A cold frame is essentially a small greenhouse that you set over plants in your garden to keep them warm and lengthen your growing season. You can make cold frames out of all kinds of materials, but there may be special benefits to using perspex in particular. Here's a look at some of the top benefits of using perspex.

1. No Worries About Paint or Related Toxins

People use all kinds of materials to make cold frames, but old storm windows is a popular option. Unfortunately, these sashes are often painted, and because they tend to be old, they may have lead paint on them. When you buy a piece of perspex from a supplier, you don't have to worry about any old paint or other toxins flaking into your garden.

2. Stronger Than Glass

Perspex is made from acrylics, and this is usually stronger than glass. That makes your cold frame more durable. In particular, if it snows on top of your cold frame, the perspex will generally hold up more effectively than glass. Glass may crack or shatter under the weight.

3. Accommodates Ventilation Holes

When the sun heats up your cold frame, the temperatures can get very hot in there. That may cause some plants to wilt, and because of that, you may need a way to ventilate your cold frame. With a piece of perspex, you can just drill a hole directly into the material. Note that you need to start with a small hole and work your way to a larger hole. If you just try putting a large bit through the perspex, it may shatter.

4. Lightweight

In other cases, you can just remove the whole sheet of perspex for ventilation. That is relatively easy to do as most perspex tend to be lightweight. The lightweight nature of perspex also facilitates multiple design options. For example, if you want to make a makeshift cold frame, you can just arrange bales of hay around the plants that need extra heat. Then you can lay the perspex on the hay bales, and you don't have to worry about it weighing down the hay bales.  

5. Multiple Colour Options

Finally, you can choose sheets of perspex in a wide range of colours. If you want to filter the light that reaches certain plants, you can do that with coloured perspex. Different colours can also add a fun decorative effect to your garden.