Garden cloches and their uses
Cloche is a French word meaning bell. In Victorian times the garden cloche became very popular in the gardens of England, but the original garden cloches were invented in 1623 in Italy and were made out of glass and about 18" in diameter and 15" high. These garden cloches were bell shaped glass domes that were placed over delicate plants in the garden in order to protect them from frost. Glass garden cloches today are expensive, but the word has come to encompass many other protection devices that may be placed over a plant for its protection.
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Plastic Garden Cloches
Today's garden cloche may be made out of ultra violet resistant plastic, and is often a similar shape to the original ones. But the name has come to include many other shapes of cover - garden cloches, for example, may look like miniature greenhouses and contain several panes of glass or Perspex or polycarbonate held together with powder coated aluminium or steel. Or the cloches may be a tunnel of plastic sheeting covering a semicircular metal or plastic frame. The word is now commonly used in the UK to encompass a whole range of cold frames or mini greenhouses. These may be up to 8ft long and may be carried from one part of the garden to another as and when needed. Many of these garden cloches come fitted with vents, and there are even ones that are self-watering - just attach a hose pipe to a connector on the outside and turn on the water.
So what is a cloche used for? Essentially it functions in exactly the same way as a baby greenhouse. It raises the humidity of the air inside - protects the plant from any frost, cold wind or rain - keeping rain off tomatoes for example decreases the risk of blight. It deters pests and prevents the incursion of weeds. It also has some of the same problems as a greenhouse - for example if left over a plant on a hot day it has to be ventilated to prevent overheating. This is normally done by raising the bottom of the garden cloche and resting it on a brick or a piece of wood.
By using a garden cloche sensibly, it may be possible to extend the harvest time - for example it is possible to harvest tomatoes well into December. Garden cloches may be used in early Spring to house the first of your greenhouse propagated plants as an in-between before they are ready to face the elements with no protection.
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