With the arrival of plastic materials, gardening has been transformed.  As well as the large range of plastic sheets and fleeces, there is a splendid variety of cloches and polytunnels to choose from all of which increase gardening success and certainly in our climate are a "must have" and not just a" nice to have" item.

Every gardener who has the space should consider acquiring a polytunnel. This will  enable you to enjoy gardening to the full and  remember a polytunnel covers four times the area of a greenhouse for a quarter of the price!  It must also be remembered that a polytunnel is not a replacement for a greenhouse.  Ideally you should have both as each has different functions - the greenhouse can be insulated and kept frost free in winter and the lighting is better whilst a polytunnel warms by the greenhouse effect and is unheated so the temperature will fall below freezing and a second cover, a body blanket, can be used at night time as additional insulation.  Conversely the polytunnel can get extremely hot in the summer even with doors and vents open, but your plants will cope providing the air is humid and they are well watered.

Basically the polytunnel is used

• to extend the growing season (Spring is 6 weeks early and winter 4 weeks late)
• propagate plants
• protect less hardy plants in winte (Plants are protected from storm and wind damage)
• grow plants from warmer climes in summer
• produce food for the family (Vegetable yields are higher and better quality)
• produce cut flowers for the home
• raise plants for the vegetable garden (Two crops a year are produced instead of one)
• raise half hardy annuals
• propagate hardy annuals
• plant up hanging baskets at least a month earlier so they are in full bloom when put outside
• as a no-go area for pigeons, rabbits and deer (net tunnels are also very useful for this)
• energy saving (No electric bills!)

A Cloche is a low transparent cover designed to protect large plants during the early stages of growth and small plants from sowing to maturity.  They come in many sizes and shapes.  Cloches are most useful in Spring to warm the soil and protect crops during germination and early growth.

Cloches are excellent garden aids which:

• warm the soil in early spring and bring forward sowing and planting dates
• protect plants from birds, rabbits and some insects
• protect from late spring frost
• protect some crops throughout the winter
• extend the season into late autumn for parsley, lettuce etc
• cover starwberries to protect the flowers from frost and have an earlier crop with no bird damage
• protect overwintering lettuce, broad beans, salad onions
• covering parts of rows of salads to stagger maturation time
• to make a nursery area for lettuce and brassicas

To get the full benefit from soil warming in spring, cloches must be put in place at least 2 weeks before sowing takes place.  Any sudden removal should be avoided as this may cause plants to succumb to wind or sun.  Plants should be gradually acclimatised to outside temperatures and conditons by the removal of the cloches during the day and the cloche is then replaced at night.

Horticultural Fleece, either in lengths or else it can be acquired as a tunnel, is an excellent aid to additional crop protection.  It is a fabric made from polypropylene which is stabilised against ultra violet light and formed into a mass of short threads which are pressed together.  Fleece, because of its light weight can lie on top of plants without harming them, and plants grow well underneath it as it allows light, air and water to penetrate and does not need to be removed until plants have matured.  This is the big advantage of this product over plastic sheets of film.

A Cold Frame is a large low rectangular structure with a sloping transparent roof.  Usually the sides are made of wood or brick with the roof light in a wooden frame.  Cold Frames are more of a permanent feature than cloches and so will occupy a fixed site.  Ventilation is effected by sliding the roof or removing it altogether.  In extremes of weather the cold frame can be insulated further by laying old carpets over it.  Cold frames are used to harden plants off.  Plants in trays or pots are transferred directly from the polytunnel into a cold frame where they are introduced to increased ventilation for about 3 weeks depending on the plant species.  In the summer time the frames can be used for half hardy crops such as ridge cucumbers.