Just like that October is here and Autumn has well and truly landed with a bang, a big wet miserable bang at that! As the last memories of Summer fade and the remaining crops on the allotment are being harvested it’s time to turn our attention to the colder months and trying to extend that growing season. This can easily be done by using protection such as cloches or fleece and there’s plenty of vegetables that can still be sown in October which include:
- Salad mixes such as lettuce
- Broad beans
- Hardy Peas
- Spring Cabbages
- Spinach
Not only can you protect newly sown seeds but you can extend crops that are already in the ground and not quite ready to harvest yet. In previous years I’ve sown late crops of carrots and covered with a cloche to help give a little bit of warmth as the temperatures start to dip. Cloches can also be used at the start of the year to help warm beds before Spring sowings, this increases the chance of seed germination and gives you a quick start with the new growing year.
Here at the Lavender and Leeks shop we have manufactured our own design of cloche hoops which slide onto PVC sheeting to create cloches that are easy to move around the garden and also easy to store away when not being used. Each PVC sheeting can be purchased from either Wickes or B&Q and can be cut down to suit the size of your vegetable beds. Designed and made by my Dad, David, the hoops can be purchased in a small or large size and end panels are also available to that extra bit of frost protection.
https://www.lavenderandleeks.co.uk/shop/garden/metal-work/clocheborder-hoops/
For a limited time only we’re offering 10% off our entire cloche hoop range here on the website, that includes the large and small cloche hoops as well as the cloche hoop end panels too! Simply enter ‘OhMyCloche’ at the checkout but be quick… this offer ends on the 10th of October.