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22 August 2011
Salvaged windows are a common sighting in San Francisco. Or, perhaps, like so many things in life, once your eyes are open, you see them everywhere. Salvaged windows make great cold frames or greenhouses for your garden. If your seeds are having trouble on the stoop or you've planted a little late in the season, planting them in a cold frame provides protection from the cold and traps the sun's warmth inside, which can extend your growing season and keep critters out of your beds. On hot days, the structure of the cold frame allows you to remove the glass and let the plants cool off.
Requiring little more than scrap wood, nails, a saw and a tape measure, this is a very easy project that can transform your backyard (or stairwell) garden into a thriving little plant bed. In fact, we were recently paid a visit at Hayes Valley Farm by a 17-year old girl in town for a few days who, upon seeing all the necessary resources on site, made a cold frame (see photo above). While she had experience building them in school, you don't have to for this fun, easy project.
Sidewalks in front of window repair stores are a great place to find windows for your cold frame or greenhouse. In my experience, most people in our fair city operate with a "waste not, want not" mentality and often put in a little effort to see that their unwanted goods can be reused by others, marking a box "free" or carefully positioning their belongings around but not inside a trash can. If you don't have any luck on the street, you can always call your local window repair shop or visit Craigslist and Urban Ore to see if they've got what you need.
Ready? Let's go:
Step 1: Find and measure your window (you can use more than one to make a larger frame as well).
Step 2: Cut scrap wood at least 6 inches wide to the dimensions of your frame. This will make a planter box. 2x2, 2x3 or 2x4 wood will work. Nail or drill the the box frame together. Set in a sunny area of your garden.
Step 3: Place the frame over the box for a no-frills version. You can add hinges to the frame and one length of the planter box if you'd like to make it more functional.
Photo: Groovy Green. This diagram illustrates the construction of the frame.
There are many iterations of the cold frame. On the farm, we now have an A-frame version with one glass side and one solid side (made of plywood nailed to a wood frame). I've seen some phenomenal greenhouses made of tiny and huge windows alike. These require great attention to measurements, but the payoff is worth the trouble. This one at the 18th and Rhode Island garden is stunning.
Here are a few links that I hope will inspire you to get crafty in your garden – or right here on the farm – with recycled materials.
Design Sponge
Instructables
Re-Nest – Cold Frame
Re-Nest – Greenhouse
Go forth and create!
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