Creating cloches

[tflower]

Hi Charles, I attended your course at West Dean in February this year, at last my raised beds/small polytunnel are ready for use.
Thanks again for this, and sharing your expertise in your books, v inspiring indeed.
Having purchased a few of your excellent books, I was wondering if you could add a little detail to something from the “Winter Veg” book (p191-193).
Firstly, for growing winter salads (oriental leaves, lambs lettuce, spinach etc, currently in modules) should I fleece them over winter or cloche them?
If cloching is better (I.e the picture in p192) I have a few questions;
1. How long should the lengths of wire be across a 1.2m raised bed?
2. How far apart should the wire hoops be spaced
3. I’m sure I’m being thick, but I don’t quite get your explanation of how to create the loops to hold the string/polythene in place. Could you provide any pictures?
4. How wide would the polythene need to be to cover wore hoops across the 1.2m bed?
5. Could you recommend a supplier for the polythene?
Best wishes,

Tom Flower

[charles]

 Hello Tom, there are more details on p193.

Wire is c.2.4m, space a metre apart, please read string explanation p193 (under the loops then diagonally across bed to hoop on other side), polythene about 2m wide and c.500 guage, old polytunnel polythene is good but I don’t know who sells 2m rolls of that thickness, do check out lbs.

Hope that helps.

[davidk]

http://www.robinsonpolytunnels.co.uk/acatalog/Polythene.html

Give Mr Robinson a ring, he’ll try & help I’m sure.

[devonstew]

This ties into to something I’ve been wondering.

What is the real difference of having a Polytunnel vs cloche vs fleece

Currently I don’t have a tunnel to use, but have been pondering putting one up next year so with this winter’s salad sitting in the soil I am wondering how to protect it and whether there is a significant difference in crop protection between cloches and fleece. Obviously fleece is a lot easier to throw on, but it doesn’t last that long….
Any opinions?

[charles]

 Polytunnel gives most weather protection and stronger growth and another advantage is protection it gives to gardeners when tending plants. so one tends them more, and more comfortably!

Fleece gives least protection and its drawback in winter is not keeping leaves dry when some plants can succumb to being wet all the time eg lettuce (not always though). But then in spring a cloche needs watering more than plants under fleece.

[devonstew]

Thanks,
The point about keeping the leaves dry is the interesting one for me. Hadn’t really considered that that would make a difference, but now you say it, it makes sense…..

winter cloches and spring fleece!

[dan hazelrowan]

here we go :

500 gague UV stabilised 2m wide plastic

http://www.qvsshop.co.uk/polythene-sheeting-137-c.asp

[Author]

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