Channel: Charles Dowding

Category: Howto & Style

Description: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Examples of new plantings growing strongly under fleece cover. 03:48 Examples of autumn plantings which are growing strongly without covers 04:56 Comparing synthetic fleece with cotton muslin 09.54 I show a mesh cover and thermacrop too Spring can challenge us with low temperatures which prevent new growth. Winter root vegetables are running out, and May is the 'hungry gap', between old and new harvests. *Subtitles and translations by 3rd May 💚 Spring offers good light levels in its longer days, yet often lacks warmth. New plantings in cold weather may stay small, even struggle to survive. Covers square the circle converting spare light to the warmth that plants are lacking. Covers I recommend include horticultural fleece of 25 to 30gsm/1 oz per yard approximately, and cotton muslin or toile if you have some of that. A cover directly on or suspended over plants increases growth in three ways: by sheltering plants from wind by increasing warmth when there is sunshine by protection from pests. A fleece cover does not actually keep out all frost, as I notice regularly here. For example three days after making this video, I removed a frozen cover of 30gsm “frost fleece” which was on lettuce, and many lettuce leaves were actually frozen. Fortunately this was -1.3C /29F and not like a hard winter frost. By 9:30 am, we were picking leaves from those plants and they were very tasty! If the lettuce had been French beans or courgettes, it would have been end of story. Find out more in Module 2 of my second online course charlesdowding.co.uk/product/online-course-2-module-2-plan-for-continual-harvests Many horticultural suppliers sell covers of fleece, mesh and thermacrop. There is a good range here gardening-naturally.com/30g-fleece The hoops you see our 4 mm high tensile, galvanised steel, from Reddifast Steels facebook.com/ReddifastSteels MORE FROM CHARLES For fleece and mesh supplies Charles recommends Gardening Naturally paidonresults.net/c/57860/1/1762/0 To buy one of my online courses charlesdowding.co.uk/product-category/online-courses To by a book charlesdowding.co.uk/product-category/books To join an in person Day or Weekend course at Homeacres charlesdowding.co.uk/product-category/courses To join my channel as a member, use this link youtube.com/channel/UCB1J6siDdmhwah7q0O2WJBg/join As a member, you can watch a new video each month, which is exclusively for members. Your payments support my promotion and teaching of better, easier gardening. I can offer bursaries for day courses and online courses, through individuals in charge of community gardens/allotments and school gardens. Contact us through my website to enquire about bursaries charlesdowding.co.uk/contact-us To buy the module trays I designed with Containerwise, use this link containerwise.co.uk/product/charles-dowding-60-cell The Refill Room also hold stock of the module trays, refillroom.com/product-category/garden The Farm Dream for buying trays in Europe thefarmdream.com/product-category/propagation-trays To buy t-shirts and hoodies with my exclusive no dig designs, use this link charlesdowding.teemill.com Edward is bottom left on this page Filmed 24th April 2021 by Edward Dowding, my son: edowdingfilms.onfabrik.com