Coldframe From PVC Pipe and Coroplast

Intro: Coldframe From PVC Pipe and Coroplast

I have made several of these small cold frames and had great success with them.  We can grow cool weather plants all winter long in Oklahoma.  I've had plants survive 9 degree nights before.  You can add a layer of bubble wrap on top of the plants to protect them even more during really hard cold spells.  I have never really run a cost on these, I just made them because I want my salad all year long and my wife likes to garden.

I built this out of 1.5 inch pvc pipe and 4mm natural coroplast.  The 'Natural' Coroplast is slightly translucent.  It's very easy to cut with a utility knife.  You might have to go to a plastics supply house or a sign supply house to get the coroplast, not sure if it's a regular home improvement store item.  I used self drilling, self tapping screws designed for attaching lath.  They have a large head that looks like a built in washer.  I didn't glue any of the pipe together, just tapped it together with a wooden mallet or by banging it on the driveway.  Kind of tried to keep things squared up as I went along, but nothing is really critical.  I always build the top first, then fit the body to it to make sure the body is not too big for the top to fit.

I have included a drawing and a cutting ticket.

You can see an assembly movie here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCDujcuHZxI&feature=youtu.be

Comments

[diy_bloke]

When I look for Coroplast, all I find is some form of Duct tape, But it seems that in Europe this stuff is called 'Corex'

[joesteinerii]

Great. It comes in different thicknesses and you can get it in double wall and triple wall. I have also built these using 1" pvc. I used 1.5" for these because I had a bunch of elbows left over from my sprinkler system installation