The Joy of Fleece – but for how long is it left on?

[JohnParticipant]

Hi Charles

After seeing your garden on the April 1st course and the numerous photos on your blog I have been using fleece for all of my outdoor crops, including salad, pea and broad bean seeds, same crops as module transplants, onion sets and first early potatoes which are now well up.

For how long do you leave the fleece on? My guess is that it depends on lots of factors such as the weather, need for pollination, hardiness, etc.

Do you have any general guidelines?

Thank you very much

John from sunny Exmouth

[charlesModerator]

In this precocious April its a good question John, and much of it can be removed now or soon because its on those vegetables you describe, which tolerate some cool conditions. I have used it to help them get going for about three weeks. Soon it will go on courgettes and squash but…. if the weather stays sunny, I may not need to use it for them.
Today for example some lettuce under fleece was wilting a bit, perhaps too hot this afternoon. so I took it off and watered them. I replaced it with netting in case of badger, rabbit.

[dan hazelrowanParticipant]

I was the same today with the lettuce! Last april was the same i remember , some of my lettuce tip burned then

Fleece is great, but you need to be on the ball as you can’t see whats going on underneath!

Sometimes you lift it off and are surprised , by fast healthy growth and imminent harvest or abundant weeds and wilting plants! 🙂

[doassParticipant]

We are going away for a couple of weeks and our allotment may need watering. Any reason not to water through the fleece which would save our waterer the trouble of removing and replacing fleece.

Doass

[charlesModerator]

Last April was cold, with -3C 27F even on 28th April, so I left fleece on until end April.
This year it will come off earlier. And meanwhile yes, you can water through it, just lift a corner to check the water has passed through. Some new fleece needs to weather before water passes. Year-old fleece lets water pass through more than new fleece.

[RhysParticipant]

I put my fleece down on 3 and a half beds on March 13th, being away for 8 days when it did rain sufficiently not to need watering.

I came back and the direct sown turnip rows had all germinated beautifully, the bed where I sowed forcing carrots germinated weeds spectacularly (that compost must have had a low temperature initial pile!), the beetroot had established well in 7/10 clumps (so I replaced three with the back ups), the spinach and cabbage had been munched despite the outdoor back ups in pots growing on beautifully and the radish, onion clumps and spring onion clumps looked fine.

Does tell me that even fleece does not guarantee success if you push the boundaries….

[charlesModerator]

Hey Rhys, nothing guarantees success, but that sounds a fair result. Slugs munching out of sight is the main worry, I shall be checking my carrots this week.

[charlesModerator]

Hey Rhys, nothing guarantees success, but that sounds a fair result. Slugs munching out of sight is the main worry, I shall be checking my carrots this week.

[StringfellowParticipant]

Hi guys. Fleeced early plantings last weekend which is a touch on the brave side up in North Yorkshire. Some kind of animal has run all over the fleece tearing big holes in them…could be a fellow plot holders dog! Sun shined all day today, glorious, so hope the plantings still covered will be getting their feet down. Broad beans just breaking through, psb cropping well, salads speeding up etc. great to be growing our own food 🙂 best to all…

[doassParticipant]

Thanks all for feedback and will keep in mind fleece removal during hot spells.

[Author]

Posts