Cloche
Gary Bachman: The recent weather reminds us winter is still here, but I'll give you a tip for an earlier garden today on Southern Gardening.
Narrator: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University extension service.
Gary Bachman: We've all seen or read these recommendations. Be sure to plant after all danger of frost has passed. It seems every year there are many gardeners who insist on planting their tomatoes and peppers well before the last frost date in the spring. This is always a calculated gamble. Just when it seems the gamble has paid off, that late Arctic blast come rolling into Mississippi, resulting in a trip back to your local garden center for replacements. One way to increase your chances of success is to use a technology that was all the rage in 16th century France. Gardeners used a glass bell-shaped cover called a cloche. Like a miniature greenhouse, the cloche gathered sunlight during the day, warming the soil, and released the warmth at night, providing protection down to about 22 degrees.
However, these glass cloches lacked ventilation, so the head to be tilted during the day because the inside temperatures would get too high, and be reset at night. But this also gave the opportunity to inspect the plants on a daily basis. Today there are many modern cloches available. Some are bowl-shaped with all the light gathering and ventilation needed for successful plant growth. Some are teepee-shaped with walls constructed of clear tubes that hold water, adding to the cold protection. These and others can be found at your favorite garden center or gardening supply website. You can also recycle a used two liter bottle, like cutting off the bottom and it placing over your tomato with the cap removed for ventilation. Many times when it comes to gardening, like designer fashions, what was old is new again. I'm horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.
Narrator: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University extension service.