Friday, March 30, 2012

Homemade Cloches for Your Garden

Cloches are the perfect solutions for protecting tender plants from extreme weather conditions. They are generally available in plastic and glass types. However, you can also create your own garden cloches at home. Different materials can be used to prepare a cloche at home.

It's very simple to have a cloche with plastic and wire. Different grades of plastic including standard, medium and heavy are available. However, you should use the one which can withstand the weather elements for a long time. They are also found in different widths from 2 feet to 12 feet. Choose the one based on your type of plants. First, hoops are made with wire of particular height and width. These are placed on the ground in a row and covered. Then, the plastic sheet is laid over the hoops. The ends are trapped under the soil by about three inches.

Cloches can also be made with simple items like soda bottles, milk jugs and so on. Try making cloche with your soda bottle that is generally set aside for disposal. Trim the bottom of the bottle carefully. You can use a tinted bottle to help keep some of the sun out in sunny areas. Remember to remove the label on the bottle to allow sunlight from all the directions of the bottle. Then, place it carefully over the small plant. If the weather is cold, you can keep the twist top. On warmer climates, you can remove it to allow the heat dissipation. It's great to use these soda bottle cloches for smaller plants like peppers and newly transplanted tomatoes. Many different ideas can be used for preparing cloches. For instance, they can be made from a mason jar, wine bottle, etc. Be creative and protect your plants making unique styled cloches that are elegant and functional as well.


No comments: