This is a great time of year to use a cloche. You can get peas and beans of to an early start and you can try sowing rows of beetroot or salad leaves. As the weather warms up a little, there are many more plants that benefit from a bit of protected growing. Try pumpkins, courgettes or French beans, and don’t stop there – anything that does well with heat will thrive in a cosy cloche over the next few months.
It isn’t hard to make a simple structure, but the one shown here has some advantages. You can cover it with strong sheet polythene of course, but bubble wrap provides extra insulation in cold weather. The frame packs flat for easy storage and there is no fiddling around looking for scattered component parts when you want to bring it out and put it up again. This cloche is sturdy and easy to make, and it will cost very little if you already have some lengths of timber and leftover bubble wrap packaging.