Garden Cloches & Garden Tunnels

There is a wide selection of plant protection covers on the market including cloches and garden tunnels.

Garden Cloches

Garden cloches are a kind of miniature portable “greenhouse”. Properly used they can be very helpful in increasing and improving the survival and growing rates of all kinds of crops including vegetables as well as ornamentals plants especially the tender ones. They are mainly used to protect plants and to increase the temperature around them. Some plants can spend their entire lives under the protection of a cloche, others simply need a warm, early start to life in the earlier part of spring. They can also help control some garden pests.

Cloches come in a variety of shapes and sizes (for example from bell cloches in glass or plastic to garden tunnels) but they all, essentially, do the same job; as long as the 'cover' is clear, has an air vent, and is large enough for the plants that you have in mind, then it will be suitable for protecting the plant for a short while at least (a plastic bottle with the bottom cut out is a good cloche compromise for getting smaller plants off to a good start for a few weeks in the spring).

Garden Tunnels

Tunnel cloches are similar to cloches but allow the gardener to protect an entire row of plants from frost or pests. Tunnel can be extended like an accordion to several metres and compacts to store flat. Cover any length of row by overlapping tunnels. Use with ends opened or closed. Creates a humid, warm environment generating ideal growing conditions. Extends growing season 2-6 weeks.

Advantages of using a garden cloche and garden tunnels

• Although small a cloche’s mobility gives them an advantage over cold frames and with a carefully planned programme they can be in use over successive crops throughout the growing year.
• Cloches and tunnels can be used to mature crops early, to keep plants cropping longer in autumn and for ripening sub tropical crops such as melons, grapes, vines, peppers and so on.
• Soil can be dried and warmed before sowing outdoors by putting them over the seed bed some weeks beforehand.
• Cloched/tunnelled strawberries will ripen at least three weeks earlier than unprotected ones.
• Slightly tender herbaceous plants can be protected through winter: sweet peas, gladioli, bedding plants and half hardy annuals can be planted early and cloched and so on.

Buzz Organics supply quality growing tunnels in easy to assemble form. We also supply accessories.

If you would like some advice on the type of garden cloche or tunnel that would suit your needs please contact us. We offer a friendly and helpful service and will do all we can to make sure you receive the cloche/tunnel that suits your requirements. Our customers include gardeners, allotment holders, horticultural enthusiasts and specialists, small holders, nursery growers and farmers.