With ALUSTECK® you can adjust the dimensions of your cold frame top exactly to your raised bed or garden bed. The modular plug-in system allows easy assembly and later extensions.
Build Your Own Cold Frame - Cold Frame Attachment Building Instructions
Configurator
Simply custom-build it yourself
Building a cold frame yourself to measure is made very easy with ALUSTECK®. This allows for the cultivation of vegetables and herbs almost all year round. As early as the end of February, you can sow vegetables like onions or carrots with a cold frame attachment.
In summer, the box is used for heat-loving tomatoes, peppers, or zucchini. In autumn and winter, even endive or lamb's lettuce can still thrive there.
Simple, affordable, and quick to build yourself!
Products for building a cold frame cover
Easily configure materials for your kit online!
Connector 25×25 Swivel Joint Connector, 45 to 195 Degrees Adjustable, 25x25mm Push-fit Connector for Square Tube Swivel connector 45–195° €4.16*
Variants off €3.78*
From €3.78*
Adjustable foot Swivel castor with brake / Ø 50mm Appliance castor Castor with brake Ø50mm
€4.95*
€4.95*
Connector 25×25 Right Angle 25x25mm Connector Square Tube Right angle €2.86*
Variants off €2.57*
From €2.57*
Online cutting service:
Profiles cut to size! 955mm
Profiles cut to size! 955mm
Why a cold frame?
The great thing about a cold frame is that you can sow the first vegetables as early as February. If we compare this, for example, with a greenhouse, the cultivation area is smaller, but the cold frame is much more affordable. And a cold frame can find its place even in the smallest garden.
There are various covering options suitable for a cold frame. A simple wooden box can be sufficient. Better is a cold frame attachment made of insulating and translucent multi-wall sheets.
A cold frame attachment made of an aluminum frame in combination with multi-wall sheets allows a lot of light and thus also warmth to pass through. Set up in a sunny and sheltered spot, the cold frame acts as a growth booster for your plants. With a cold frame, you have a gardening season almost 365 days a year.
A cold frame can be used as early as spring. It is suitable for growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs and provides you with a harvest even in winter, for example, winter salads. The small mini-greenhouses are also very easy and inexpensive to produce and can be moved without problems.
- Up to 30%
discount - Professional
quality - Modular system
lightweight aluminium - Cutting
to size - Personal
contact - Affordable &
secure shipping
ALUSTECK® offers many advantages
The optimal location for the bed
Cold frames are basically like small greenhouses. The warmth is either generated by natural heating, meaning by the laid earth layers from the soil, or by the captured light. Therefore, a sunny spot is absolutely ideal. Cold frames should always be placed in the garden, preferably sheltered from the wind, in the light-flooded areas.
In this way, the weak light at the beginning of the gardening season and also in winter is already fully utilized and promotes the growth of your plants.
Products for building a cold frame attachment
Simply configure materials for your kit online!
Connector 25×25 Swivel Joint Connector, 45 to 195 Degrees Adjustable, 25x25mm Push-fit Connector for Square Tube Swivel connector 45–195° €4.16*
Variants off €3.78*
From €3.78*
Adjustable foot Swivel castor with brake / Ø 50mm Appliance castor Castor with brake Ø50mm
€4.95*
€4.95*
Connector 25×25 Right Angle 25x25mm Connector Square Tube Right angle €2.86*
Variants off €2.57*
From €2.57*
Online cutting service:
Profiles cut to size! 955mm
Profiles cut to size! 955mm
Tips for the cold frame - things to note
Ensure that the temperature inside the cold frame does not exceed 22° to 25° Celsius. Therefore, always ventilate well and keep an eye on the temperatures. The soil temperature at the start of sowing should be at least 14° Celsius.
Tip 1 - The right soil: For all those who want to sow plants very early, you should rely on natural heating in the hotbed. Here, certain soil and earth layers serve as a heat source for good growth, even with little sun and low temperatures. Dig out the soil in the bed about 40 to 50 centimeters. Then fill the hole with a layer of horse manure about 30 centimeters high. Compact this layer well. Now add about 20 centimeters of garden soil on top, which is ideally mixed with compost.
Tip 2 - Watering: It is best to water the plants in the cold frame early in the morning or in the evening. The water should be at room temperature. Only moisten the soil, not the plants.
Tip 3 - Ventilation: Good ventilation is mandatory and should be done regularly. When sunny, the heat in the cold frame can rise very quickly. It quickly becomes too hot for the plants. Therefore, leave the lid slightly open in the morning and evening. In the afternoon, it can be closed again to store the heat.
- Up to 30%
discount - Professional
quality - Modular system
lightweight aluminium - Cutting
to size - Personal
contact - Affordable &
secure shipping
Do it yourself: Advantages with ALUSTECK®
There are many ways to cover your cold frame. Here, we would like to elaborate a bit more on the advantages of an ALUSTECK® raised bed cover in custom desired dimensions.
