Cold frames can be of assistance in cold weather

Cold frames can be used to help plants grow strongly during periods of cold weather, according to one expert.

Low temperatures can stunt the growth and sometimes do serious damage to a bed of plants and self-proclaimed master gardener Neil Roberts is convinced that low-tech glass panels can offset these risks.

Greenhouses are more appropriate for people dedicated to good growing practices but cold frames offer a short-term solution for anyone aiming to prevent cold nights from damaging their plants.

"Your first attempt at using a cold frame may be disappointing but you will soon learn how to use it by trial and error and you will soon learn how to grow earlier crops and to lengthen your growing season," wrote Mr Roberts in the Peterborough Examiner.

A recent report from Valley Vegetable Gardening encouraged its green-fingered readers to think of cold frames as a "low-tech, knee-high greenhouse".