Floating Row Covers Now or Later?

Turan wrote:Floating row covers do a fine job helping plants get a start. Often seed will sprout more quickly under them and transplants do better as well. They sort of protect from extremes. A thin sheet will do fine. QuiltBeas wire hangers to help the material float is nice but not crucial if they are thin enough.

Exiting times ahead! Are you planting hte tomatoes yet or is that the following week? Do you use things like wall o waters where you are?

quiltbea wrote:I use floating row covers for two things; putting over newly-transplanted seedlings to protect from too much sunlight or wind when just transplanted, but only for a few days, and then a bit later when I think they need protection from insects. If the plant needs bees or insects for pollination, I remove the covers when blossoms appear so they can get pollinated.

Just remember when you put out your seedlings, protect against cutworms. They'll cut off your new plant at the base. I use 2 or 3 toothpicks, equally spaced around and right against the new planting, buried halfway into the soil. The cutworms can't curl around the plant with the toothpick in the way. Some put a newspaper 'collar' around the base of the plant.

quiltbea wrote:@Too Tall.....I never had many cutworms in my home garden, but the occasional one has found a plant before and cut it off. Its always hard to see a plant lying on its side in the dirt. So now I feel preventative measures need apply. Like a good Girl Scout, I'm prepared.

If you don't mind possibly losing one or two that you've babied thru 6 to 8 long weeks of germination and lighting and baby talk (yes, I talk to my seedlings), that's up to you. I never take the chance any more.

walshevak wrote:I put my tulle up as soon as I took the plastic down from my hoops. Even before I planted in the new beds. Why? Because it keeps more than bugs out. It also keeps out birds pecking at emerging seedlings and most of the millions of seeds from my river birch tree.

Kay