Topic: Cold Frame Problems

[Good Gourd2]

Last season my son built me a fantastic cold frame from wooden pallets and perspex for the top all nice and neatly done even treated the wood for me, to match the sheds. Now I have never managed to grow anything in it worth bothering with. All  of the brussel seeds etc that I started of did`t the raddishes stayed smaller than marbles, lettuces keeled over and died and the sweet william seeds just vanished. What am I now doing I had put  a whole sack of potting compost in and I think I ventilated it Ok. This year when I think about putting my onion seeds that are about 3" tall in modules in it to harden them off ready for the garden I am very reluctant.

[Tee Gee]

Sounds like you are sowing/planting into the ground as opposed to germinating in pots/trays then putting these in the cold frame.

You lettuce & radishes I would put down to being too warm! Do you remove the lid?

Have a look at my coldframe to see how I go about growing in it. http://tinyurl.com/23gkv8 ( click on pics to enlarge)

[davee52uk]

1. Is there adequate light getting through the perspex as it may not be as good as glass for this?

2. What was the wood trested with? It may have affected the plants with fumes. This should have worn off after this time.