Experimenting with Cloches
A couple of years ago Jon gave me a set of really beautiful glass cloches for my birthday. I usually use them indoors for decoration because they are so pretty and delicate. But this past weekend I noticed that my cabbage seedlings looked down right chilly. So I decided that I’d do a little experiment. I’ve placed cloches over two savory cabbage seedlings and I’ve left two others exposed to the elements. I’m curious to see how much better the plants under cover do. In the meantime, it will be fun to admire the cloches. They definitely add a veneer of elegance to my simple garden!
April 26, 2011
My son made a cloche for me out of rounded 2×2′s and covered it with that storm window stuff that shrinks to fit when exposed to heat. I have one broccoli out of about 8 (three varieties) that is about 5 times as large as the broccolis that did not have a cloche. It is also a bright green where the others are a purplish-gray green. I’ve got to get more of these. All the best with yours.
April 26th, 2011 at 5:44 amDeb in Everett, Wa
less pretty but just as effective, cut the bottom off a 2-liter pop bottle and stick the rest of the bottle in the ground over a seedling. the cap can be removed when you need to water, otherwise leave it on.
April 26th, 2011 at 9:37 amSo pretty! Lucky you to be able to experiment with your cabbages. Let us all know how you fare.
April 26th, 2011 at 11:14 amWe could have used a cloche for my Jay’s lemon cucumbers—they’ve already gone kaput! Too cold I guess for them.
April 26th, 2011 at 7:19 pmThose do look lovely! I’m interested to see the comparison!
April 27th, 2011 at 11:30 amYour glamorous glass cloches put my plastic ones to shame, they are not in good shape either being tossed by the Scottish harsh wind.
April 28th, 2011 at 7:01 amActual gloches, how beautiful! Just imagine if it was normal to walk into the fields of your Parisian plot and work a thousand cloches on and off your plants every day. You should find and post an old-time image (such as http://www.tumbledownfarm.com/drupal/sites/default/files/Cloche_Mats.jpg). Cloches are amazingly pretty, functional, and how they could work the back! There are several images at this guys site (which isn’t mine) that are worth seeing.
April 30th, 2011 at 6:31 amThose are pretty unique domes, I really think growing plants inside of glass jars is really underutilized. You can grow many plants very easily in jars that otherwise are difficult.
May 1st, 2011 at 3:31 pmYour cloches are beautiful! I buy glass cheese dome covers at thrift stores and use them for cloches; they work great!
May 3rd, 2011 at 5:37 am