Unlimited possibilities - many shapes and sizes possible
Comparison with robust twin-wall sheets instead of cheap, pre-made cold frame attachments
Standard, inferior quality, not storm-resistant
Special groove for sturdy 16 mm hollow-chamber sheets
Build to desired dimensions with a perfect fit
Many frame colors possible
Silver or black
Many other colours possible by painting
Products for the construction of the cold frame structure
Connector 25×25 Swivel Joint Connector, 45 to 195 Degrees Adjustable, 25x25mm Push-fit Connector for Square Tube Swivel connector 45–195° €4.16*
Variants off €3.78*
From €3.78*
Adjustable foot Swivel castor with brake / Ø 50mm Appliance castor Castor with brake Ø50mm
€4.95*
€4.95*
Connector 25×25 Right Angle 25x25mm Connector Square Tube Right angle €2.86*
Variants off €2.57*
From €2.57*
Online cutting service:
Profiles cut to size! 955mm
Profiles cut to size! 955mm
- Up to 30%
discount - Professional
quality - Modular system
lightweight aluminium - Cutting
to size - Personal
contact - Affordable &
secure shipping
Build your own add-on construction - Building instructions
The effort, even for a professional attachment for a cold frame or a raised bed cover, is very manageable. The cold frame is constructed so that the lid or flap is angled towards the sunlight. This inclination allows the plants to ideally benefit from the solar radiation, even when the sun is still very low in spring or autumn. Due to the slope, rainwater can also drain well. For this reason, the side walls of a cold frame are designed in a wedge shape.
Materials for the cold frame attachment
To build a cold frame yourself, you need aluminum square profiles, corner connectors, multi-wall polycarbonate sheets (hardware store or specialized store), hinges and screws, and garden soil (garden center or hardware store).
- Plastic hammer, Mallet, Utility knife, Cordless drill with Phillips bit
- Aluminum square tubes, Connectors, Hinges, Screws
- Twin-wall polycarbonate sheets
In addition, with ALUSTECK® you can freely design your cold frame in completely individual shapes and dimensions. With our free construction plan for a cold frame attachment, we support you with everything you need to consider during construction.
Step by Step: DIY Cold Frame Building Instructions
Step 1:
Prepare the connectors and the aluminum square tubes for the hinged lid. Insert the connectors into the aluminum square tubes and construct a "U". To do this, connect the two aluminum square tubes, each with a connector, and connect them with an aluminum square tube.
Note: Always drive in all connectors on a firm and non-resilient surface.
Step 2:
Slide the multiwall sheet into the double web of the aluminum square tubes. Make sure to note where the UV side of the multiwall sheet is (identifiable here by the sticker).
Note: You can easily remove any plastic shavings with a utility knife.
Step 3:
Now connect the two connectors to the aluminum square tube and close the "U" with the inserted multi-wall sheet. Set the lid aside.
Step 4:
For assembling the lower frame, get out your connectors and aluminum square tubes for the base again...
You want the complete blueprint: Request here for free
Build your own cold frame top – building plan download
Request your free PDF building plan for your cold frame cover here and plant like a pro.
Request Plan Raised bed plan - Up to 30%
discount - Professional
quality - Modular system
lightweight aluminium - Cutting
to size - Personal
contact - Affordable &
secure shipping
Build a raised bed with a roof and harvest year-round
A raised bed cover is a real harvest booster. The combination of a raised bed with a cover enormously extends your growing season and even allows you to grow and harvest lettuce and the like all year round! This way, you can release your young plants into the bed even on cold spring days or pull vibrant carrots from the earth on grey autumn days.
Are you itching to get started? Well, then let's go, off to our online shop and the hardware store. And off to the garden – build your own raised bed cover. On our page, you will find many more instructions and tricks around the topic of planting and botany.
Products for building a cold frame
Simply configure materials for your kit online!
Adjustable foot Swivel castor with brake / Ø 50mm Appliance castor Castor with brake Ø50mm
€4.95*
€4.95*
Connector 25×25 Swivel Joint Connector, 45 to 195 Degrees Adjustable, 25x25mm Push-fit Connector for Square Tube Swivel connector 45–195° €4.16*
Variants off €3.78*
From €3.78*
Connector 25×25 Right Angle 25x25mm Connector Square Tube Right angle €2.86*
Variants off €2.57*
From €2.57*
Online cutting service:
Profiles cut to size! 955mm
Profiles cut to size! 955mm
How uniquely our customers build:
FAQ: Build your own cold frame – building guide for cold frame top
A cold frame top with ALUSTECK® is durable, weatherproof and particularly stable. The aluminium is rust-free and ideal for year-round use in the garden.
The top can be attached to the raised bed with hinges or clamps so that it can be opened and closed easily.
Twin-wall sheets, acrylic glass or polycarbonate are ideal, as they let sunlight through while providing good heat insulation.
The cold frame top provides protection from cold, wind and pests. It creates an optimal climate for the plants and extends the growing season.
Lettuce, herbs, spinach, radishes or kohlrabi are ideal, as they germinate even at low temperatures.
Yes, with the ALUSTECK® plug-in system you can adjust or extend your cold frame top at any time.
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Disclaimer:
All projects and information are for inspiration only. We do not provide any legally binding information regarding construction and implementation. All constructions you undertake with ALUSTECK® are your responsibility. Please check your construction yourself accordingly for statics and correctness.
For the information mentioned above, ALUSTECK® assumes no liability or warranty for the correctness of the construction, for statics and the usual wear and tear of the goods, as well as defects or damages of any kind arising from incorrect application or negligent handling or operation or extraordinary use.
