Chase type glass barn Growers cloche 24” long. Ten Complete Cloches.
For the attention of keen gardeners in Somerset and the southwest of England. These can be put end to end to for a very effective low green house and protect your early or over wintering crops from damage by wind and rain. Extend your growing season and increase yields. Cover over-wintering onions, shallots, garlic, carrots etc.
There are eight pieces to form one cloche, two 12 x 24” top glasses and two 9 x 24” sideglasses, cut from clear 3mm horticultural or greenhouse glass. One wire ‘barn’hoop, two glass support Z wires, one looped handle wire. Your can also use recycled 4mm window glass if you so choose, it is slightly stronger but also heavier. You can use shorter glass to make 14,16, or 18” long cloches if you need to. They cover an area approx 4ft sq., approx 16” high at the apex.
Once in position and with the weather end blocked off, (so it doesn’t form a windtunnel), they will with stand winter storms keeping your crops safe and growing most of the winter. Sheltering the crop prevents the nutrients being washed out of the soil by the rain which also helps plants to grow. They also keep off a light frost.
As the weather warms take off the end blocks, and start to space the cloches, when the leaves are pushing against the glass, I lift up on bricks for about one week and then remove the cloches altogether. Keeping the ground surface dry under cloches helps to discourage slug damage to the young seedlings.
These cloches are used and of some age, originally galvanised they have rust in places, but are still serviceable for many years to come.
Being made of glass they do sometimes get broken, usually when being handled carelessly. I break a couple sheets each year out of the 80 plus cloches I deploy in the season, no big deal, pick up the pieces and dispose of, then put in another sheet. Providing you are confident handling glass it will not hurt you; The benefits outweigh difficulties.
Many commercial growers have now gone away from glass cloches in favour of fleece, (lack of and cost of labour). Fleece is a single use product made of plastic, it has a tendency to blow away, is easily damaged, not very animal resistant, difficult to control weeds under, difficult to see what the crop is doing under the fleece, prevents adhoc harvesting, does not withstand snow and has to be bought new every year.
Glass Cloches are an investment.
These are available for COLLECTION ONLY in Somserset, TA19 area.
NO, I WILL NOT POST OR SEND, please don't ask.
This listing is for ten cloches; Plus one set of free glass.
When you collect I can show you how to assemble the cloche
Cloches are £18.00 each, cash on collection preferred.
If you are an allotment holder check to see if you are permitted to use glass on your ground before purchasing.
Use the“make offer” facility and submit an agreeable price and it will stop the auction so you can collect more quickly, a sort of a Buy it now.