Cold-frame / season-extension first-year cost estimator
Enter frame count and size, DIY lumber vs kit, glazing, soil/mix bags, cool-season seeds or starts, row cover extras, and optional mini-heater hours. You get honest USD ranges for year-one hardware + consumables. No account. No email. Runs in your browser.
Complements the free cold-frame calendar and greenhouse / cold-frame notes. Numbers are typical U.S. suburban / farm-store street ranges (2024–2026); your scrap pile, climate, and salvage glass will differ.
Your frame plan
1
Start with one. Two–three is a real trial bed set. Zero = browse only.
Mid is the usual first backyard frame. Large jumps lumber and glazing fast.
DIY assumes you can cut, hinge, and seal. Kit assumes a consumer prefab plus usual tweaks (seal, paint, hinges).
Salvage glass cuts cost if you already have safe panes. New poly is predictable and lighter.
Honest signal: browsing stays free doors. A trial means you will plant cool crops and vent.
4
Bag counts for filling or topping frames. 0 if you already have bed soil ready.
Lettuce, spinach, kale, Asian greens, radish. Starts cost more; seeds stretch farther.
Useful inside or over frames on hard frost nights. Optional if glazing alone is enough for your zone.
0 h
Often skip. Most cool-season frames need venting more than heat. 0 is the honest default.
Hardware once + electricity for the hours above. Fire risk and GFCI are your problem — not this tool’s.