Crop Covers To Fit Your Needs

In this extract from her book Growing Under Cover, Niki Jabbour offers advice on the range of covers you can use to protect your crops

- Niki Jabbour

Garden covers aren’t just for growing into winter or protecting from frost. They can be used all year long to boost yields, protect from pests, reduce disease, establish summer sowings and improve crop quality. I use a variety of fabrics, devices and structures to capture heat, reduce heat, provide shade and create a barrier against pests. Most of them, like shade cloths, row covers and mini tunnels, are inexpensive or easily made. A few, like polytunnels and greenhouses, require a larger investment.

WHAT TYPE OF PROTECTION DOES YOUR GARDEN NEED?

What type of structure you ultimately choose depends on what your goals are. Do you want an extra-early harvest of spring greens? Do you live in a short-season region where it’s difficult to mature heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes and peppers? Or are your summers hot and dry, making it hard to establish crops for autumn and winter harvesting? Maybe your garden is plagued by deer, rabbits, cabbage caterpillars or other garden pests. Before you invest in a cover, consider why you need it.

PROTECTION FROM WEATHER EXTREMES

A protective cover is any material or device that shelters plants from weather – cold, frost, wind, snow, hard rain and hail. Structures like cold frames or mini hoop tunnels collect and trap solar energy, creating a microclimate around the vegetables inside. They can extend the harvest by weeks or months in autumn or push up the planting season by the same time frame in early spring. They can also provide warmer growing conditions, allowing gardeners in colder regions to cultivate plants like aubergines and melons.

BEST OPTIONS

Cloches for temporary cover

Mini hoop tunnel with row cover or plastic

Polytunnels

DEFENCE AGAINST PESTS