1. Assemble the pipe on a dry
surface in a well ventilated
area, such as a patio or
driveway.
2. Cut 2 of the 10' sections of PVC
pipe in half, making a total of
4 - 5' sections of pipe.
3. Swipe the inside of the elbow
pieces and the ends of the PVC
pipe with the purple primer. Do
not swipe the inside of the
threaded elbows.
4. After the primer dries, attach
the elbows to the ends of the
two 5' section of pipe with the
PVC cement.
5. Attach the 10' section of pipe
to the unthreaded end of an
elbow with PVC cement and press
down firmly.
6. After the cement will dries
within a few minutes, carefully
bend the 10' section of pipe and
attached to the other unthreaded
end of the 5' section of pipe
with cement. Leverage
might be needed to bend the
pipe, such as leaning up against
a wall to prevent slipping while
bending the pipe.
7. Your basic end-piece shape
should look like this!
8. Repeat steps 3-6 for
the other end of your cold frame.
9. Lay down the cold
frame end on the plastic sheeting
and cut out the end piece to attach.
Be sure to leave at least 6 inches
overlap. Allow for corners to
be cut out in an L and pleat curve
side. Only cut pleats about half way
into the sheeting. Do not cut
all the way down to the pipe line.
See pattern below.
10. Attach the plastic
sheeting to the frame with zip ties
starting with the straight edge.
Be sure to tuck plastic around the
pipe. Slice small holes
through plastic close to the frame.
Pull ties tight and trim tails.
Repeat all the way around the frame.
11. Screw in threaded
adapters to threaded elbow ends
12. Attach the
remaining 5 foot sections of pipe to
the adapters to complete the frame.
13. Cover frame
with remaining plastic sheeting and
cut to size.
14. Attach
sheeting to frame ends with zip ties
from top of frame to half way down.
This will allow for access to the
inside of
your cold
frame and will allow for airflow on
windy days.
15. Edges of plastic
sheeting can be weighed down with
metal washers or clamped to frame.
16. To keep your
frame from blowing over in the wind,
anchor it down with camp tent
spikes.
17. Slice small
holes in top of cold frame plastic
to prevent rain water from puddling.
18. A small cold
frame can be assembled in 1-2 hours.
Cover your garden or pond to keep
plants warm on
cold winter
days and nights.
This is the pattern for the cold
frame ends.
-
The
black is the
assembled pipe
-
The
blue
is the outline
pattern for the plastic sheeting
-
The
green
is where to cut
the L corners
-
The
red
is the pleating. More
can be made if needed.
NOTE:
You can also build the end
pieces without sealing all the
way around the edge. My
latest hoop houses and cold
frames have one large piece of
plastic that hangs over the edge
and is tethered with zip ties.
Mild Country Greenhouse / Cold Frame
5' x 5' Cost = $20.50
