Cold frames, hot beds and hoop houses are great season extenders, allowing vegetables to be planted 2-4 weeks earlier than unprotected plants as well as extending the growing season in the fall. They can also play a key role in the transition of seedlings of all kinds from the sheltered windowsill / greenhouse environment to the outdoors.
Build your very own cold frame at this Massachusetts Horticultural Society class on Saturday, September 22 from 10 – noon at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley. The cold frame’s footprint is 2′ x 4′, and slopes from 24″ at the back to 16″ at the front. It disassembles for easy transportation and storage. All tools will be supplied (though you can bring your own drill if you like), and no experience with woodworking is needed. $65 for Mass Hort members, $75 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is required at http://masshort.org, or by calling 617-933-4973.
Teacher Gretel Anspach is a Trustee of Mass Hort, a Lifetime Master Gardener, past-president of the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association and a retired systems engineer for Raytheon.
