About Plant Protection
Plant Protection Covers
Our plant protection covers and products have been carefully selected to offer maximum protection from cold or excessively wet weather, pests, weeds, and diseases. Any of these alone can be a major problem and a combination of two or more can devastate a vegetable garden. Plant protection covers are part of the barrier method of pest control as they form a physical barricade between fruit and vegetable plants and the birds and insects that would feast upon them. Different covers can be used at different times of the year separately or together for extra protection. We supply a range of fleece, polythene and netting covers available in handy packs or in bulk rolls that can be cut to size as needed. We also have our very own range of mini polytunnels and fruit cages to help maximise your growing success.
Plant Protection Methods
Polythene
A polythene plant protection cover will form a barrier that protects crops from harsh weather, frost and pests. Also great for getting plants started earlier in the Spring by warming the soil before planting out. Clear polythene provides all the weather and pest protection required by small plants and also helps to retain moisture and heat. Poly covers can be used in conjunction with fleece if frost is particularly severe and using it in a large polytunnel will create a kind of double glazing effect that will be most beneficial to growing warm climate crops. If using a poly cover in the summer make sure there is adequate ventilation holes to help keep temperatures down.
Netting
Insect protection netting and micromesh netting are a highly efficient form of crop protection. They give ample protection from insects, birds, and other pests and also provide some shade from strong sunlight and help reduce the risk of drought by conserving moisture. Mesh and net covers will deny access to birds and garden pests like carrot flies, flea beetles, and aphids depending on the weave. A good insect protection net should have a fine weave to keep out tiny, ravenous insects while netting to protect against birds and butterflies will have a looser weave. Either way, you won't have to remove the net to water your plants.
Fleece
Fleece plant protection fabric protects plants against pests, animals, wind damage, and frosty weather. It is especially good for overwintering vegetables or aiding an early start for vegetable plants, it allows air and moisture to circulate within while keeping frost and colder conditions out. Fleece is a very useful plant cover for the vegetable gardener in our climate as its insulating properties allow earlier sowing in the Spring and later growing in the Autumn. Horticultural fleece protects plants from frost and will keep temperatures between 3 and 5 degrees higher than outside. Allowing light and water pass easily through the fleece means it can be left in place to do its job for longer stretches of time. Different thicknesses of fleece are available with heavier grades suiting colder temperatures.
Mini Polytunnels
Our mini polytunnels are essentially a small and portable polytunnel that can be fixed via a hinge to a raised bed or placed over plants directly on the ground. They act as a small greenhouse providing extra warmth and plant protection at a fraction of the price of a regular polytunnel or glasshouse and can be easily moved as needed. The frame comes in an easy to assemble kit and is quite sturdy once made up, ground pegs are included for securing it to the ground if you decide not to attach it to a raised bed or border. These tunnels can be covered with a variety of materials: use a clear polythene cover to make a mini greenhouse, some garden mesh netting to protect against pests like cabbage and carrot root fly, or use a garden fleece cover for frost protection. Our mini-polytunnels can also be used inside a greenhouse or polytunnel to create a heat retaining double glazing effect. If used with a polythene cover the mini tunnel can also be used as a very effective soil warming tool. They are ideal for extending the vegetable growing season by getting started earlier in the spring before the cold weather has completely passed or by growing later in the year and overwintering.
