I’ve never been keen on planting seedlings only to watch them eaten overnight by snails, slugs, slaters, and any other pest that starts with ‘s’. I’ve tried pellets, powders, sawdust, copper [Insert others I’ve missed] yet while they may stop one pest, they don’t stop them all.
That is until a friend put me onto this great idea for a garden cloche – the humble 2L (4 pint) plastic PET bottle. It works a treat.
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How to Use a Garden Cloche
Just cut the bottom third completely off and remove the lid and these can be placed straight over seedlings and even propagated cuttings. They act as a barrier for most, if not all, pests and as an added bonus create a mini-greenhouse effect for your plants.
I’ve used these ones for my basil not only to stop the pests, but the soil is still a little too cool for them. By placing this cloche over the basil, it will help warm up the soil at the same time that it warms the seedling.
I like this idea because it has so many benefits. The obvious is the garden cloche and mini greenhouse but it also is great environmentally. Re-using is far better than re-cycling because there are no increased processes. And these little cloches can be used more than once.
