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Finally got around to sharing the cold frame I scrapped together this fall. Temps here get down into the low teens sometimes single digits (Fahrenheit) and wanted to give my plants some added protection.
This was constructed mostly from 2x2 pine and cedar fence boards, the seams between boards were filled using silicone caulking. The ground was also dug out about 8-10 inches and reinforced with cinder blocks to allow for some additional protection, initially intended to go down 24 inches but didn't feel it was nessecary in the end.

The glass on top and front are actually 2 wooden sliding glass doors I found at a thrift shop for about $5 each and are extremely heavy. The top swings up and the front also swings fully open to lay on the ground. During the early winter I was leaving the top and front open to allow my plants a few nice frosts before stowing them away for the winter.

Once the cold cold weather arrived I intended to mulch the plants with leaves and pine needles but I ran short on time and settled with straw. I placed a couple large pieces of breathable weed barrier over the plants directly then layered about 5-7 inches of straw on top and around the sides of the plants.

I added a cheap thermometer with a probe to measure the soil temps and have been very surprised by how well the straw insulates. The other morning it was a balmy 18f and the soil temps were showing 34f.

The plants shown in these pictures have been dormant for about 2-3 months.

Anyways here it is...

Just wanted to update with some new temp readings for anyone interested in a similar project. When I took on this project I expected a 10-12 degree temp differences but it appears on super cold days it's really about 25. Today was 0F, the temps inside the coldframe were 6f and the temps under the hay/mulch are 30f. Very happy with these results as this is about the coldest it should get all year and still have plenty of cushion. I did confirm the temps are accurate by uncovering a few pots and they are not frozen.

Very cool! looks like it would make a nice little greenhouse in the summer as well.

Nice. Will give your plants a jump start in the early spring. Just remember to prop the doors open for ventilation during the sunniest part of the day so you don't overheat and wilt the delicate new growth.

Wow, very nice craftsmanship. Great build.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

Just a quick update since I know the suspense has been killing everyone.

This weekend I remove all of the straw from my plants and began repoting. I have over 40 different cultivators and dozens of different typicals, cobra Lilly's and sarracenia so this is quite the process. But I was happy to find that all my plants have survived the winter! During the repoting it was amazing to see how the different cultivators grow and which ones like to divide rapidly and which ones really don't divide much at all! A B52 that started as 1 medium plant had actually divided 10 times! Some of these divisions are quite small but there were 4 large division that will likely flower this year, very excited!

My main concern all winter was a late season Alien I had purchased from Matt, I was very relieved to see he was still looking nice and green, can't wait to watch him grow this year. Anyways, thanks to everyone with help and suggestions for my winter dormancy, we hit lows of -10 and made it through the winter!

This is a great little project. Thank you for sharing, and it's great to know it worked well for you.

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