<aside> 💡 I’m actively writing this guide, so it’s structure and content are changing daily!

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What is fleece

Horticultural fleece is a lightweight, synthetic material that is used to protect plants from cold and frost. It allows light and water to penetrate, while providing a barrier against insects, birds, and animals. It can be laid directly over plants or on supports and used to create a mini greenhouse effect.

Fleece or plastic

Fleece is undoubtably useful and sometimes is the very best cover for the job, but plastic has many advantages in late autumn, winter and early spring. Fleece comes into it’s own when the weather warms up, rainfall reduces and pests start to become a problem. If you want to compare growing under fleece, with growing under plastic, see my guide to growing under cover and my guide to growing under low tunnels and cold frames. This video provides a nice comparison of the results you can expect in spring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZHSBSdLo_k

The benefits of fleece

When you read about the use of fleece, it seems to offer only benefits. The following description is a summary of typical suppliers sales pitch:

Horticultural fleece offers a myriad of benefits for the expert gardener. Firstly, it provides an effective layer of protection against harsh weather conditions, including frost and extreme cold, enabling you to extend your growing season. The lightweight nature of the material ensures that it does not weigh down or damage delicate plants and seedlings.

Furthermore, it allows for good light and water penetration, ensuring your plants receive the necessary conditions for healthy growth. The permeability of the fleece also allows for air circulation, reducing the risk of mould and mildew.

In addition to weather protection, horticultural fleece serves as a physical barrier against pests, including insects, birds, and other animals, reducing the need for chemical pesticides. This makes it an environmentally friendly choice for gardeners seeking to adopt more sustainable practices.

Finally, horticultural fleece can also be used to create a mini-greenhouse effect, trapping heat and maintaining a stable and warm environment for plants. This is particularly beneficial for heat-loving plants or for early or late-season planting, when temperatures might not be ideal.

A lot of this is true, but the devil is in the details. For me fleece has the following benefits:

  1. It offers good protection from the wind, provided it’s held above plants and not buffeting them
  2. It increases air and soil temperature, it’s particularly valuable at night. The sun warms the soil and that warm soil warms the air around the plants at night, because the fleece traps the warm air around the leaves.
  3. It effectively protects against insects, birds, cats, foxes etc
  4. It’s also useful to protect against hail and snow, provided it’s well supported
  5. It’s fairly cheap to buy
  6. It’s very convenient as a way to provide short term protection, especially for a few weeks after planting, or when an unexpected frost threatens