Cloche

Growing Strawberries in a cloche

digitalquill — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:41:03 +0000

Strawberries grow very well in a cloche, a Victorian Bell Cloche is best suited to covering individual plants. Cover the plant in early spring just before the buds start to show. Do not forget to water and keep the fruit off the ground, but using this method you will get ripe strawberries 4 weeks or more earlier than those not covered.

Try covering some plants and not others to extend your growing period.

Growing French Beans in a cloche

digitalquill — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:37:42 +0000

French beans require protection until the risk of frost has gone, a cloche is the ideal solution for this. Make sure that you warm the soil for a couple of weeks before sowing, and depending on the type of cloche you use you may need to raise it up as the plants grow. Using this method you can easily plant the seeds 4 weeks earlier than you would outside as the cloche will provide that critical frost protection.

Growing Cauliflower in a cloche

digitalquill — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:35:02 +0000

Cauliflower can be over wintered in a cloche, this gives you a great advantage as Cauliflowers do not like to be disturbed once they are growing so planting them directly into the location they will grow and covering them in a cloche is ideal.

They can be planted in November and December for harvesting in the spring or early summer the next year. Using this method the cauliflower grows very slow with little leaf growth and the cauliflower crop tends to be smaller, but it still gives you a good harvest in the spring and early summer months.

Growing Carrots in a cloche

digitalquill — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:31:33 +0000

Growing Carrots in a cloche can mean that you can have fresh carrots on the table for as much as 9 months of the year. Autumn and winter Carrots can be sown in September and they will be ready to be harvested in November and December.

If you want early carrots you can force them under a cloche by warming the soil in early February and then planting your seeds at the end of February, this will provide a crop of baby carrots in Early April.

Carrots should be sown thinly in rows about 100mm apart, then thinned out leaving the strongest seedlings when they read an inch or so high.

Make sure that your soil is well draining, mix compost and sharp sand into heavier soils. Planting carrots in raised beds, covered by cloches works very well as the soil can be kept light and fluffy.

Cloches provide a huge advantage when growing carrots as they stop the dreaded carrot fly that can blight a good carrot crop.

Growing Broad Beans in a cloche

digitalquill — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:29:01 +0000

Broad beans can be planted in a cloche in the Autumn months, and over wintered under the cloche, this will give you a fresh crop of broad beans in the Early Spring.

If you want to use this method you should still choose hardy varieties even though they are under cover, plant them 50mm deep and 200 mm apart.

Growing Beetroot in a cloche

digitalquill — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:26:19 +0000

Beetroot can usually be sown in Mid-April, however, using a cloche, that has already warmed the soil, beetroot can be planted 3 or 4 weeks earlier at the beginning of March. Take care that any snow fall does not damage your cloche if you grow this early in the season.

Make sure that you always soak beetroot seeds in water fir a couple of hours before you sow them, this removes the chemicals that block the seeds growth and softens them up ready for germination.

Beetroot should be planted about 25mm deep and about 300mm apart. Carefully water the ground if it is dry, but make sure you do not wash the seeds away.

The seedlings will appear in around 10-15 days depending on the variety. At this stage the cloche has a great advantage as they protect the tender seedlings from birds which seem to love them so much.

Thin out the weakest of the seedlings and maintain their watering until the bulb grows to the desired size.

If you intend to store your beetroot you can harden off the skin after harvesting by laying them out in an open ended cloche. Make sure that you do not lay them on the ground as they will rot. Turn them every day to make sure the skins are evenly hardened.

Growing Asparagus in a cloche

digitalquill — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:16:10 +0000

If you ware growing your Asparagus from seed, plant them in early February, making sure that you have the Cloche in place for at least 10 days before you plant to ensure the soil is warmed.

If you are growing from an established root, try covering part of the Asparagus bed with the cloche, this will extend the growing season by bringing some on earlier than others.