A Question About Hothouse Covers for Individual Tomato Plants
 

The local garden supply has clear, ridged plastic covers, about a foot
wide and high that are sold to cover newly-planted tomato plants.
The instructions tell me to leave the cover on until the plant
has "filled" the cover. They didn't estimate how many days
this could take. A picture would be nice.

It can hit 90Deg here in early May and I assume that if I didn't get
to pulling the covers off it would cook the plants.

Does anyone have any experience with these things ?




--
Al Dykes
-----------
adykes at p a n i x . c o m

A Question About Hothouse Covers for Individual Tomato Plants
 

On 19 Apr 2004 12:53:01 -0400, (Al Dykes) wrote:

The local garden supply has clear, ridged plastic covers, about a foot
wide and high that are sold to cover newly-planted tomato plants.
The instructions tell me to leave the cover on until the plant
has "filled" the cover. They didn't estimate how many days
this could take. A picture would be nice.

It can hit 90Deg here in early May and I assume that if I didn't get
to pulling the covers off it would cook the plants.

If the weather is that warm, why are you covering your tomatoes?


Penelope
--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

A Question About Hothouse Covers for Individual Tomato Plants
 

il 19 Apr 2004 12:53:01 -0400, (Al Dykes) ha
scritto:

The local garden supply has clear, ridged plastic covers, about a foot
wide and high that are sold to cover newly-planted tomato plants.
The instructions tell me to leave the cover on until the plant
has "filled" the cover. They didn't estimate how many days
this could take. A picture would be nice.

It can hit 90Deg here in early May and I assume that if I didn't get
to pulling the covers off it would cook the plants.

Does anyone have any experience with these things ?

I do something similar with cut open plastic bottles. Like anything,
gardening requires work, so going out and removing the cover on warm
days will be necessary. My cut bottles are sometimes wide open at the
top and work more as a wind break. The hotter the sun, the more
careful you must be to not cook the plant. And the smaller the
container in regards to the plant, the less leeway you will have, I
imagine. In my experience, the bottles with the normal lid opening
can get too hot easily. That's why I usually cut that part off as
well. But for getting an early start in a cool spring, there's
nothing better. A proper cloche would be nice but hey, who's made of
money?

Our plastic juice bottles are : 1 litre is 4"×2½"×6¾" plus neck of
1¼" diameter.
the 3 litre bottle is : 9×5×3¾" roughly.

So a 12" square would be better. Does it allow any hot air to escape
would be my question. And where can I get some?) :-)

--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

A Question About Hothouse Covers for Individual Tomato Plants
 

In article ,
Loki wrote:
il 19 Apr 2004 12:53:01 -0400, (Al Dykes) ha
scritto:

The local garden supply has clear, ridged plastic covers, about a foot
wide and high that are sold to cover newly-planted tomato plants.
The instructions tell me to leave the cover on until the plant
has "filled" the cover. They didn't estimate how many days
this could take. A picture would be nice.

It can hit 90Deg here in early May and I assume that if I didn't get
to pulling the covers off it would cook the plants.

Does anyone have any experience with these things ?

I do something similar with cut open plastic bottles. Like anything,
gardening requires work, so going out and removing the cover on warm
days will be necessary. My cut bottles are sometimes wide open at the
top and work more as a wind break. The hotter the sun, the more
careful you must be to not cook the plant. And the smaller the
container in regards to the plant, the less leeway you will have, I
imagine. In my experience, the bottles with the normal lid opening
can get too hot easily. That's why I usually cut that part off as
well. But for getting an early start in a cool spring, there's
nothing better. A proper cloche would be nice but hey, who's made of
money?

Our plastic juice bottles are : 1 litre is 4"×2½"×6¾" plus neck of
1¼" diameter.
the 3 litre bottle is : 9×5×3¾" roughly.

So a 12" square would be better. Does it allow any hot air to escape
would be my question. And where can I get some?) :-)

--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]



There's a one inch hole in the top. They were in the major
garden supply stores here in the states. I forget the brand.

--
Al Dykes
-----------
adykes at p a n i x . c o m