Protecting the plants from late frosts and pests, suppressing weed growth or harvesting earlier: there are many reasons to cover the vegetable patch. Depending on the intended use, you can use various fleeces, nets and foils for this purpose.

Nets protect against pests

Frost protection through warming fleece

Special thermal fleeces are made from weather-resistant, finely woven acrylic fibers. They protect vegetable plants from cold down to minus seven degrees and are therefore ideal when the last night frosts threaten. In summer you can take advantage of the insulating effect of these fleeces and spread them over sun-sensitive plants.

Plant fleece is available in different versions. Thicker varieties with a weight of about 50 grams per square meter are not so good as a cover for the vegetable bed because they are too heavy for delicate plants. It is better to use the light version with only around 20 grams per square meter.

Protection from pests

Carrot, cabbage and onion flies, but also cicadas, flea beetles and aphids make life difficult for hobby gardeners. Fine-meshed crop protection nets as a cover for the vegetable patch reliably keep the pests away and thus ensure higher harvest yields.

However, when temperatures rise, you should remove the nets during the day and ensure adequate air circulation. For vegetables that are pollinated by insects, the cover must be removed when flowering begins during the day and replaced in the early evening hours. This is the only way to ensure fertilization and a rich harvest.

Mini foil tunnels extend the gardening season

These not only serve as a mobile cold frame, late outdoor crops can also be protected with this cover. You can build it yourself easily and inexpensively:

  • Bend electric cable ducts that are not too thick into a semicircle over the beds and stick them about 20 centimeters deep in the ground.
  • Alternatively, ready-made semicircular arches from the garden trade are suitable.
  • Place arches 1-1.5 meters apart.
  • Depending on the height, spread fleece 2.5 to 3 meters wide over it.
  • Fix directly to the arches or with stones on the ground.

tips

Do not stretch foils and fleeces too tightly so that the plants underneath can continue to develop undisturbed. It has proven useful to weigh down the edge of the cover with stones or to hang it on the wooden border of the vegetable bed so that the wind does not unintentionally blow away the plant protection.

Category:

Vegetable garden