Whats the Difference........

[Hans Mum]

.....between an unheated greenhouse & a cold frame?
I'm now the pround owner of 2 unheated greenhouses although i intend to heat one later in the season.

My cold frame was destroyed when my shed was torched and although I did use it a lot cos I didnt have a greenhouse do I need to replace it. Was discussing this on the plot this afternoon and we couldnt work out the difference between an unheated greenhouse and a cold frame.

[veggiechicken]

An unheated GH is taller than a cold frame - and you can get inside it so more space to play in Costs a lot more to buy too,
Apart from the scale of the thing, I don't see that there is much difference.

[scarletrunner]

Agree,it's just a size thing!

[Bren In Pots]

With a cold frame you can expose your plants to the outside gradually by opening the top either a bit or a lot but with a GH the plants are either inside or outside it.

[Aberdeenplotter]

^^^^^^^^between them, that lot up there have it all covered. Bren's point about hardening off is really valid but taking trays of seedlings etc outside during the day and putting them back in at night will allow you to manage without a cold frame

[Hans Mum]

Thanks all....think I can manage to bring them in & out.....

[Bigmallly]

Cold frames are described as any structure that is used to extend the growing season for plants by a few extra weeks. Cold frames are not designed to provide any heat, so unlike the greenhouses the operator has no control over the temperature within one of these plant coverings.

There is no external heat that is added to a cold frame either; cold frames strictly rely on the the sun to heat the plants to the right temperature and consist of a single wall glaze. If you’re using a cold frame, be aware that they are not a good choice for winter growing, since they do not have a heating mechanism that will take over.

Cold frames are most suitable for the weeks before and after frost begins to show on the ground. Cold frames allow you to get a head start on your planting, as well as wait a little while after growing season has ceased to harvest your crops.

Cold frames come in many different shapes and sizes, just like a greenhouse. The only difference is a cold frame does not have a heating component, whereas a greenhouse does.

[Thelma Sanders]

The only difference is a cold frame does not have a heating component, whereas a greenhouse does.

My greenhouse doesn't - unless I choose to buy some paraffin for the heater and put it in there

[Bigmallly]

My greenhouse doesn't - unless I choose to buy some paraffin for the heater and put it in there

I think that's what they mean whereas you wouldn't put anything in a cold frame.

[Thelma Sanders]

Yes, I know LOL
but, just to be contrary, I have been known to use a sumpheater in the cold frame (before I got the greenhouse)

[Aberdeenplotter]

I'm almost certain that there are cold frame heaters on sale in our local Dobbies. They are really just sump heaters. That's not im[ortant though in the scheme of things. It's just important to protect plants from frost.

[Bigmallly]

If a heater was put in a cold frame, would it not then become a greenhouse?.........

[Aberdeenplotter]

nah, it would become a heated coldframe

The idea is to create a micro climate suitable for purpose. For hardening off you don't need heat. If there is frost you need to protect from, then either heat needs to be provided or the plants need to be moved to somewhere frost free.


In a greenhouse, it's also a question of providing a micro climate suitable for purpose. Most folks use them to grow plants that are more delicate than those that would survive outside without protection.