Cloches

 I have, over the last few years, begun to rely on cloches to get my plants off to healthy and early starts in late winter/early spring. Since the weather was a bit warmer than usual, I decided to take a quick inventory of the various cloches and structures I have at my disposal.

When it comes to cloches, I received these three below for Christmas. They are called Greenhouse Buckets. They look very sturdy and are made of a very durable "plastic" material which the manufacturer claims will resist fading and yellowing. They are tall and give a reasonable amount of space to use them on taller plants. I tried one in a bare spot in my garden this past weekend. It was a sunny day with temps in the low 40's. My thermometer recorded a high temp of 92 and a low of 30 overnight. It was a very non scientific process so I am hopeful about them. They can be found at greenhousebuckets.com.

I also have a set of two different types of cloches which are older and are starting to show their age. They have been through many seasons and have yellowed thanks to the rays of the sun. But, the plants last year did not show any effects from this yellowing so I will use them again this year. I'll continue to use them until there is a failure with the plants. The whole point of these is really to protect the seedlings from frost, heavy rains or even an unexpected late snow shower. And, these all have performed that task quite well.

I also have a couple of structures which I have used for various purposes. I am thinking I will probably plant seedlings in them or maybe do some early direct seeding in them. I think I have had both of these for over 7 years and they have weathered quite well. I will clean the dirt off them with a little bleach solution and will then keep them where they are presently in order to warm up the soil underneath them.
 
I have a collapsible 6 X 8 ft. greenhouse which I am considering placing next to my permanent greenhouse. Not quite sure about that at this time as I have to work out the purpose for it. The question is whether it would add any value to the garden and it's production. I haven't convinced myself one way or another. Time will tell.
That's all all I have to write at this time. Lots going on and it is keeping me pretty busy. I will update when I get the opportunity this week. There are seedlings to start and a whole myriad of garden projects in the works. So until next time, Happy Gardening everyone!