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Palram Cold Frame Double Additional Information

Posted by Chris Wong on December 12, 2012 0 Comments

Why We Love It:

The Palram double cold frame offers a lot in a small package. It is lightweight, easy to assemble and disassemble, stores compactly when not in use, is very strong and durable, and works great to get your garden a head start in spring and extend your season in the fall.   As with most things, you get what you pay for in terms of quality including workmanship, design, and ease of use.

Why Our Customers Love It:

For the avid gardeners, spring can't come soon enough, and winter comes too quickly. Having one or multiple cold frames allows them to have an early crop of greens and keep things growing much longer.
greens inside cold frame

Setup and Installation Tips:

The cold frame requires assembly once you receive it. While the included instructions are very helpful, we've included a few additional tips that should help to make installation as easy as possible. Budget one hour or one and a half hours for a first time setup.

1. Use a Cordless Drill Instead of a Screwdriver
If you use a manual screwdriver, it will take much longer and you'll have a very tired wrist at the end. The main reason is that the screw sockets do not come pre-threaded. That means when you are installing each screw, you will be creating the thread that will ultimately secure the pieces together.

2. Study the Diagrams Carefully
Each part is number and all the pieces (except the screws and washers) are numbered. Ensure that you use the correct piece and in the correct orientation. It is easy to put many pieces on backwards or in the wrong orientation. Doing this right the first time will save you from having to disassemble and reassemble the cold frame. Misplaced the instructions? Download a PDF copy of the assembly instructions.

3. Tighten Screws Completely

If you are using a cordless drill like we suggest in tip #1, this shouldn't be too difficult. Tightening each screw completely ensures that when you attach the roof pieces to the frame, it will fit snug and minimize the chance of the edges catching and warping.

4. Putting on the Corner Caps
The cap piece on the corner legs can sometimes be tricky to put on. In our experience, we find that with especially tight pieces, starting from the outside corner edge and rolling the piece downwards makes an easier and tight fit.

5. Use a Large and Flat Workspace
Setting up the cold frame in a small area will make this more difficult to work in. We recommend having a work space of 10' x 10 to avoid getting too cramped.

Usage Tips:

1. Putting on the Roof Pieces.
As part of its normal operation, the roof pieces will be taken on and off for regularly things like watering, weeding, and harvesting. When taking off the roof piece, lift until the roof piece is almost perpendicular to the ground. The hinge should release and the roof piece should come away easily. To put the roof piece back on, position the roof piece so it is almost perpendicular to the ground and sitting in the groove where the hinge attaches. With one hand, slowly lower the roof piece into position while using the other hand to push upwards to ensure the hinge catches. Once the roof is about half closed, the hinge should be securely attached. See the picture below for more details.

palram-cold-frame-lid-attachment

2. Propping Open the Roof Pieces
One great feature about the cold frame is that you can prop open the lid to allow for more air flow and to ensure the plants don't get too hot inside. Using the

3. Anchoring the Cold Frame to the Ground
Each of the four corner pieces come with a spot to attach the cold frame to the ground. We find that using old tent pegs, ground staples, or other similar product helps to keep the cold frame from potentially blowing away. As an alternative, you can also use extra soil to mound around the lower lips of the cold frame on both the inside and outside to secure it to the ground.

4. Keep the Roof Pieces Securely Closed
The roof pieces will naturally stay down due to gravity, however they may get propped up because of wind or animals. If you want to secure the roof pieces to the frame, you can do that too. Instead of using the arm pieces to prop up and vent the cold frame, use the same pieces and swing them  up and around until they lock onto the catch on the corner pieces. This will hold and secure the lid in place and provide additional structural stability for the cold frame.

5. Start Fall Plants 6-8 Weeks Before the First Frost Date
This will ensure that the plants have a strong enough root system and large enough leaves to continue growing (albeit much slower) when the days get shorter and the temperatures get cooler. If the weather gets too cold, the plants may not grow very much if at all even in your cold frame.


Purchase a Palram Cold Frame directly from our online store today.

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