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This year is the first time I've grown vegetables 'properly' (ie more than a handful of beans and potatoes), and we're turning our tiny garden into a maze of raised beds. Most of the beds are a metre wide.

I'm considering a making or buying an inexpensive cloche, polytunnel or cold frame, though to start with I'll be using the cut-up plastic bottle trick while I work out what will work best. Can someone give me the benefit of their wisdom on the relative merits of cloches, polytunnels and cold frames, please?

Thank you!

Sarah

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Hi SarahG,

Welcome to the vine, I am sure you will get lots of info and a few laughs on here.

Sorry I can't help on this one but someone will be along in a bit to help you out.

What are you growing?

Mandy

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No mater when time you set out, you always get there at the same time

If you're growing in beds, raised or otherwise you have a good choice of ways to protect your crops.

Cloches are easily moveable, but need to be well anchored. They will only be useful in the early stages of growth for most vegetables, as they are usually not very tall. You might need several, so bear that in mind.

Cold frames are handy for hardening things off in between the greenhouse and the "great outdoors", and are good to put pots or trays of seedlings in. They don't replace the need for cloches or some other protection on the beds themselves, however.

Polytunnels are generally bigger and allow you to walk inside, so I guess you could make one to cover several beds in one go. It will help in the spring and autumn particularly, and allow you to grow some crops through the winter with more chance of them surviving. The quality of the covering is important - the plastic needs to be able to withstand a lot. It could be expensive and difficult to construct yourself.

So, what would I do in your situation?

I think I might make some large hoops to go over the raised beds and then I can choose what cover to put on them - plastic to warm the soil, then netting to protect the crops, perhaps. Fleece in the winter. The tricky bit is anchoring the material so that it is secure and keeps out the weather or insects, as desired, but on this scale it's not too bad.

If I started my plants in pots, then I might rig up or buy a cold frame too. I would make it fairly hefty or put it in a sheltered spot. Wood and glass is preferable to me.

I would see how I go with the raised beds this year and think about a polytunnel next season when I have a better idea of what I'd like to achieve.

Oh how I wish I had your raised beds

Hi Sarah,

Get the biggest you can afford cos as sure as eggs is eggs it won't be big enough in a year or two

Polytunnels are cheap (realative to greenhouses) to buy, the covers will last anywhere between 4 & 7 years before they need replacing and compared to a greenhouse the one drawback is ventelation but that being said they are extremeley useful - thats why I'm getting one for the lottie

Cloches & Frames are similar. Cloches are usually like a mini polytunnel and are used for protecting seed/seedlings from the worsed of the weather at the begining & end of the growing season ( now & Autumn) they can be any length you like if you make thhem out of polythene but they aren't so good as a polytunnel for overwintering things in due to the small size. Frames are usually more permanent structures and are used for hardening off plants ( sort of in between area from Polytunnel to outside) although you can overwinter in frames. as they tend to be larger. Traditionally they were brick with Glass lights on and in the old walled kitchen gardens they were heated by either hot water pipes of a hot bed of manure & this was used to force early crops (carrots, beetroot, cauli's or Strawberries etc).

Ideally you want all 3 ( 4 if you can include a greenhouse) as they do have their own uses.

My coldframes are temporary, they are made sectional and fix together with 4 bolts. 1 is 7ft x 4ft and the other will end up as 12ft x 4ft (I'm about to remake it to fit on my bed at home) and they are used to take the over flow from the greenhouse arounfd this time of year although I've cut down this year so haven't needed them ...... yet

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ntg

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Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

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I use bottle cloches to start things off (like peas in the photo, taken today). When the bottle comes off, I up-end it into the soil beside the plant, to direct water straight to the roots. I have been using old windows as lean-to cloches, but am giving up because the wind always wrecks them (slashed my fingers open today on one too)

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Thank you all for your help. I'm going to start off with the bottles, and might progress to some mini-tunnel type cloches next year, funds permitting. :-)

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Exactly where are you in the UK? Up here in Caithness polytunnels make a huge difference but need to be very sturdy to survive. I put ours up last year but I am still working on the beds inside. The need to cut/strip turf should not be underestimated!!!!

I've created a cold frame from an old wardrobe, a little perspex and some screws. It's turned out nicely, and is bringing my tommy plants on well. There's a recent pic on the blog. I've got part of a tall shelving unit i'll be putting plastic round for next year...

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Vegmonkey and the Mrs. - vegetable gardening in a small space in Cheltenham at www.vegmonkey.co.uk

Depending on where you live Sarah a polytunnel can be the difference as to growing veg, or not growing veg. I couldn't grow anything but brassicas without my tunnel, which is bursting with stuff at the moment. But as Nick says, sometimes its a combination of all types that you need. I got a greenhouse last year and this year it has meant me being significantly further ahead with seedlings than usual. But that said I still have also made my own Enviromesh cloches to cover the brassicas outside - had alot of problems with cabbage white last year.

Good luck and welcome to the Vine!

B&Q were selling mini greenhouse things for £4.99 which I'm using a mini cloches over my lettuce and radish - much better than the flimsy, paper thin plastic cloches I bought ont'internet for the same price!. Try using the large 3 litre (I think) bottles for water from Tesco for mini cloches. I've also got a couple of small glass wardrobe doors propped up on bricks as a cold frame. Hope these ideas are useful! Bernie

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