Buy cold frames and extensions from Hoklartherm manufacturer

• Small size
• Optimal growing conditions for plants
• Expandable with a base
• Earlier harvest
• Also suitable as a habitat for turtles or guinea pigs

In our climate, the weather is unfortunately not always ideal for hobby gardeners. In spring, it rains a lot, it can suddenly get cold, and in the early summer months, the sun burns too strongly from the sky. Such weather conditions can be challenging and exhausting for young plants. If you have limited space in your garden or if you only want to grow a small amount, a cold frame is the ideal solution.

A cold frame box is usually rectangular, has a lid, and usually no bottom. The plants can be directly planted in the soil. The lid protects young plants of all kinds. At the same time, a humid and warm microclimate is created for good plant growth. In essence, a cold frame is a mini greenhouse. If you prefer to use your cold frame as a raised bed, we can help you: With a special base for our cold frames, we create a comfortable working height. A cold frame can also be used as a habitat for turtles or guinea pigs. In this case, an integrated door ensures that the small garden residents can easily come and go.

When planting a cold frame, you should wait for the right time to start: Once the frost has been absent for a few days at the beginning of the year, you can start sowing directly. The advantage of this is that your plants in the cold frame will be ready for harvest much earlier than their counterparts sown outdoors in March, April, or even May. To prepare for extremely wintry temperatures, it may be worthwhile to incorporate a layer of manure into the soil to create a natural cold barrier and provide additional protection for the plants.

Info: Proper ventilation is important for a cold frame. Accordingly, depending on the temperature, you should regularly lift the lid of the cold frame box to ensure optimal climate inside the cold frame. This can be made especially easy with an automatic window opener. This device automatically opens the lid depending on the temperature, ensuring sufficient ventilation for the plants. If you purchase a cold frame from us, you can also order the automatic window openers directly from our greenhouse accessories, if desired.

While winter is in its last stages, the first plants and vegetables already begin to grow in the cold frame. At least four weeks before the gardening season really starts, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and kohlrabi can be sown in the mini greenhouse.

With a cold frame, frost and weather can be outsmarted, as the growing season for vegetables and plants is advanced by several weeks and extended until the beginning of winter. In this mini greenhouse, the first early vegetables already grow while frost, snow, or storms still prevent growth in the garden. Such a small-scale greenhouse has always been a fixed part of many kitchen gardens. It costs relatively little and fits on any small usable area, depending on the model.

A cold frame box is usually square and consists of four side panels and a lid. This lid can be opened and closed, allowing you to water and care for the plants inside the cold frame as usual. Underneath the lid, young plants of all kinds are protected from wind, weather, and other external factors. At the same time, a unique microclimate is created under the cold frame cover, which is moist and warm, thus favouring plant growth. In essence, a cold frame is somewhat similar to a mini ground-level greenhouse. The plants can also be directly planted into the ground, although a cold frame with a bottom is rather uncommon. If you want to buy a cold frame and prefer to use it as a raised bed, we at Hoklartherm will also be happy to assist you: thanks to a special base for our cold frames, you can create a comfortable working height or use the cold frame for turtles or guinea pigs. In this case, the integrated door ensures that the small garden inhabitants can easily enter and exit.

Even though a cold frame with a lid and transparent glazing provides high weather protection for the plants inside, it is still best to place the cold frame in a sheltered location. A sunny spot, ideally in an east-west orientation, is perfect for setting up a cold frame because this way you can ensure that the atmosphere inside the cold frame box can heat up ideally. Additionally, rainwater should be able to drain reliably.

A cold frame can not only be used for early vegetable cultivation, but can also provide a home for land turtles. Turtles are ectothermic, which means they cannot warm their bodies on their own. For this reason, the animals rely on the sun, but also on shady retreats. Instead of painstakingly imitating these conditions indoors, the animals can benefit directly from the sun's radiation in a cold frame. Therefore, we at Hoklartherm offer a base for the “Flora” cold frame for turtles. The advantage is that a cold frame for turtles in their outdoor enclosure can provide the tortoises with pleasant summer temperatures: it heats up quickly with sufficient sunlight, even if the weather is otherwise cool.