cloches etc

[CityChick]

Daft question alert  :-[

How do you get underneath them easily?!?  Any tips?

I've never used cloches before, but am planning them as a cover for things like carrots and brassicas - to protect them from various pests.

I've found lots of useful info in various threads saying how to build cloches (or frames) to put the covering over (fleece, plastic or enviromesh).  And I know its got to be fixed down fairly well to keep the pests out (and stop the covering blowing away in a gust of wind).  But... how do you get underneath to weed or water? Do you have to take everything off to work and then put it back after, or is there any easier way to manage things?  I've got a bed 1m by 10m.  Am I just thinking too big.... I have visions of grappling with 10m x 2.6m of enviromesh blowing in the wind ::) 

Any hints or tips appreciated before I cut any covering to the wrong size, or make something that's impractical to use... :-\

Cheers,
Lisa

[CityChick]

[supersprout]

good question citychick, I used enviromesh for the first time last year. This is what worked for me on 1m x 5m beds:

Hoops spaced about 1.5m apart
Pegged down both sides with long U shaped metal pegs at about the same distance between the hoops (you can make them out of spare metal coathangers)
Weighed down with a log at each end

For weeding take off the log at one end to release the mesh, and tug out a few metal pegs to the middle of the bed, fold the mesh back, and weed the half of the bed you can reach. Peg the first half down again and replace the end log, repeat from the other end, and you have weeded half the bed. Repeat for the other side of the bed.

Hope this makes sense! I have never watered the crops on my beds (after sowing/planting) as they are heavily mulched - this also keeps the weeds to a minimum.

I would be tempted to have the longest bit of mesh you can (prob. a little over 10ft to allow for ends) and if you plant along your bed bit by bit, just fold what you're not using into a sausage after the last hoop, and use the log to squish it down until you're ready to unroll it further over the next crop you plant/sow.

nb no such thing as daft questions on this forum! ;) ;D ;D ;D

[sandersj89]

Have a lok at my thread here:

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,28/topic,8023.0

You can easliy get access to the plants under these by simply sliding the fleece up over the hoops. No need to untie any of the strings or left the end pegs.

This principle works fine for clear plastic as well.

HTH

Jerry

[MikeB]

Hi Jerry,

I've transferred the cloche info to the wiki

[supersprout]

Excellent and very professional looking kit and instructions via this link jerry, I've seen instructions like this before and been put off, but your pictures make it very clear and simple. Thank you for wiki-ing mike :)

[CityChick]

Thanks for the explanations - its all making much more sense now :D

[MrsKP]

that's exactly what i needed, thanks muchly Jerry.

;D