I've seen or read about people using plastic covers on their vegetable plots after sowing seed, and I just wondered what this is good for and how to do it correctly (if I decide to do it)? I am creating a new garden area for veggies this year. The main vegetable plots will be two 4x24 beds, but they will be a mix of a lot of different crops (corn, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, potatoes, okra, melons, cukes, zukes, etc. etc.). I wonder if the row cover thing is only good for people with small farms that have a 4x24 plot of all one crop. Hoping someone can fill me in! Thanks :)
What's the deal with row covers?
I dunno about plastic covering a bed- unless they're making small greenhouses using hoops to support the plastic film over the plants. Which many people do, in the spring & in the fall. But you wouldn't want plastic to actually touch the soil or plants. And you have to be careful not to bake the plants as spring changes to summer. Or even on an unexpected warm & sunny fall day~it gets toasty in there.
Row covers are lightweight spun polypropylene which allows air & light & water to pass through. Generally they're used to protect plants from pests, and to keep the plants & soil warm. Since they're lightweight & breathe, you can have them actually touching the ground & the plants. The plants will push them up as they grow. (Or you can use hoops for support too.) I cover my peppers when it starts getting cold, to keep them going just a bit more. You do have to anchor the cover in some way, otherwise they'll blow off.
Some seed houses, like Johnny's carry row covers that you can buy in a roll. There are different weights, depending upon whether you're more concerned about warmth or pests. Since you're in FL I suspect that warmth isn't really a concern... :-)
Some people cover their squash until they blossom, to prevent Squash Vine Borers from laying eggs on them. And then they uncover them for pollination. (Or they keep 'em on & hand pollinate.) But otherwise, much of what you want to grow there in FL isn't really going to need a row cover- unless you have some kind of serious FL bug situation with some of those plants.
This message was edited Mar 23, 2011 4:46 PM
Yeah, I use them the same way as nedweenie does, mostly to keep my warmth-loving plants warm on cold nights, but I have heard they are good for keeping cabbage worm butterflies from laying eggs on brassicas. Still, I have not used them for that because I have seen wasps patrolling my brassicas hunting for cabbage worms, so that hasn't been an issue for me. I think in Florida it might be more useful to use a plastic sheet on your planting ground to kill nematodes before you put plants in, but other than that, you probably don't need row covers there. Maybe in the depths of winter you could use them to winter over something that might get set back by the occasional frost. I got mine from Grow Organic. You can cut them to any length you like and they come in various widgths and weights. Some can block 10 degrees of frost.
We use floating row covers and also frost blankets (heavy weight row covers). Some float just touching the plants, some are on hoops, depending on the reason they're being used. (these are the spun ones, not sheets of plastic)
I use just barely floating covers over my new salad mix beds to keep diamond back moths out but later in the summer the row covers are suspended over the plants, sides open, to shade the greens.
For my squash, we have a frame that fits over the row and the cover fits over that. The ends are open so bees can fly inside to pollinate. This keeps the wind from shredding my plants. Same for eggplants, peppers and tomatoes.
If you cover strawberries in the spring (or late winter depending upon area) you will get faster blooms and more uniform fruit set.
I grow parthenocarpic cucumbers completely under row covers until ready to harvest. It keeps pickle worms out of the fruit.
If you're using the floating covers for cooling the plants or shading the soil, don't forget to vent the ends!
Peaceful Valley has a good selection of row covers and also clips that have loops to be used along the sides and held to the ground with a staple.
Larger plastic covers are mainly used to cover rows of the same type of vegetable plants. Drip irrigation must also be used with this method as the plastic keeps out the weeds as well as moisture from above. Many gardeners use plastic as a way to warm up the soil in the spring. Once it is warmed up they remove it to plant their seed or transplants. You can use smaller pieces of plastic all season long around tomatoes to keep down the weeds, these are generally around 3’x3’ square. No extra watering is required with this size. Enjoy your garden!
We may have a case of mistaken identity here- there are "row covers" and then there is "plastic mulch" which is what OJ is describing there. (D'oh!)
Plastic mulch, usually a black plastic film, is laid down for weed control & to warm up the soil. Prepare the bed, set up irrigation, lay & anchor the film & then poke holes & either sow seed or pop in transplants.
I use lumite (which is a woven, permeable plastic) for some of my rows- I can't believe I spaced out on that!
Calalily
Doesn’t leaving the ends of your row covers open prior to the squash blooming defeat the purpose of the row covers, to keep out the squash bugs and squash vine borers? My understanding was that you leave the row covers on until the plants start blooming and then remove them.
Hrp, ends are down until they start flowering, so they're closed. The reason for leaving the covers on, although the ends are open, when flowering begins is in hopes the squash vine borers will not come inside the tunnels as much as if the plants were uncovered. So far it is working, no SVBs, no dead plants, no holes in fruit.
Calalily
I have several 2 inch tall squash plants with 2 or 3 open blossoms and some with no buds or bloosoms all in one raised bed. How do I use row covers in this situation?
hrp, don't know the answer to that one.
I'd hand fertilize the ones that are blooming and keep the whole lot covered.