My wife and I first bought a few of the cloches about 8 years or so ago. We didn’t know anything about them of course back then, and to be quite honest, they were so cheap that we didn’t really hold out much hope that they would either be easy to use or last more than a few months. Just enough to get a few seedlings going, we thought, and then they’d crack up. How wrong we were! We’ve still got those same cloches – soil-stained and a bit tired now – but still basically OK. What this means is that the plastic the cloches are made from is really tough and can stand up to everything an English Autumn and Spring can throw at it. The material is translucent rather than transparent so it shades young plants from extremes of both light and temperature – just what good cloches should do. Another bonus is that they are really easy to erect (they come flat) and after use, take down and store (flat again, which is really useful in our small shed). I have to admit I’ve lost a few of the metal pins over the years that support the cloches in the ground, and some have rusted up, but they are easy to replace (tip: add an order for extra bag when you order the cloches).

We’ve used them to bring on both vegetables and tender plants. Broad beans, both Autumn and Spring sewn, have benefited greatly from the early protection from cold and heavy rain. The tops of the cloches can be opened and shut in a moment (no fiddly catches – it’s all part of the plastic construction) so it’s easy to regulate conditions inside. And there’s a double bonus with carrots: the cloche sees to the germination stage and makes sure the young plants are in good condition. Then we have left the cloches in place whilst the leaves grow (cloche tops open of course!) so that the sides of the cloche protect against carrot root fly. It seems to work.

We soon obtained more cloches because they come in for so many jobs. Of course they are good at starting the vegetable garden off early and for successional sewings of salad crops. But they are just large enough to protect small trays and then small pots after pricking out, and indeed to stand guard on the patio over almost any plant (perhaps prior to be planted out) that might be bothered by the next door neighbour’s cat.

As we got to use the cloches regularly we wanted a bit more flexibility than even these ones offered. Could they be larger? Well yes, that would be useful sometimes, especially when long rows of beans were being laid out, or when you used large seed-trays. Could they be taller? Again, yes, especially for our carrot trick. Not always, of course; the original size was obviously perfect for use in small and sometimes odd-shaped spaces and often for seedlings, extra height wasn’t important. But in answer, the Company that makes them have now come up with a larger one as well – cunningly designed exactly to fit over nine standard seed-trays – and also with an optional extra portion you can add to the sides of the cloche to make them taller. But only if you want to: it depends how you want to use them. It’s a rare firm that resists the temptation to get you to spend money you don’t need to. And, the really extraordinary thing is – they’re still amazingly cheap for the reward you’ll get from them. They are light, store flat, easy to erect, and very stable when erected: they are, frankly, perfect for the job that cloches have to do. Compare them with all the bother of old-fashioned cloches (that are probably much less scientifically designed) and there really isn’t much contest.

Dr Christopher Mott
retired lecturer in Soil Science,
University of Reading