50gsm Non-Woven Frost Protection Fleece 3.2m x 5m | Winter Plant Cover & Landscape Fabric

Frost protection fleece is the most straightforward way to extend your growing season at either end of the year, and this 50gsm weight is the one to reach for when a hard winter is the concern.

Lay it over brassicas, root vegetables or tender perennials and it holds a warmer, more sheltered microclimate beneath the cover; not dramatically so, but enough to make a real difference when overnight temperatures drop sharply. Light, rainwater and air pass through the fabric, so plants continue to grow rather than simply sitting in suspended animation. You do not need to lift it every time it rains, which is one of the things people get wrong with lighter covers.

The 50gsm weight is heavier than the fleece sold for spring use, and that weight is what gives it its winter usefulness. It keeps more warmth in and offers better resistance to wind, hail and snow than a lighter grade would. Lay it directly over low-growing crops or drape it over hoops; either way, peg or weigh the edges down well, because a cover that lifts in a gale does very little good.

Stored carefully at the end of the season, folded rather than bundled, and kept out of prolonged direct sun when not in use, a sheet like this will see several winters without losing its usefulness.

• Frost protection fleece, 50gsm weight, for winter use
• Sheet size: 3.2 metres x 5 metres
• Permeable to light, rainwater and air
• Raises temperature and humidity beneath the cover
• Protects against frost, snow, hail and wind
• UV-stabilised fabric
• Lighter weights (17gsm, 30gsm) and other sizes available separately

Put it down before the first forecast frost rather than after; recovering a crop that has already taken a cold night is harder than protecting one that has not. Used from autumn through to early spring, a single sheet covers a useful run of a kitchen garden bed and will earn its keep many times over.