Growing under a floating row cover?

[EdieJ]

Just wondering if anyone has ever constructed a big frame and covered it in a floating row cover to grow a tomato plant in? I never in my life ever fought such a losing battle to bugs as we had last year (first year gardening in Alabama, formerly from Ohio) and this year I am desperate to get at least one decent tomato plant to save seeds from. Trying to think of any way to make that happen. Even Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew did not help. What they didn't outright destroy they left disease and devastation in their wake. So many kinds I couldn't even find identification. So I'm about to try this floating row cover stuff if a plant will grow under it (I never rely on bees for pollination anyway, I always do the flick/shake.)

[imp]

My garden pressures are different than yours, but I haven't used row cover, but have made some PVC/white pipe frames with reclaimed and repurposed sheer curtains, buried at the edges to keep bugs out. Not tomatoes for the whole season, but why couldn't you if there is enough room for them to grow?!!

What about a sort of green house squareish with no see 'um over the sides and top? Light but would just about stop any bug unless they dig under....

Edit: if you did not glue the PVC fittings and pipe together, just labeled it well, you could take it down when not needed and store it easily, too. A door would be one of those magnetic closing mesh things for either gararge door or an RV.

[EdieJ]

Yeah that's kind of the frame I was thinking of. About 8' tall. I don't know, maybe 3' sides? I would probably only do 2 plants this way (1 per frame.) I like the door idea, I hadn't quite figured out how to do that. Thank you!

[imp]

I had seen both the garage sized screen "door" thingie and a regular house sized screen that both close with magnetic strips to let you in/out at Harbor Freight. I thought of getting one for my doors as my house is old and door frames weird but I love having windows and doors open too. I hate the bugs though.

If you really wanted to redneck it, you could make it bigger by taking duct type tape and making a seam of sorts between the "long" edges of no see 'um mesh and make it as wide as you's need. I don't think it would be an eyesore really, LOL, but then I are a redneck.

[bower]

I made a tomato 'bus shelter' which provided support to tie onto but also I could cover with row covers for frost protection.
We use row cover for bug protection at the farm, but that is for low rows so the way to do it is to dig the edges right into the ground, so there is no way in. Thing about bugs, if you leave one gap or hole, they will find it! Magnetic closing mesh - sounds like something they would have on a tent and a great idea!
One thing about row cover it tends to tear easily. But we are rough on it and it's really windy here so it takes a beating. I don't know if the tulle type fabric would wear a little better? I am in envy of the one that brownrexx built for brassicas! Have to try it.

[GoDawgs]

I was mulling over something similar last night only it was about a frame to support shade cloth over a row of tomatoes. So I'll just throw this out there in case some part of it might be useful to you or maybe just get the creative juices flowing.

Mine would be somewhat a combination of this:



and this:



The first shot was some shade I threw together for the beans one summer. I was thinking of doing something similar for shade cloth but with maybe five or six 5' vertical 3/4" pvc pipes down the sides. Then put the 1/2" irrigation pipe hoops on top like in the second shot. They just slip right into the pipes. And I have clips that fasten row cover or shade cloth to the pipes and hoops.

Maybe lightweight row cover could cover something like that. Take into consideration the width factor of your row cover because you'll probably need several overlapping lengths to cover whatever you decide to erect. This is a 4' wide bed. The row cover over this squash plant is 6' wide and as you can see from the pic, there's not much left over at the bottom edge because of the height of the hoops.



Pinetree sells this 6' wide row cover for .45/ft, minimum 10' purchase but you can buy as long a piece as you need and cut it to length yourself.
https://www.superseeds.com/products/agr ... 2a61&_ss=r

Whatever you make, consider how you'll anchor it against the wind.

[EdieJ]

Yes, living on a mountaintop, wind is always a consideration (why can't it just blow all the bugs away?!) I actually used a hank of row cover last year to shelter my basil and parsley plants and it worked like a charm, the bugs never touched either one. I really think a tall square rather than hoops for tomato plants would be easier for me. Straight seams to sew and yeah that selfclosing screen door is something I'm definitely going to investigate. PVC pipe would eliminate worry about sharp edges cutting into the material. The plants will be up against the south side of our house and that's why I was thinking row cover, to help with shade too. By July everything is starting to look hot dusty and tired. By August everything is getting crispy. But if row cover won't stand up to wind it's back to square one phooey :>( And with reduced airflow I might need to buy stock in the company that makes Daconil HAHA. Oh I just realized I missed an important fact: I will be growing in homemade SWC's but will be anchoring the frames into the ground around the containers. Does that change anything? Getting old and forgetful, sorry. Anyway love all the ideas hopefully by planting time I will have figured it all out!

