Protect your bed with a cloche

Use polythene, fleece, plastic or, best of all, glass cloches to cover the ground and warm it in readiness for sowing some early crops of radish and salad leaves. You can also protect germinating broad beans, particularly in the coldest regions of the UK.

Strawberry plants will perk up early under cloches, too, but tidy the old leaves up first. Keeping spring rains off at this time of year helps to warm up heavy clay soils that are normally the slowest to be ready for sowing. Before putting cloches out, clean them with garden disinfectant to let maximum light in to your plants.

VISIT

gardenersworld.com/veg-protection for more on protecting seedlings

Use a cloche to warm up soil outdoors and protect your seedlings from winter weather