Plastic bottles for cloches

[rmenmuir]

This has probably been mentioned before but this is the time of year to be reminded. Cut the tops and bottoms off large, clear plastic drinks bottles to make brilliant mini cloches for new seedlings in the veg patch. Not only do they provide extra warmth but they ensure that, when watering, the water goes directly to the plant.

[witch way?]

Agreed - my mum saves her clear plastic water bottles all year for me. My seedlings will be going out just as soon as this cold snap (she said hopefully) finishes, all under their own little water bottle cloches.

[Annpan]

I have tried, for the first time, making a plastic bottle poly-tunnel. Cut the top and bottoms off, cut in half lengthways and push into the ground... covering a row of newly planted seeds...

2 main problems so far... 1. Not as wind proof as the cloches... 2. you can push a cloch really quite deep into the ground, keeping slugs off until the seedling can hold its own... my poly tunnel doesn't look so promising

[Enormous Sage]

They worked very well with my lettuces last year, and I left them on until the beginning of May.

I have a load of them protecting my pea seedlings currently.
If you cut the bottom off the bottle and remove the screw-on lid, they fit quite nicely over the cane / stick that the pea will grow up.

[MrsD'ville]

I use empty 6-pint milk cartons (no milkman round here, his float wouldn't make it up the hill!). I used to find they flew around the garden quite beautifully, but now I bank soil up the sides of them and they stay put very well. I particularly like them for climbing beans and peas as the plants emerge from the top (I leave the lid on til the plants reach the top) and zoom up the canes and you can just leave the bottle there protecting the base of the plant

[JR]

I have done the same with old plastic pop bottles, I have got them on the peas, so far so good!!