Start off beetroot and Swiss chard under cloches to protect them from the cold
BEECHGROVE WORDS: SCOTT SMITH PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM
Warm days followed by frosty nights are tricky for young plants. After direct sowing carrots, we cover them with a tunnel of horticultural fleece. This protects the crop from frosts and will also help keep carrot root fly at bay. Beetroot and swiss chard are sown under cloches that stay on to protect the seedlings from frost. Young plants in pots are placed outside in the morning to allow them to begin hardening off, and brought indoors in the evening. Cold frame lids are shut in the evening. On very cold evenings, we cover the plants inside the cold frame with horticultural fleece.