[earthmother]

morning all, went to b&q last evening looking for cloche hoops, they sell the netting but not the hoops
can anyone suggest a cheap method for hoops? first year on my lovely allotment.
shed is up and looking great.

[muddywellies]

You can use MDPE blue water pipe - we've just used it to make a giant cloche/tunnel over our entire brasicca bed. I got mine from here:

Water pipe

Alternatively, for smaller cloches, you can use hoops of thick gauge wire. I got mine from a local fencing suppliers. Hope this helps!  

[Alex 98]

We made ours
Buy long lenths of fleece
Buy heavy duty wire

Work out how big you want the cloche to be, height x length

Fold fleece double every 4ft across width in 20mm folds
Then sew, to create a 'tube' for the wire to pass through
Bend wire where it emerges from fleece, 45 degrees outwards and then 45 degrees downwards

The finished item works out at a cost of £10 each on a 16 ft run
This compares with about £27 for the branded product from shops or mail order

Alex 98

[noshed]

Wilkos sell plastic-coated fencing wire which is good for little cloches.

[earthmother]

thank you all me dears  

[Trillium]

Check out this video clip for an easy homemade cloche by Geoff Hamilton.

bbc.co.uk/gardening/today_in_your_garden/geoffhamilton_index.shtml

[Bigbadfrankie]

just plant when its warm enough as an alternative