Traded my fancy greenhouse for a simple cold frame after last winter proved I didn't need the hype

Built a $40 cold frame from salvaged storm windows after watching my neighbor's $800 greenhouse struggle with Vermont snow loads, and honestly my kale survived February better than hers did - anyone else find cheaper actually works better up here?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_lewis1mo ago

Hold up, I gotta disagree a bit here. I built a proper greenhouse three years ago and it handles the snow load just fine, plus I'm harvesting greens all winter long while cold frame folks are waiting for a thaw to get in there. My neighbor's cheap setup collapsed twice before Christmas and she lost everything to a single cold snap that my greenhouse handled without batting an eye. Not saying you need to spend a fortune, but a well built greenhouse with good framing can actually outperform a cold frame in every single category if you do it right. Location and construction quality matter way more than the price tag either way.

blairj551mo ago

That's a really solid point Vera, good to hear it's working out so well for you after all that work.