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--- garden:cultivate:cover:row [2014/07/07 01:38] – davidbac
+++ garden:cultivate:cover:row [2014/07/07 01:43] (current) – davidbac
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+===== Row cover =====
+==== Why I use ====
+I hoped to help seeds germinate by using row cover to retain some heat provided by sunlight.
+Also, I hoped to protect plants seeded in the soil from bugs (especially Mexican bean beetles and cucumber beetles) and in one case from a goose.
+{{ :garden:cultivate:cover:img_0947dwrowcov.jpg?240|Floating row cover}}In a few cases I thought I might limit access to slugs and snails.
+{{ :garden:cultivate:cover:img_0883dwmeloncover.jpg?200|}}I fashioned small hoops from a heavy wire to keep the cover off the plants.
+==== Results ====
+{{:garden:cultivate:cover:img_0760dwgoose.jpg?200 |Plant-eating goose}}Regarding plant predators, a row cover isn't very effective unless all the edges are flat to the ground. Bugs (and slugs) find the seedlings quickly. I may have provided a barrier for the goose until I removed the cover and exposed the tender green foliage.
+I can't say I had much success getting seeds that require warmer soil temperature, such as small melons, to germinate. It worked better to plant in containers inside and transplant later.
+It was clear that the row cover absorbed enough sunlight that plant growth was limited. So I removed the covers when the seedlings began to develop true leaves.