[wendycas]

Hi there
As everyone is, we're struggling to get things in with the horrible weather. It's been dry today and forecast is good for tomorrow (2 dry days together-wow! ) so we were thinking of getting some things in the ground-like cabbage, broccoli, sprout seedlings-and to put plastic 2 litre pop bottles over each one with the bottoms cut off to protect against slugs and the weather-what do you think???
Also, will seeds be ok going in now-we've kept holding off-turnip, beetroot and peas??
Thanks
Wendy 

[chrisnchris]

We do this although we cut the bottle in half for 2 mini cloches 

[Plot74]

turnips should be ok along with peas beetroot takes a little longer to germinate
be careful with the bottles they do not keep slugs of your plants and stop the birds getting the grubs good for bringing plants on so it is up to you but keep an eye on them.
john

[BussinSpain]

I would not be without my "bottle-bank" !  Empty 5-litre wine containers (from my husband) go over brassicas and the 1.5ltr gaseosa bottle (similar to lemonade) go over everything else.  Just cut off the bottoms, remove the lid and hey-presto!  My empty wine bottles get used as formers for paper-pots, yogurt pots get cut up to make labels, little mushroom boxes get used as mini trays, meat trays are brill for sowing small things like lettuces,  egg boxes, complete with their plastic lids are good for chilli peppers and the like:)  Empty compost bags get cut up length-wise and used witht he black side up for supressing weeds.  Now what else do I recyle for the garden?

[Madame Cholet]

Yes my kale ans sprouts were sneeked in between the showers last week and have doubled in size already. The beetroot seed is just popping up too. go for it.

[wendycas]

That's great, thanks! Looking very coudy and miserable but dry so we're going for it!
Really appreciate the help!

[LittleRedHen]

My brussel sprouts are loving the weather and my peas are great too.  When we moved in January, I took clear lemonade bottles and cut the tops and bottoms off of them.  When I transplanted all of my clematises from the other house, they were used as protective collars and gave the clematises the start they needed.  I just left them on there and they are a permanent fixture now.

Love the recycling ideas from Spain, brilliant!

[galen]

Sorry to hijack the thread...

Is the colour of the bottles critical? Having grown up in the west country I'm partial to a drink that comes in light brown plastic bottles    Could I use these or will they cut out too much light ?

[BussinSpain]

Sorry to hijack the thread...

Is the colour of the bottles critical? Having grown up in the west country I'm partial to a drink that comes in light brown plastic bottles    Could I use these or will they cut out too much light ?

too much light would be cut out so try changing your tipple to lemonade!   

[wendycas]

Hi there
Managed to get some brassicas out the other day-in the plastic bottles! Thanks for all your comments.
We've got sweetcorn and cucumbers growing like crazy on windowsills-can they go out too with plastic bottles as cloches or is it just too cold? 
Thanks
Wendy

[JayG]

Much too cold, especially for cukes, and especially where you are!

[wendycas]

OK, thanks for that.   
So, is it the right time but just too cold or should they not go out anyway until later?
Thanks

[Thephoenix572]

Do you leave the tops on the bottles when you put them on

[mattwragg94]

OK, thanks for that.   
So, is it the right time but just too cold or should they not go out anyway until later?
Thanks

mid to late may is the normal time to plant sweetcorn and cuc's out - however this year i think it may be late may/ early june for me

[Trillium]

Sadly, I rarely drink soda these days and miss those big bottles. But I have some left that I still use. I cut the bottoms off and threw away the tops. Instead of tops, I double up a bit of fleece and tie that to the spout area like a strainer. This keeps out frost but lets out hot air so the plants don't cook inside. I wouldn't bother cutting the bottles up further because the 2L size allows a fair bit of growth before it must come off. I did use only single thicknesses of fleece on the tops at first but frost got in, so now I always double it and haven't had problems since.

Clear bottles work the best. I've used some green ones in the past and the plants didn't do as well with them so they went to recycle.