the material, might as well have it on site and travel back to the shop...........you really have to know the nursery business and figure out wha tyou can grow just as cheap and what you can buy from someone else cheaper

[nate78]

I ordered some ornamental grasses and a handfull of perrenial that I use often. I think I will put some black plastic on the concrete slab to warm it up. I never did find any pine bark fines. I will use something like 1/3 peatmoss sand and compost. thanks for the replys

[NCSULandscaper]

look for soil conditioner....thats aged pine bark fines........the lighter your mix the better......all i use is 100% aged pine bark fines for the nursery, lots of pore space for the roots to grow in