what can I use as a cloche?

Slim4Summer

Hiya all
I am plagued with high winds and slugs and cold - I live on top of a high hill in Scotland. I have been cutting old plastic bottles in half to use as cloches and thats fine for wee plants - does anyone have any ideas on what I can use for bigger plants? Also (stupid question:rolleyes:) do you have to leave air holes??
Cheers

jabba4

Sheets of polythene weighted down with stones will work.
Sheets of glass or plastic, or old windows.

It's advisable to be able to let air in so that it doesn't get too hot and humid around the plant. With the bottles you can keep the lids. Take them off during the day, and put them back on at night to keep them a bit warmer.

brownfrog

Try Geoff Hamilton's method: http://organicgarden.org.uk/?page_id=2292

Slim4Summer

Thanks for the advice guys!

savemoney

to save on costs even more you dont have to use angle brackets apiece of small wood screwed in either side can easily do the job or you can get plastic things not sure what they are called that can be used with have holes in they use them sometime sin kitchen units

bonsibabe

I use 2 litre cola bottles cut down and use the bottom bit and with some air holes punched in. I live in the north of scotland too and they seem to work. Some people also use plastic 4 litre milk cartons as well.

Best of luck to you!

bonsibabe

oops just read you are already using them (silly old me!) good luck finding something bigger!

brownfrog

brownfrog wrote: »

Try Geoff Hamilton's method: http://organicgarden.org.uk/?page_id=2292

This place seems quite cheap for the pipe: http://shop.jparrboro.co.uk/acatalog/MDPE_Blue_Water_Pipe.html

It's 25mm too, not 15mm as given in the instruction website, so should be stronger and more rigid.

bordercars

pipe, screwfix 24.46

http://www.screwfix.com/search.do;jsessionid=MNEAA0SMW0R2CCSTHZPCFFI?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=MDPE+Blue+Water+Pipe+

brownfrog

Another idea for a cloche here: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=y9GpDTUwG4kC&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=hose+cloche+build&source=bl&ots=XlU9KazCqU&sig=LOPOPCJR3hvxnfJ7rWagWUd3KQ0&hl=en#PPA161,M1

Writer reckons it looks like a shower cap, although something else did spring to mind when I looked at the pic!

On another forum, someone suggested using hula-hoops, which are really cheap in beach shops.

brownfrog

Video of Geoff making the cloche here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/today_in_your_garden/geoffhamilton_index.shtml[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Q/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Q/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg[/IMG]