CREATIVE COVERS!

In this month’s instalment of Gardening on a Budget, Stephanie Hafferty explores how you can keep your crops warm in spring, utilising a range of household materials

- Stephanie Hafferty

To make the most of my gardening space, I try to grow at least two crops in each bed every year, and often manage to grow three or four! Starting seeds off undercover (greenhouse, windowsill, or cold frame) and putting them out as transplants means that they have a head start, and should start producing delicious dinners up to a month earlier than seeds sown outside in April. Healthy transplants are less susceptible to slugs and other nibbling pests, too.

To save time, I don’t harden the plants off: instead I use crop protection for the first three weeks or so to ease the transition from a cosy greenhouse to the colder world outside. I’m often gardening in a T-shirt in the April sunshine, but nights can be bitterly cold and there’s a risk of ground frosts until well into May (and occasionally even snow).

FLEECE ALTERNATIVES

Horticultural fleece, a light polypropylene fabric, is useful for this. It comes in different weights: 25 or 30gsm is ideal, can last for years (I have some which is 10 years old) but it can be pricey. Avoid buying cheap fleece from bargain stores. It is too thin and rarely lasts longer than a season, easily ripping and shredding, which is a waste of money, unsightly and not good for the environment. Instead, look around you for alternatives to help protect your seedlings from ice, snow, cold wind and driving rain.