Cold Frame Plans for Year-Round Gardening

Expand your growing season and upcycle local materials by building one (or a few!) of these inexpensive DIY cold frames.

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by Hannah Kincaid
Clasp two window-well covers together for an easy-to-assemble, inexpensive cold frame design.

Expand your growing season and upcycle local materials with these cold frame plans or by building one (or a few!) of these inexpensive cold frame design ideas.

A humble cold frame offers a great way to produce nutritious, homegrown food outside of the prime growing season without investing in a full-sized greenhouse. Although many gardeners already use these mini-greenhouses to shelter seedlings before planting in spring, they may not realize that crops will stay alive inside a cold frame during winter, providing fresh food from the garden in December, January, and even February.

Commercial cold frames can make beautiful additions to your garden, but an inexpensive DIY setup is a great way to get started. You can quickly assemble one or more DIY cold frames plans with upcycled materials, and then move them around your property to find the best microclimate before you install a more elegant cold frame.

Jump in with any of these eight cold frame plans, chosen for simplicity and low cost.

beets, turnips, and carrots laying in a pile
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