Crop Protection

If you grow your own, you’ll know how quickly the weather can undo your hard work. A cold night or a stretch of wind can set things back in no time, which is why having some form of crop protection ready really matters.

This is where cloches, cold frames and simple protective covers come in. They are not complicated bits of kit, but they make a noticeable difference. By keeping frost off and taking the edge out of cold snaps, they help plants get through the tricky periods without a knock.

Cloches are one of those things that have been around for years for a reason. They are easy to put in place, whether you are covering a single plant or a full row in the veg patch. Once they are set up, they hold onto a bit of warmth and give young plants a steadier start, especially early or late in the season when conditions are less forgiving.

Cold frames are just as useful, particularly if you raise plants from seed. They give you a space to ease seedlings into outdoor conditions without shocking them, and they are handy in winter too when you need somewhere more sheltered for pots that would struggle out in the open.

Then there are the covers and hoops. Nothing fancy, just practical protection when you need it. The hoops keep the material off the plants so they are not weighed down, and the covers themselves help keep frost, wind and heavy weather at bay.

It is not about overcomplicating things. A few well chosen pieces of crop protection can be the difference between plants that struggle and plants that keep going steadily, even when the weather turns.