The Garden Furniture Centre Blog

We highlight some the ways gardeners can protect plants and grow vegetables using garden cloches throughout the year.

Weather protection and cloches
Your garden cloche will create a protected micro environment for your seedlings and plants in your garden or raised bed providing them with shelter from the worse of the weather. Frost is the obvious danger for those early plantings but heavy rain and high winds can also create havoc. Later in the season cloches can be used to protect the established crop from unexpected early frosts so it has the chance to grow fully before harvesting. Winter hardy crops such as spinach carried overwinter under cloches are less mud splashed and more tender as a result of their cosseted life. Some gardeners struggle to get even the winter hardy crops to survive their local climates and growing under cloches makes this possible.

Soil Warming under your cloche
Pre-warming the soil with a garden cloche before sowing encourages earlier germination and increases the length of the cropping season. Seeds germinate  at various temperatures but as a guide germination of hardy crops such as carrots start when the average soil temperature is above 8°C (46°F) and for tender crops such as French Beans 12°C (54°F).

AcryliCloche® Garden Cloches will raise the temperature of the soil thus increasing the average daily temperature. In addition dry soil warms quicker than wet soil and your cloche will keep rain and snow off your planting site. An added bonus is the faster germination of weeds under the cloche. Known as a 'sterile seed bed' the weed seeds germinate as the soil warms, these can be removed before the vegetable crop is sown and will mean there are a few less weeds to worry about later in the year. PoshCloche have carried out temperature trials which show how quickly soil warms under AcryliCloche® Garden Cloche and have published their trial results.

Pest protection
Your AcryliCloche® garden cloche provides the first line of defense against threats to precious seedlings and early sowings with the main early season culprits being weather, slugs, rodents, pigeons and rabbits.

Pigeons and rodents are the main problem when planting seeds from the Fabaceae family of plants such as peas and broad beans. Before they get a chance to germinate most seeds are dug up and eaten and need to be protected under cloches to prevent this. Onion sets are a particular attraction to pigeons which seem to make a national sport of pulling them up.  A garden cloche provides a physical barrier which will give them time to germinate and establish before the next wave of attack from slugs and rabbits which thrive on emerging seedlings.

Hardening off
Hardening off involves carefully acclimatising plants raised in greenhouses or windowsills  to cooler temperatures under cloches and increased air movement otherwise the shock of planting out in the open will be to great. Plants usually require between two to six weeks to harden off before they can be planted in their final growing position. Place your plants under a AcryliCloche® Garden Cloche with the end pieces in place and gradually reduce the time the end pieces are off during the day. On mild days gradually increase the time the cloche is off replacing it only at night. Eventually the cloche can come off though half-hardy and frost tender plants must be protected until the danger of frost has passed.

Firstly take your window box and to help drainage add a layer of gravel or broken pot bits in the bottom, then add compost to about 3cm below the top, firm this down gently, take a few seeds from your Seed Pantry pack in your hand and spread them evenly across the surface. Lettuces being grown as cut-and-come-again need about 2cm space between each plant.  Sprinkle a 1cm layer of compost over the top and firm down, gently water until the soil is moist.  Then 4 to 6 weeks later you’ll have grown your own tasty gourmet herbs and salads for the kitchen.  To maintain a constant supply follow up sowings can be done 2 to 3 weeks after the 1^st sowing for successional crops.

There is a fair bit of evidence to suggest that the gentle sound of water in the garden can help people to relax quite easily at the end of a busy working day. More people are adding a water feature to their garden, especially in gardens where there is not room for a garden pond. Those families with young children may do better to wait before installing a pond because of the hazard it can pose to unsupervised toddlers. Even if you can’t have a feature with any depth, there are still plenty of attractive water features for you to choose from, whether you want a fountain, a model wishing well, or a planter and pouring pots.

There is a wide range of contemporary water features available today, including cascades, tubes and spheres, or you may prefer the more traditional features that are available in different materials, sizes and colours. Stacked stone water features have been around for a long time and continue to be a popular choice. Choose a feature style that compliments the rest of your garden, if you have a patio and pot plants, rather than a traditional lawn, then you might be better off investing your money in a table top water feature. Many modern styles of water decorations come complete with lighting to make them just as attractive when the sun goes down.

Nowadays there are water ornaments to suit almost every size, style and type of garden. If you are in the process of designing your garden then you may want to look at a water feature as the finishing touch to all your hard work. A small fountain feature is a great addition to the smaller garden. If you already have an established garden and you want something a little grander than a small fountain, a granite, kissing couple garden water fountain might be just the thing.

If you are looking for something special then rattan garden furniture is a great addition to any outside space. You can add extra comfort to your seating arrangements with outdoor cushions that are specifically designed to accessorise our rattan sofas and chairs. The Kingdom Teak outdoor acrylic cushions are of outstanding quality and filled with a resin fibre for extra firmness and comfort. Cushion covers come in bedrock and Alaskan white, and can be quickly and easily removed for washing. For those people who enjoy taking a break in their rattan armchair, life will be a lot more comfortable with Arizona armchair outdoor cushions. 

The Chelsea Flower Show is an annual event sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society. This year, as usual, the event takes place in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London and runs from the 24^th to the 28^th May. The Chelsea Flower Show is the ultimate event in the gardening calendar and tickets are fast selling out. This year there are 17 fabulous show gardens, including the M&G garden, designed by the award winning landscape artist Bunny Guinness, along with gardens from as diverse contributors as B&Q, The Daily Telegraph, Cancer Research UK and the Green Poem Garden. The Urban Garden offers a new, interactive show that provides some great ideas for those with small, inner city gardens.  The new addition of the Artisan Garden category is the result of what happens when designers use sustainably resourced and natural materials. Don’t miss the SkyShades Garden, which is billed as the ‘ultimate, home-based, wild life haven.’