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What do I use a cold frame for

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HurdyGurdy Sat 04-Apr-20 17:16:33

I am really a beginner at gardening/cultivating, and thought that as we are confined to our homes and gardens, I ought to use the time to do something to cheer the garden up. So I'm starting to venture into gardening. Our garden for many years has consisted of grass, two apple trees and a rhubarb plant which resisted all attempts to kill it off. Last year I managed some tomatoes, courgettes and some half hearted raspberries.

I was given a cold frame a couple of years ago, and it's been empty and unused since then, as I've not been interested in gardening, and didn't know what to do with it anyway!

I've bought seeds to try growing some veg - carrots, onions, parsnips, tomatoes and peppers. I won't garden in the ground so everything is going in containers of some kind or another.

A lot of the seeds seem to require a propagator - is that the same as a cold frame?

Finally, I bought some strawberry plants which granddaughter and I planted before lockdown. They are in troughs, and have started to flower. Is this right? I don't know why, but I thought they'd flower later than this.

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craftyone Sat 04-Apr-20 17:27:23

A cold frame is useful, I used to have one, just wooden sides and a glass top. Good for hardening off baby plants

You did well last year HG. Plants flower if they get stressed, make sure that the strawberries have enough water and keep a close eye on them for nasty vine weavil, they ate all the roots of my strawberries in troughs. Just give the tops a lttle tug, vine weavil makes the tops come away from the roots. It seems a bit early for flowering but maybe they are in a nice sunny warm spot

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craftyone Sat 04-Apr-20 17:34:09

120 plugs came today, marigolds that were too rooty for their tiny pots and trailing geraniums that looked too soft and leggy. I felt as though I was on a production line getting them into slightly bigger pots. I am keeping them out if I can, depends on the temperature so I will bring them in if it gets to <4. The fresh air will do them good and they are in a semi-shady spot

None of my nemo seeds have sprouted and I put the rest of my ferline tomato seeds in a pot and placed it into a poly bag in the house. I put my propagator away. Tomorrow I will sow more nemo and keep them outside and also the red russian kale that arrived today. I also need more minicole cabbage, only 5 came up. All of these poorly performing seeds from the same supplier

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J52 Sat 04-Apr-20 17:35:33

I also use mine for gardening off seed grown plans.
I use it for overwintering plantlets of Lupins, foxgloves and other plants grown from seed, but only flower in their second year.

It is useful for overwintering small plants which would die in winter conditions.

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M0nica Sun 05-Apr-20 11:34:31

I grow cucumbers in mine.

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HurdyGurdy Thu 16-Apr-20 21:49:37

M0nica - I have planted cucumber seeds in the greenhouse, in an unheated propagator, and as per the instructions on the seeds, I have now taken them out of the propagator and have them on a shelf. I got seven out of nine seeds that grew.

So what would I do with them now - the cold frame is still empty grin

Do you just start them off in the cold frame and then move them on, or grow them to maturity in it?

I am also happy to see that both white and purple cauliflower seeds are popping their heads up through the compost. I'm feeling quite pleased with myself now .

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