[bower]

Wind is a problem here for loose row cover, or row cover that's tied on. But we are one of the windiest places on earth - the wind actually does blow the bugs away. Seriously we have blackfles for about two weeks every year, then they're goners. If you sew your covers to fit onto the frame, I'm sure it will be fine in the wind! And like you said, smooth pipe vs my wooden structures that snag and tear. You will want the lightest weight of row cover or possibly something like the tulle though if heat is an issue - don't want to make the plants any hotter. There is cover designed for hot places.

[GoDawgs]

About heat buildup, I played with that light row cover last year just to test the heat factor. I put it over a sacrificial squash plant in the heat of summer, prepared to see the plant fried. It did just fine. I was shocked and amazed.

[brownrexx]

I am in envy of the one that brownrexx built for brassicas! Have to try it.

Wow, I am surprised that you remember this but it's easy to make with just a piece of wire fencing bent over and either tulle or row cover material on top. Some people use wire hoops but I get so much wind that more support is better and the fabric does not droop. I like the tulle better because it allows the plants to get more light and I can also see how they are doing without pulling off the cover. It allows me to grow beautiful brassicas with no spraying at all and virtually no bug damage. The bok choy has a few holes in the leaves but not really much damage. The only thing I have to do is use some organic slug bait around the plants.

DSC00392 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

DSC00765 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

20190607_182747 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

20190607_191610 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

[pondgardener]

[mention]brownrexx[/mention]
That looks exactly like something I need to keep the house sparrows and doves from defoliating the emerging pea plants!

[GoDawgs]

brownrexx, I remember seeing that photo of the tulle tunnel and filed a copy of the pic for future reference. Very nice. Do you remember how wide that fabric is?

And are those leeks growing next to the tunnel in the next pic? I've tried and tried to grow those but just can't get the hang of it. That's absurd since I have no problem doing onions and scallions.

[EdieJ]

Yeah I was amazed at how well the basil & parsley stayed green under the row cover. (In fact, both plants are now residing in my kitchen!)
Brownrexx, I now have garden envy!!

[brownrexx]

@brownrexx
That looks exactly like something I need to keep the house sparrows and doves from defoliating the emerging pea plants!

[mention]pondgardner[/mention] I also have sparrow problems with my peas. The poor leaves get eaten so I use a bigger enclosure for the pea plants. FYI last year I tried not using the screening and just using the reflective garlands that I picked up at the dollar store and the fluttering bags. They just laughed at that stuff so I had to add the screening. This is made from old vinyl screening that I got for free from the hardware store. They gave me the old screening from replacing screens.

20190412_104145 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

[mention]GoDawgs[/mention] that is really cool that you saved my pics. I am very pleased with my organic method of growing brassicas. I love the fact that they are so clean and totally chemical free. I always use a physical barrier instead of a chemical one if possible.

I don't remember the width of my covers. If you notice, the one is green. That is actually bridal veil material and it only comes in one width. It has bigger openings than tulle so it lets in more light and water. I can use this since cabbage moths are large and can't fit through the holes. Smaller insects require fabric with smaller holes like tulle.

No those are not leeks, they are elephant garlic that keeps coming up year after year. I don't even harvest it. I did grow leeks a few years ago and they grew OK but we were not that thrilled with eating them so I didn't grow them again.

[mention]EdieJ[/mention] Thank you. I love how pretty they turn out using this method and it's easy too. I plant the seedlings and do nothing until time to harvest!

[bower]

Yeah that's the stuff brownrexx! I am definitely going looking for some fabric like that... I just LOVE that you can see the cabbage while the moths can't get in. Good trick with the hoop of fencing too, no fancy construction required! Brilliant.

[ahntjudy]

I have had many problems in the past with leaf miners affecting uncovered swisschard and the beet greens...

A couple years ago, I tried covering my greens beds with floating row covers, utilizing what supports I had on hand as the support systems and clip clothes pins to keep the row covers in place...

I was amazed at the difference it made...
Practically no leaf miner damage at all...

[pepperhead212]

I have never grown tomatoes under those covers, but I have to grow some peppers and all of the brassicas under the covers, to keep bugs off of both. Not sure how the tomatoes would do, as it does get slightly warmer even under the lightest cover (but the peppers love that!). Maybe that tulle is available very wide? I couldn't find it in 10' wide rows, like I get agribon.

Here's the PVC frame I made to cover the peppers in the EB, the day the Agribon was taken off. The frames are 5' tall, minus the part stuck into the EB ends.
Pepper plants growing through the tops of the covers 7-28 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[EdieJ]

Pepperhead, yes that's along the lines kind of what I was thinking for the frames. Only because they will be tall and possibly top-heavy I will anchor them into the actual ground not just in the containers. Thank you for the pictures! Having a visual definitely helps.