Garden Cloche – Timing When To Cover Plants And When To Remove Covers

Cloches provide an ideal warm environment to promote seed germination and extend the growing season; however, too much heat can be detrimental.

Cloches provide an easy solution for protecting individual plants from the unpredictable elements, providing essential shelter from weather changes. With regular inspection, cleaning and repair maintenance your cloches should continue providing their benefits as intended.

Timing

Garden cloches provide young plants with protection from the elements and promote optimal growth conditions, especially tender vegetable seedlings susceptible to frost or other forms of cold weather. Furthermore, these simple coverings can also help control ground squirrels or other unwanted animals that damage plants – they’re easy to make using common supplies such as chicken wire and recycled plastic bottles.

To create a garden cloche, start by measuring its desired dimensions with a tape measure and marking them with wire snips. Wear gloves when performing this step for your own protection! Cut chicken wire into the desired length using these wire snips before beginning construction of the cylindrical structure.

Reaching for a height and diameter that matches the size of your plants is ideal. Once completed, cut away any extra wire that was not necessary and twist or secure its edges. Use gardening gloves to check that there are no sharp or jagged edges which could harm or snag on plants beneath.

Preparation

Garden cloches can be invaluable tools in expediting cropping times and improving garden productivity. Simply set over plants when conditions require it and remove as soon as conditions change or the plant has outgrown its cover.

Cloches come in all shapes and sizes from Hot Kaps’ flexible plastic to wall o’ waters, greenhouse domes or plastic bells made of glass. Reusing recycled materials also has its uses; from creating simple Coke bottle cloches with little effort needed, to more intricate versions made from scrap wire or chicken wire cloches crafted by more discerning artists.

No matter the type of cover you use, it is vitally important that the surface remain free from debris such as dirt, sand or pollen. Before each use of any cover it is wise to disinfect with bleach solution (1 part water to 9 parts bleach), in order to eliminate bacteria or pathogens which may infiltrate and harm plants within.

Ventilation

Cloches provide a moisture-trapping space, trapping both soil evaporation and plant transpiration moisture and creating an ongoing cycle of condensation and rehydration for plants under their shelter. As such, gardeners find they need to water less often, saving time and effort.

Cloches can easily be placed over individual plants or rows of seedlings and removed quickly as conditions improve or the plants outgrow their covers. Due to this convenience and flexibility, cloches make an invaluable asset for gardeners of all levels of experience – from novice gardeners through professional farmers.

Before storing away cloches, ensure they are completely dry. Moisture trapped within can lead to mold or mildew growth which could harm and kill plants when reused; additionally moisture damage plastic cloches or cause rust on metal frames. A professional gardening friend in France suggested placing a block of wood under one side during sunny days as an extra vent so as not to overheat and overcook plants inside.

Covering

After dark, protecting plants with protective covers will help them warm from below, but be sure to remove it in the morning before frost hits. Plastic cloches (like those seen here) or you could make one out of materials you probably already possess can provide this solution.

Cloches were first used by 19th century market gardeners as portable miniature greenhouses to protect individual vegetable plants in their gardens, acting like portable mini greenhouses. Cloches can now be found for home gardeners as small plastic covers or larger tent-like enclosures that serve the same function; you could even build permanent structures like cold frames and hoop houses, although these may be harder to move around.

Chicken wire makes for a quick and simple solution when creating simple cloches for seedlings and transplants, bushes or trees in cool-weather regions that protect cool-season plants from rabbits or other backyard critters.