Weather Protection for Eager
Spring Gardeners

Crops thrive under row covers made of garden fabric, which comes in several different weights.

If I could stay out of the garden until early June, I might get by without using season extenders. But by the end of April my fingers are twitching and I've simply got to start planting. Having worked at Gardener's Supply for over 19 years, you might imagine the motley assortment of gardening equipment that fills my basement, barn and outbuildings. I have tried just about every contraption out there. These days, my essential season-extending equipment includes hoops and various garden fabrics, covers for individual plants and a greenhouse.

Garden fabrics play a very important role in my garden. I use Garden Quilt to cover broccoli and lettuce plants, which are set out in late April when overnight temperatures still dip into the teens. I also use Garden Quilt when it's time to plant tomatoes and peppers (mid-May). I keep them covered with it until the end of May, and then switch to the All-Purpose Fabric, which stays on until mid-June.

Once I start planting the bulk of the garden, I haul out the big box of All-Purpose Fabric (each piece neatly folded after last fall...right!). All new transplants get covered with fabric for a few days to ease the transition from greenhouse to garden. (I never bother hardening things off. Who has time to carry flats in and out every day?) Using horticultural fabrics lets me plant when I have the time to do it, without risk of transplant shock—even on sunny days. (I can't wait for a cool overcast day—if it's Saturday, it's planting time.)

Wind protection is also a key benefit of using garden fabrics. My garden is in a very windy spot, and these fabrics keep tender transplants from being battered. I usually use wiresupport hoops beneath the fabrics. Hoops allow me to stretch the fabric tightly so the wind doesn't catch it. Earth Staples are essential. Clothespins are also useful.

Tomato Teepees protect plants with water-filled chambers.

Tomatoes are always a challenge in Zone 4. For the past couple years I've used the following system with great success. Set out your transplants in a row and put a Tomato Cage around each one. Take a long length of Garden Quilt. Use clothespins to attach one end of the fabric up the side of first cage at the end of the row. Run the fabric down the row along one side of the cages, wrap it around the last cage, and continue back up the other side of the cages. Close the circle where you started. Then fold the fabric over the top of the cages from one side to the other and secure it with more clothespins. Your tomatoes will be inside a snug, custom-sized coccoon. As the weather warms up, you can fold back the fabric on top for better ventilation. I leave the fabric around the sides of my tomatoes until mid June—even longer if the weather is still cool. Another option is the Tomato Teepee, which has water-filled chambers that insulate young plants.

That's my Greenhouse.

Kathy LaLiberte has worked for Gardener's Supply since it began more than 25 years ago. She lives and gardens in Richmond, Vt. Click here to read more of her Innovative Gardener essays.