Do I need to cover autumn crops with fleece?

We’ve had a few enquiries from customers wondering whether they should be covering autumn crops with horticultural fleece. Here’s the low down…

Using horticultural fleece (or cloches) will keep plants and soil a little warmer and will protect plants from frost and snow. So if you have it, it’s definitely a good idea to use it over the coming months.

We would recommend using fleece or a cloche in the following situations:

  • Winter lettuces that have been planted outside (they are more vulnerable than other winter crops)
  • Autumn planted beetroot
  • If you live in a particularly cold part of the UK!
  • If a very heavy frost or snow is forecast.
  • If you are finding your crops are growing particularly slowly.
  • If your site is exposed to very strong cold winds.

Remember though, that our range of autumn plants are all suitable for growing over the winter and they should tolerate reasonably cold weather and light frosts. Some will even tolerate snow – like kale. So if you live in a milder part of the country, or if we have a mild winter, then you should be able to leave them to fend for themselves.