Under Cover

As long as we’ve been gardening, we’ve been inventing ways to win against the weather – to help spring, summer and fall prevail over winter. Because keeping the sun and warmth in, and the frost, cold and wind out, helps us secure the ultimate prize of making the growing season – and its fresh harvests – last longer. In the days before refrigeration and grocery stores, our simple solutions helped families secure fresh food for more of the year. And in the present and future, they can help us adjust our gardening techniques to changes in climate, like hotter temperatures and stronger winds. With them, we can plant earlier in spring, harvest later in fall and sometimes even grow all winter long.

To make the most of the time in a particular season, some plant varieties have been bred to mature faster (think Early Girl tomato) or bolt slower (like Flash broccoli), but the majority of our inventions involve covering plants in creative ways. Covering creates a microclimate, slightly altered from the ambient climate, by either trapping or deflecting solar energy. Gardeners most often use covers to battle cold by harnessing the energy of the sun, but some shelters can also...