A Garden Frame or a range of Forcing Pits have many uses and can be used as a mini greenhouse, though it is probably best used as an extension to the Greenhouse. In the old literature the gardeners used a different term for their portable Frames, which were timber based and the permanent brick based Pits that they used for forcing plants. The term "forcing" meaning to being on the plant out of season. In some literature these permanent Pits were also called Hot beds as they were deep and filled with manure to heat up and encourage rapid growth.
With careful planning the Garden Frame or Forcing Pit can be in use throughout the year. Although Forcing Pits are permanent and Frames are portable there is very little difference in their use so we will use the term Frame for both. Plants raised from seed in the Greenhouse can be moved into the Frame to be hardened off or grown on to maturity for an earlier crop. In Summer the Frame can be used to provide protection for resting house plants. In the Autumn the Frame can be used to provide frost protection for late crops. The Frame can continue in use throughout the Winter for semi-hardy plants or potted bulbs. Using a heating cable can extend the range of uses for the Frame.

In Spring
Use your Frame for an early crop of vegetables. Cabbages and cauliflowers can be given an early start. Lettuce, carrots, radish, french beans and many other crops can be grown to maturity in the Frame and be ready long before other crops grown without protection. If the Frame can be moved into a more sheltered spot or into the morning sunlight then you will get further benefit.

In Summer
The Frame provides a safe storage place for resting house plants and can be covered to provide shade for cyclamen, etc. Move the Frame to a shady spot or cover the Forcing Pit with netting to provide protection form the summer sun. If you do not use your Garden Frame in the Summer it can be dismantled, cleaned and stored to leave more space in the garden.

In Autumn
Late crops of lettuce, tomatoes, etc., can be protected by the Frame or Forcing Pit from early frosts. The Garden Frame being portable can easily be set up on the vegetable plot to provide protection. Onions, etc., can be ripened in the shelter of the Frame. Winter salad crops can be sown in the Frame in the Autumn to be harvested later. If the Forcing Pit has vents through the brickwork into a greenhouse (see sliding vents) then you can "borrow" heat from the greenhouse.

In Winter
The Frame can be used for over wintering semi-hardy plants such as fuchsias and chrysanthemums which might suffer from the cold and damp if left out in the garden all Winter. There are many more plants that may require this protection in northern gardens. In severe weather the Lights can be covered to provide additional protection. Plunging the plants into peat or surrounding them with straw or bracken can also provide protection.

Other Uses For Your “All-Cedar” Garden Frame
The Frame can be used for blanching endives, for drying herbs, for drying and preserving flowers and for ripening onions.
As a protected environment for cuttings. A Frame is invaluable for root cuttings of both hardy and half-hardy plants.
Bulbs and corms - many smaller bulbs and corms such as crocuses do better in a Frame than if kept in a heated Greenhouse.
Freesias and early flowering gladioli benefit from the protection of the Frame. Potted in August or September they can be protected from frosts until the first flower buds show then after flowering returned to the Frame.
Alpines plunged into soil or gravel in a Frame will benefit from the use of the Frame. Maximum ventilation can be provided by removing the lights. Adequate ventilation and protection from damp are the main requirements for Alpines, an ideal use for a Frame.
Imaginative use of the Frame as an extension to the Greenhouse can increase the range of what you can grow, making better use of your Greenhouse and using your Frame to the full.