Growing with Cloches

https://rootsandall.co.uk/podcast/episode‑193‑growing‑under‑protection/In this episode, I'm joined by Beth Gregg, founder of Claverton Cloches, who's on a mission to revive the beauty and practicality of Victorian cloche gardening. We talk about cloches of all shapes, sizes, and materials, how they can extend the growing season and protect crops, and explore the history, design, and sustainability behind them — and why sometimes the smallest structures can make the biggest difference in the garden.

Benny's Insect of the Week: Daffodil Dung Fly

About

Beth Gregg is a passionate advocate of cloche gardening and the founder of Claverton Cloches. Her love affair with the romance of the English garden, particularly the ingenuity of historic kitchen gardens, led her to explore the power of the humble cloche as both a practical and beautiful growing tool.

In her own garden, Beth uses cloches extensively to extend the seasons and create microclimates. She ripens chillies and tender crops outdoors in lieu of a greenhouse, overwinters flowers for early cutting in late spring, and protects delicate young plants from frost, wind and hungry garden visitors. For her, cloches are not ornamental extras, but transformative tools - simple structures that can dramatically improve yield, resilience and timing in the garden.

Inspired by antique Victorian designs, she went on to found Claverton Cloches in 2020, reviving traditional cast-iron and glass forms for modern gardeners who value both beauty and productivity. Her work celebrates the quiet practicality of historic garden craft, and the idea that functional objects in the garden can, and should, be deeply beautiful.

You can explore Claverton Cloches at www.clavertoncloches.com

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If you liked this week's episode with Beth you might also enjoy this episode from the archives:

Episode 142: Growing Under Cover with Niki Jabbour Canadian gardener and author Niki Jabbour joins Sarah to share her deep‑dive wisdom on using crop covers, season‑extending techniques and protected structures to grow productive, weather‑resilient vegetable gardens — even in challenging climates. From practical crop‑cover strategies to prolonging your growing year, this episode is full of hands‑on insight for gardeners looking to get more from their space.

Episode 193: Growing Under Protection Horticultural expert Guy Deakins joins Sarah to explore what "protected growing" really means — how to create successful micro‑climates in the garden, the benefits and pitfalls of sheltered environments, and how protection can boost plant health and productivity. It's a thoughtful complement to our discussion about cloches and ways of supporting plants through design and environment.