The best item for the garden you’ve never heard of

Published 4:23 pm Thursday, September 20, 2007

Floating row cover is a fabulous thing: a cheap, easy, non-chemical way to reduce pest damage on your veggies. It even provides a small amount of protection against cold temperatures, helping you extend the season this time of year.

That’s why I’m always surprised nobody seems to know about it. It’s basically a super lightweight material that goes over your vegetable beds. It’s so light it seems to float on top of plants. It allows light and water through but keeps out unwanted critters like slugs and cutworms. You can tuck it under the soil to keep it in place. If you want to use it as a cloche you can build a small hoophouse. It has the added benefit of warming up the soil a few degrees.

This Web site is selling it for 29 cents a foot. Probably the best way to order it is through mail order or online. It’s sold under the manufacturer names Reemay, Agronet or Argyl. I haven’t seen it at the big box stores but you may find it at a good nursery.