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More people are becoming interested in utilizing row covers to extend the season or for frost protection in the early spring and late fall. While there are many commercial products you can buy in stores and online, don't be afraid to try building your own from materials you might have on hand.

Below are pictures of three row covers that my husband, daughter and I built in just a matter of 2 hours! We

had on hand extra furring strips we weren't using and a lot of clothes hangers that we didn't need. The only thing we didn't have were screws which we purchased. Each row cover is 12 feet long and about 18" inches wide. The end stakes are pointed so that you can drive the frame system into the ground to keep it from blowing over during high winds. Since I was unable to obtain "real" row cover fabric at local nurseries or stores, I went to a fabric center and found clearance fabric that allows a lot of light through, but will still give me frost protection. (Some good news... local nurseries are considering making commercial row cover available to us, the home gardener, as I learn more I will add the information here!)

Actually in the pictures I am using my row covers as cold frames! So they are able to serve two purposes. I don't use the stakes when in cold frame mode, thus in the pictures they are a foot higher off the ground than normal. Since the danger of frost is almost over, I have put all my transplants out under the row covers and I am hardening them off. I can keep the fabric down at night for protection and raise it during the days to give them optimal light! If you have some row covers you have made, send me photos! Maybe we can put them on our website for others to use as ideas!   Happy Planting, Colleen