Why did I never cloche before?

wild edges

I've never really bothered with cloches, I tried reusing 5 litre water bottles a few times but found they needed removing to let the plants air out too often, then eventually blew away just when they were needed and they were always too small. Then last year I bought some tunnel cloches (the type you see Monty using on the telly) to protect my garlic during the bad winter. The garlic thrived under there and the head start seemed to get them through the dry summer. Now this winter I'm using one of them to protect a large, spreading sedum (confusum I think) in the garden that always barely survives the winter and that is also thriving under cover. I know winter is far from done yet but so far so good.

I'm planning on using a couple of them to get an earlier start on a couple of rows of first early potatoes now. If I cover the beds to get the soil warm is this worth doing or am I likely to still lose them to a late spell of cold weather? Our growing season is a week or 2 late up here because of the altitude and exposure so it would be good to get a jump on things.

Lizzie27

I think T & M have a special offer on two rectangular cloches WE. I'm debating whether to get some as well. And for a £1 extra, you can get a wooden dibber, 20 labels and a pen. 

wild edges

I did have a look at those but I thought they'd be a bit flimsy for my garden so I forked out for the metal framed ones. I'm glad I did as they've stood up to everything so far without budging. They've gone up by £10 for the 3 pack since I got them though so I won't be buying any more. They were pretty expensive before even with the 10% discount The end panels are pretty useless too so I've never bothered to fit them.

https://www.harrodhorticultural.com/longrow-super-cloche-pid7556.html?Aff=GPL&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0cPdk7K24AIVaL7tCh2asgRfEAQYAiABEgLNSPD_BwE

Dovefromabove

I keep meaning to buy a couple of sheets of corrugated polycarbonate sheeting and some 25mm plastic water pipe. With some short lengths of bamboo cane to stick in the ends of the lengths of pipe they’ll do the job just fine 😊

Obelixx

We already have some of that corrugated plastic Dove.  I just keep forgetting to buy the water pipe...    We have loads of bamboo but I think I'd go for metal bars as they'll push in further and more easily and be more sturdy.

wild edges

Dovefromabove said:

I keep meaning to buy a couple of sheets of corrugated polycarbonate sheeting and some 25mm plastic water pipe. With some short lengths of bamboo cane to stick in the ends of the lengths of pipe they’ll do the job just fine 😊

Well you're not going to feel all fancy in the garden with that attitude

Nollie

I’ve had monty cloche envy for some time, but yeah, pretty pricy to get the ready-made ones!

Obelixx

You just need a bit of ingenuity Nollie.   Builders' merchants sell bot the corrugated plastic and the metal bars and the piping........

Nollie

Can summon the ingenuity Obelixx, just never seem to find the time, always something else demanding my attention! 

Hampshire_Hog

I purchased these clips and some PC panels 120 x 60 to make cloches at the allotment this year, I fill old four litre milk bottles with sand and use as extra ballast to keep them in place also ideal to keep fleece, membrane etc in place.

wild edges

That's a neat system and probably a lot easier to store when not in use. I re-engineered mine with wingnuts to make them easier to dismantle. If I had access to a roller bender I'd make them again in thicker steel or aluminium with better fixings for quick release, change the radius slightly on each bend so they'd stack together better.

The thing I hate about that polycarbonate it trying to keep the cells inside clean. I'd have to find some way to close them off to stop dirt and water getting in there.