[woodsmoke]

Some advice please from people who have really used cloches for earlier crops.  I was given some wire hoops with old tatty polythene.  The hoops are not very high - once pushed into the soil they might clear 8 inches.  The polythene did not cover the ends - small wind tunnels?  Should I use them by recovering them to provide ends?  What about floating cloches?  I have fleece but what is to stop slugs finding their ideal conditions underneath?  I want to have some early crops so I am starting things off on the windowsill (as books suggest).  I cannot go to my plot everyday so I cannot mess about moving cloches if the weather is good.  Advice on how to use cloches for early crops please and is it worth it.  Last year I covered ground in black plastic to warm the soil which was a waste of time as April was so hot and now I read that nasty things can leach into the soil from black plastic.