Life at Cloud 9 Ranch

I’ve been asking Nathan to build me a greenhouse for the past couple of years. Though I didn’t get my Greenhouse, I did get the next best thing today! While some folks may call our cold frame a hot box, there is a difference between the two. The difference being that a hot box will radiate heat from the ground, while a cold frame uses solar energy ( AKA windows) for heating  and light.

I have had some old windows up in my tack room for a while now, at least three years. I orginally got these windows to paint on. That never materialized. While talking to my neighbors yesterday, we got to talking about cold frames. They tried to tell me how to build one. I just didn’t get it (remember, I’m a visual person).

This morning, I woke up, checked my emails, and did my normal morning routine. Then I went to look for informaion on builidng hot boxes. But “hotbox”  or “cold frame” were not terms that were coming to mind. All I could think of was “windowbox”. Which I knew wasn’t what I was looking for.

With a quick call to our neighbors for some help, since Nathan goes back to work tomorrow, they were happy to come over and help. After some chitchat, I wanted to get the project under way, so we headed up to the barn to pull out the windows, and the guys got the wood we would need.

We chose a spot to put the box when complete, and the guys went to work, while Sherri and I chitchatted. The construction was easy enough.

Basic frame layout, with a couple of windows for extra light to come in.

We ran out of windows and Dale needed to get back to his place to do some work. Nathan needed to get some lunch, and Val came over to use my computer, so this is where we left it for a little bit.

After watching a bit of the Daytona 500, and before Nathan could get too comfy to take a nap, I wanted to get back out and finish the box today.

So, back outside we went, grabbed the staple gun, and finished it up with  the black plastic.

So, I’ve got more project off my checklist, and next time, I’ll be able to build this on my own! It is pretty? Not this time, but that is okay with us.

Is it functional? Well, let’s just say I am really excited to get my seeds out, get my soil ready, and clean the glass so that I can some plants in there to propagate by next weekend! WOOHOO! I actually get to start early this year!

You can usually find windows being given away at yard sales, or when you find someone that is doing a remodel. There are even salvage yards that will give you old windows. And scrape wood works great for these types of projects.  You can bet I will be on the lookout for more windows to put to work!