What to do with cloches?

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forester

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What to do with cloches?
« on: February 09, 2011, 09:41 »
Hi everybody I am new here  :)

I am an novice veg grower down in Hampshire. I grow all the usual suspects that are easy and tasty! I had a year off from growing last year as time was very limited but after having to spend £2 on about 5 runner beans when I was used to having a plate full of them I am back this year!

I have 2 cloches in the garage ready for action but I don't know what to do with them! Can someone give me some help please. Can I use them now? Do yo need to lift them up and water underneath? Do I start stuff in the greenhouse or straight in the ground under the cloche?

Help please :D

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aelf

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Re: What to do with cloches?
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2011, 09:56 »
it really depends what you intend to grow, I would say. A cloche will raise the temp of the soil by a few degrees at this time of year, and will protect shoots and seedlings from frosts. Using a cloche can give you a head-start by a few weeks but in my experience, seeds planted later or brought on in the greenhouse usually catch up. I have some carrots under a cloche at the moment - they went in last weekend, but this is a bit of an experiment.

My cloches tend to go over seedlings that otherwise might be lost if the weather isn't as good as expected for the time of year, for example if March turns out to be a very cold or windy month, the cloches go on. They come off again as soon as the weather picks up.

Hope that helps  :)
There's more comfrey here than you can shake a stick at!

http://www.wedigforvictory.co.uk/dig_icon.gif[/img]

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mumofstig

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Re: What to do with cloches?
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2011, 10:19 »
The trouble with cloches, on my windy site, is that they don't stay where they're put :(
In my garden, which is more sheltered, they are useful for covering newly tranplanted stuff from harsh weather at planting time.

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forester

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Re: What to do with cloches?
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2011, 10:25 »
Ah thank you. Not quite as useful as I had imagined then. I was hoping for an oasis of early veg.  :lol:

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chimaera

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Re: What to do with cloches?
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2011, 15:34 »
Put them over salad leaves and it stops then getting battered by the rain.

Charlie

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TheSpartacat

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Re: What to do with cloches?
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2011, 16:40 »
I put cloches on the ground I intend to sow for a few weeks before I sow anything, to start the ground warming a little early. Also get salad leaves started under them in spring.

Use them for hardening off plants, like tomatoes and squash, before planting them where they are to go.

The squash and cucumbers i sowed under cloche at the end of May caught up with the ones I'd sown indoors in April. Couldn't distinguish between them.

In the Summer I have some seedlings germinate in them- it seems to get things like herbs going quicker than those sown outdoors.

And they are useful again in autumn to protect salad crops from early frosts, and a longer growing time for oriental greens.


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Carollan

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Re: What to do with cloches?
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2011, 19:41 »
I used one of the 5 cloches I bought (yes,too much enthusiasm and not enough space!!)to bring on my courgette plants when I planted them in the ground.It worked. I guess I was using it a bit like a coldframe,because after a few weeks the weather hotted up and I was able to take the cloche off...the courgette plants were also getting too big for the cloche!!!


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TheSpartacat

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Re: What to do with cloches?
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2011, 21:17 »
I have a couple of large cloches that are somewhere between a coldframe and a cloche... same difference i suppose, just scale....? And being moveable.

A nice alternative to bell cloches is cutting 2l bottles in half...

Some nice ideas here about cheap n cheerful home made cloches... particularly like the 'steamer' variety:
http://www.goal2010.org/lifestyle/grow-your-own-food/51/



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