I’ve never been keen on planting seedlings only to watch them eaten overnight by snails, slugs, slaters and any other pest that starts with ‘s’. I’ve tried pellets, powders, sawdust, copper [Insert others I’ve missed] yet while they may stop one pest they don’t stop them all.

That is until a friend put me onto this great idea for a garden cloche – the humble 2L (4 pint) plastic PET bottle. It works a treat.

Just cut the bottom third completely off and remove the lid and these can be placed straight over seedlings and even propagated cuttings. They act as a barrier for most, if not all, pests and as an added bonus create a mini-greenhouse effect for your plants.

I’ve used these ones for my sweet basil not only to stop the pests but the soil is still a little too cool for them. By placing this cloche over the basil it will help warm up the soil at the same time that it warms the seedling.

I like this idea because it has so many benefits. The obvious is the garden cloche and mini-greenhouse but it also is great environmentally. Re-using is far better than re-cycling because there are no increased processes. And, these little cloches can be used more than once.

If you’re looking for some ideas for larger, more permanent, garden cloches then take a look at Travis’ <a href="https://westsidegardener.com/howto/cloche.html" target="new" rel="noopener">How to Make a Cloche</a>