Protecting your garden can be challenging and expensive. Plastic row covers and greenhouse-like covers (see photo) are not always cheap. I sometimes use buckets as temporary covers for individual plants until a proper cover is obtained. I started this topic to see how other gardeners tackle this challenge.
i learn the hard way. when something dies in the frost, if it doesnt come back the next year, i dont plant that item again. i cannot afford any of the plastic coverings so it is a matter of budget and necessity. i do use gallon milk bottles for small things.
This message was edited Dec 6, 2011 12:26 PM
Well I felt like creating a thread because I went out to my backyard to see a completely frozen solid zonal geranium. They are supposed to be hardy here. At least my blackberry bush survived. So I need a cover lol!
i wish there was an inexpensive way to save plants. hopefully someone will post some ideas here
Hi Bloomfly, have to admit that buying a lot of protective stuff for the garden can cost you a good deal of cash, but I have collected several different stuff over the years and to be honest, some of the things that look great in the picture are a total waist of money or as my Dad used to say "thats about as handy as an ashtray on a push bike (cycle) and they are.
Ive tried long lengths of polythene set over frames and they are so fiddly and with cold hands trying to lift this up and check your plants are OK makes for a long drawn out job.
I've tried glass (free from the company that replaces windows, great at the time but, where do you store it and the danger for kids/ animals.
You also have to use heavy duty gloves to work with it.
tried several other things too but my best bet and what is cheap, light weight and easy to use /remove is the horticultural fleece, you can buy is in lengths from garden store and it comes in different widths too, all you need to do is (depending on your plants) throw the fleece over the plants and lay a stone etc on it to prevent it blowing away or animals getting under it, if you use it for tubs or pots, you just cut it to size, remember not to cut it too short as you want to tuck it under, beside or along the plants depending on the situation your trying to give frost protection too. the cost is about 3-4 dollars a pack or better still, look for it on a role where you can buy it by the meter.
This fleece it so light it lets water through, light too and it rolls up to a tiny bundle, you can make a frame and throw it over canes too, I would use that and see how you go, it wont stop snow laying on plants but does stop frost from damaging the foliage.
Hope this works for you and let me know how you get on.
Good luck. WeeNel.
Hello all. The cheapest solution I have seen is so green that I use it exclusively in my garden. I save all those empty water bottles that are filling our landfills. In early spring, I fill them 2/3 full of water and stack them like a woodpile down the lengths of my garden rows. Take the wrapper off the bottles to let in more light. The water holds the heat accrued during the day and releases it at night, preventing frost. The empty bottles store easy in a 30 gal trash bin and you can stack them as high as you need for each plant type. For the best protection, I stack my bottles 4-6" above the top of the plants, within 4" but not touching the plants. Then at night just throw some old garage sale sheets over the row. Snug as a bug.
audsrz-that is a great idea!
Thank you, I hated throwing all those bottles away and saw those tomato water walls for sale at a box store. I can't afford the $15 for three of them, so I decided to make my own version. I don't have a DG membership either, but I like looking at all the trade lists and getting bad ideas :-) I've learned a lot of ways to farm for free over the years. I even reuse the meat trays (steralized) for my spring seedlings.
