I ♥ Rowcover!

Floating rowcover, agribon, reemay… whatever you call it, this lightweight, translucent, water-permeable, spun-bonded plastic sheeting is awesome!  Though it is plastic that eventually gets shredded and ends up in the landfill, this material has a myriad of uses that help my crops succeed:

1) Warmth bonus – Even the lightweight version that I use manages to add a few degrees of warmth to my young plants.  The protection from wind is definitely a part of this.  I use it on the cool weather plants that I put out extra-early, and I use it on my warm weather crops to get them going outside while the weather’s still a bit shaky (this is where a bit of frost protection also comes into play).  You can use this warmth bonus at both ends of the growing season.

2) Germinating seeds – If I think there might be a strong rain coming (or if there’s a lot of silt in your soil),  I put rowcover down over beds that I’ve just direct-seeded.  Not only does the layer of fabric prevent crusting on the soil surface, but it also retains soil moisture so that I don’t have to worry about the surface drying out while the seeds are germinating.

3) Insect barrier – There is pretty strong pressure at my farm from a number of pests that can be prevented with a simple physical barrier.  Many crops just need protection while they’re young (like keeping cucumber beetles off of young beans), but there are some crops that I grow their entire cycle under rowcover.  I do this to prevent damage from brassica root fly on radishes, rust fly on carrots, and flea beetles on arugula and bok choi.  Plants that spend this long under rowcover can become weakened by the pampered environment, but in some cases it’s worth it.

4) Hoops, or no? – 10 gauge galvanized wire (usually cut to ~6′) can be used to keep rowcover up off of young plants.  You can get a bundle of wire and cut it yourself, or buy pre-cut hoops from Peaceful Valley.  The rowcover is light enough that I typically lay it directly over the plants (“floating”), weighing down the edges with shovels of soil or sand bags.  I do find, however, that the hoops are really helpful over the winter and early spring when the rains can be quite strong, or when it’s cold enough that the fabric will freeze to the leaves.