Gardening – Protecting against cold snaps

Keen gardeners who are impatiently waiting for the weather to warm up can gain an advantage of three to four weeks by using cloches or cold frames. These are basically hoops of plastic tube, wire or steel pipe that are covered in polythene film, frost cloth or shade cloth. The principles of these structures are they are light, transportable, easy to erect and inexpensive.

The most simple and useful cloche is called the bell cloche; simply a glass or plastic bell-shaped cover over individual plants to protect them from cold snaps while they are young. A very simple bell cloche which can be made out of soft drink bottles with the top cut off and placed over a plant.

My favourite cloche is the one I was taught as a budding market gardener some 30-plus years ago, made by using lengths of number-eight fencing wire, which naturally forms a curve. The ends are inserted into wooden stakes (or drill holes into the wooden sides of your raised beds). A row of these hoops spaced a metre apart is then covered in a polythene sheet and tied down with string threaded through fencing staples at the base of each hoop, with the string looping both sides of each hoop to provide the tension.

Cold frames are similar in principle to cloches, but are typically rigid and made from glass, polythene or polycarbonate sheeting. They may be set up on a bench to get seedlings going, or on the ground with higher sides to take crops to a more advanced stage. A simple sheet of glass, propped up on some pieces of wood, is the most basic version. Cold frames can be made from old wooden windows, with the sashes attached. These can often be picked up for free, or very cheap, from people making renovations.

You would think with all these easy to make and cheap options available I would be happy. But no, this year I thought I would be extra clever and invest in some mini greenhouse-style cloches. I figured four would be sufficient to cover a bed. These would be the Maserati of the garden world, with gull-wing opening tops, shiny and durable aluminium frames and twin-wall plastic panes for extra warmth.

I thought I was very clever until I started to put these infernal contraptions together! Fiddly little nuts, razor sharp plastic twin-wall, wobbly pieces of aluminium and confusing instructions meant the first cloche took two hours to assemble, accompanied by a foul temper, sore back, skinned knuckles and bleeding finger tips. However, they do look very stylish and professional in the garden!