The Secret Tool Your Grandparents Swore By for Year-Round Success!
September 4, 2024
Source: Reddit
I still recall my grandmother’s garden located at the back of her house with brick facade where there were wooden cold frames placed along the perimeter of the yard. In my childhood, I use to stand by the glass panes that were covered with dew trying to see the new plants that had been planted in the greenhouse. The scent of dew on the ground along with the fresh breeze was the indication of spring, although the winter was still not ready to leave. For many, those little frames of glass and wood are a nostalgia of the past when gardening was not only a hobby, but a lifestyle.
Cold frames have been around for centuries, and while their design has evolved, their purpose remains the same: to protect the plants which are tender to frost to continue its growth in the season. Cold frames have their history in the Roman Empire, where early gardeners used to construct structures known as specularia which was a simple way of greenhouse. They used very thin pieces of mica to keep the warmth and fend off their plants from any harm. Even though we do not have to use mica any more, the concept is as relevant today as it was centuries ago.
By the seventeenth century, cold frames as were known in the future began to develop in Europe, mainly in France. There, they were able to learn the concept of using glass tops or what they call ‘cloches’ to grow plants in mini green houses. The concept gained much popularity and virtually every gardener had to have a cold frame in his or her garden. Families could always get a taste of fresh greens or early flowers even during the coldest winter months with the help of these little wonder.
In the days prior to the modern supermarket cold frames were not just a delightful addition to the garden but a necessity. The use of homegrown food was not a privilege but a need and this is where cold frames came in handy to help families get fresh foods even in the cold season. In many ways, the cold frame was a very simple structure and represented the idea of being self sufficient and making do with what was available. In the periods of war and hunger these little garden boxes made the difference and provided food for the table, in good times they were used to display first tomatoes of the year and other delicacies.
With the change in society, people’s attitude towards cold frames has also changed. What were once deemed as necessities in the society of today are now considered as life’s extravagance and a throwback to simpler and eco-friendly ways of living. It is rather gratifying to care for plants manually, especially given the fact that people more and more often turn to applying various gadgets and devices in their everyday lives.
If one has ever desired to get back to nature or if one has wanted to grow tomatoes like his or her grandparents, then cold frames are the answer. Regardless of the time you are in, cold frames are easy to build and utilize for those who are just beginning to plant as well as for those who have been doing so for a long time. With such materials as polycarbonate and lightweight wood, it is quite possible to establish a structure that will suit your preferences and at the same time follow the traditional ways of the early ages.
Consider cold frames as the charming step between the existing and the gone, as a way to get closer to the time when life was not as rushed, and the first signs of the upcoming spring were the reason for joy. In today’s world, building a cold frame or even restoring an old one is not only a great hobby and a wonderful project for your garden but it is also a way to cherish the legacy left by our ancestors.
I don’t know what it is, but there is something incredibly therapeutic about watching for the first signs of life as the green begins to appear through the earth in the spring. Cold frames have always had that appeal – encouraging people to grow things in the most difficult of conditions. Some of you may recall having been exposed to them in your childhood, some of you may have always wondered what these structures are, while others may be ready to construct one for themselves, but cold frames are not only a method of gardening. They are a tradition that never goes out of style; they are a salute to the spirit of nature; and a gentle message that says, sometimes it’s the simplest things in life that are the most profound.
So, the next time you see an old cold frame, or maybe build one yourself, remember: you are a representative of a long and proud tradition of creative, adaptive and hopeful people welcoming the next season.