MAYBE it was watching Geoff Hamilton on BBC television's Gardeners World in the 1990s that influenced me (and I suspect it was) seeing how he would take everyday objects that could be reused and embraced for specific jobs in the garden, writes TOM ATTWOOD. I'm always keen to find a new use for an object that is maybe destined for the bin and old sash windows have always been high on my radar. A reasonably sound wooden window that has all its glass makes an excellent lid for a cold frame. This is a pretty broad term that refers to what is essentially a miniature greenhouse that you would use to either shelter plants during the winter or use as a propagator for the spring and summer. I have cold frames outside and inside in our unheated greenhouse sat on top of some simple staging. Outside they are most typically made with either a timber base or a brick one. Timber is the easiest and fastest material and old scaffolding boards are the perfect height when cut up and fixed together to create a base assembled around the dimensions of your window. The window can be attached with a hinge making it easier and safer to prop open when you need to access the contents, or you simply want to avoid things warming up too much which can lead to seedlings becoming mouldy (damping off).

The cold frames I have set up on the greenhouse bench stand on a simple heated mat onto which pots and seed trays sit. They are essentially a small electric blanket and most come with a thermostatic control allowing you to set the temperature to the optimum (usually around 12 to 14 degrees). By combining the cold frame and the heated mat you end up with a brilliant piece of kit to raise plants from seeds and cuttings. If you enjoy growing plants from scratch, then I can't recommend a set up like this highly enough.

Next week: creating a natural screen