[lmharwood]

Hello

I am new to allotmenteering, had my plot 3 weeks.  I am planning to plant some peas and have a qustion about covering these over.  If I make a poly tunnel, is it better to use fleece or clear plastic (or does it not make any difference)?

Thanks
Lisa

[Heather_S]

Depends on how cold it gets where you are and if you'll be able to come down to the allotment to open the ends of the tunnel on very warm/very sunny days to avoid cooking your plants.

[muntjac]

and if you have mice that will relish this Christmas dinner,if i was you id wait till spring and sow them then . but cloche would be better in my thinking ,when the kids are opening there Christmas presents keep your eyes open for theose bigger pieces of clear plastic packaging.they make good stops to the ends of cloches

[noshed]

I'm going to give it  go this year with "Pilot". This is on the grounds that my spring-sown ones this year were rubbish. (I'm going to try again with those too, I like peas.)

[milkman]

I've just this weekend (in the rain) sown a bed of Feltham First, covered them with compost and constructed a viromesh pea tent to protect them from the winter elements.  Hoping that combination of compost and viromesh masks any smell of pea seed from micey-type animals and that this warm wet weather gets them off to a quick start.  This is my first time for trying to grow peas over winter, so will try and remember to report back on my success when I harvest my bumber crop next year!

[lmharwood]

Thanks for the advise, will give it a go with a fleece tunnel and be on mice patrol!

[muntjac]

thing with using fleece is , if it rains hard or even snows  and the frost hits it that will transfer to the plants .i prefer cloches ,glass or clear plastic  so you have a strong framework above the peas    maximum light and cold winds are stopped  as it is not the frost that really kills them its the wind chill ,, imop