Growing Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable Garden

by Niki Jabbour

Whether cultivating tomatoes in northern Idaho or protecting leafy greens from a fast-moving hailstorm in Iowa, knowing how to build protective structures and grow in a more controlled environment can make gardening less stressful and more productive. Best-selling author and gardener Niki Jabbour explores all the under-cover options, from a simple cloche for temporary cover for seedlings to a mini hoop tunnel that can be erected when there's a frost in the forecast, as well as larger polytunnels, greenhouses, and geodesic domes. She offers detailed information on selecting the protective structure that best suits the situation, how to set up the right kind of irrigation system inside the structure, when to vent it to prevent overheating, how to create passive heat sinks, how to hand-pollinate certain crops for better yield, and which vegetable varieties are actually bred to be grown in controlled environments. Much more than just about learning how to build shelter for vulnerable plants against routine environmental and pest damage, Growing Under Cover provides an entirely different approach to food gardening in an era of intensifying climate change.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 25, 2020

About the author

Niki Jabbour is the author of the best-selling, award winning book, The Year Round Vegetable Gardener (American Horticultural Society Book Award), Groundbreaking Food Gardens & Veggie Garden Remix (All published by Storey Publishing). Niki writes for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Garden Making and Birds & Blooms. She speaks at garden shows, events and venues across North America. Niki is also the award-winning host of the long-running show The Weekend Gardener on News 95.7 FM (www.news957.com) that airs Sundays 10 to noon Atlantic time, April through October. Niki is a founding member of the award-winning website, www.SavvyGardening.com (2017 Gold Award for Best Overall Garden Blog & Best Digital Media from the Association for Garden Communicators).

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book covering everything you'd need to know about using cold frames, greenhouses, row covers and other small and large scale methods of extending your growing season and protecting your garden crops with covers. Jabbour gardens in zone 5 Nova Scotia, which I appreciate as a zone 4 Minnesota gardener. The book is filled with gorgeous photos of her own gardens and structures instead of just relying on artificial stock photos. She offers step by step instructions on all kinds of projects and then provides additional information like detailed info on how to grow all kinds of garden veggies from artichokes to zucchinis. Well recommended.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a ton of information in this book about growing food under cover and I especially love that it is based close to home so Jabbour can definitely explain the challenges I face. While several sections of the book were not relevant to an urban gardener (as in no space to install a full greenhouse/poly-tunnel), I will definitely be installing a hoop frame over my raised bed this year as an experiment. Photos are great throughout though maybe a few too many of Jabbour posing holding tools and pvc.

[OneDayI'll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book about both using sheet plastic as a method to start or grow from seed to harvest. It has many methods around the covers, too. Types, beat set ups for various plants, the whole 9. Even ways to control humidity within the covers. Because plants need water but mold is detrimental.

[menna hafez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and Storey publishing for providing me with ARC.

I love Growing vegetables and fruits, my grandpa was a farmer, he teaches me alot. We have a land that we growing vegetables like* Onions, potatoes* and fruits like * guava*.

I enjoyed this book so much, i learned alot of ways about growing because in summer the weather became so hot that all the vegetables die so easily, so if you like growing, this book is for you 😉

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a useful look at why, how and where to use various covers in your garden - everything from simple one-plant cloches to full greenhouses. Good details on the benefits, variations, and even which plants thrive in these covered environments. I do wish there were more resources about where to get or tips on building some of the larger structures.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be published on my blog closer to release: Nonstop Reader.

Growing Under Cover is a fact filled really useful treatise for extending and protecting garden harvests by Niki Jabbour. Due out 22nd Dec 2020 from Storey, it's 216 pages (print version) and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

I've reviewed several other books by this author and have found that they've become staples of my gardening library. This one promises the same. As a gardener in a northern climate, if I ever want peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, or other such garden goodies (and I do, always) I have to extend my growing season and stack the deck a bit in my favor. Ditto with late-season hailstorms. This book is absolutely full of good usable advice and techniques for extending the season, protecting the garden from predation by insects/animals and environmental factors.

I liked the layout here, chapters are arranged thematically around two ideas: Semi-permanent structures and coverings with a really good sub-chapter on hoop tunnels and cold frames, and an herbarium with specific plants and varieties which do well under cover. The book is well photographed throughout. The photos are clear and understandable and (for tutorial photos) logically sequenced and followable.

The selection of plant profiles is comprehensive and includes lots of intriguing possibilities beyond the standard fare (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes). I confess I'd never really considered growing artichokes under cover before, and I will definitely find some space to increase our yields - they're monstrously expensive locally, and my family loves them in dips, salads, and everything in between. I'm also contemplating fennel (which we normally grow outdoors in limited quantity) as well as squash and watermelon (they just take up so much *space*).

This is a nice volume full of usable gardening advice, and a good addition to the author's oeuvre. It would be a nice selection for the allotment library, gardener's home library, public / school library, or gift for a gardening friend.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Renee(Reneesramblings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My gardening world changed when I read the author's Veggie Garden Remix book. I was introduced to so many new varieties, and I still grow cucamelons, ground cherries, yard-long beans, and add one or two things every year. So it is not really surprising that I was excited to read her newest book, Growing Under Cover. Niki Jabbour lives in Nova Scotia, and almost any Zone 5 gardener will want to extend their growing season as she does. Heck, I live in Zone 7, and the idea of starting the season earlier and protecting my fall plants from the first frost makes this worthwhile reading. I added a small cold frame several years ago, and I was ready to learn more.
The book is divided into two parts: Introducing the Covered Garden and Vegetables That Love a Cover. The first chapters provide detailed information and great pictures that will introduce you to polytunnels, cold frames, hoop tunnels, shade cloth, row covers, and more. If you see something that intrigues you, you won't even have to go find another book to learn what materials you need or how to build it, it is all covered here.
In the second part, you will find plants that will thrive under different covers. Every vegetable you can imagine is discussed, from artichokes to tomatoes, and everything in between.No matter whether you are a beginner with ideas for a few pots, have a small piece of land or have acres of land devoted to gardening, you can find something here that will make your life easier, and allow your plants to be more productive.
My two takeaways for next year are buying shade cloth and insect barrier fabric. I don't want to write a book here, but I haven't even mentioned disease control, watering, planning calendars, starting seeds indoors, succession planting, and a great index so you can refer back to what you need during the growing season. I am working on my garden plan for next year, and I will definitely spend time this winter reviewing this ebook page by page. Actually, I plan to buy a hard copy as a holiday present to me, and I think this would be a great gift for the gardener in your life.

[Patch405 (Shannon Barghols) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tagline here is “Techniques for a more productive, weather-resistant, pest-free vegetable garden.” Jabbour covers a variety of techniques – from insect barriers to polytunnels. Each technique provides great details, helpful hints, and wonderful photographs. The guidance regarding selecting materials and the best approach area invaluable.

The book contains basic gardening advice including raised beds, using covers to get a jump start on spring, vertical growing, mulching, winter plans, crop rotation, cover crops. There’s also “Setting up Systems,” where Jabbour addresses temperature, humidity, providing additional heat, ventilation, irrigation. There’s also great information on insects and diseases, which includes a list of each problem and description (what it is, what it does, how to get rid of it).

My favorite section of the book is Part 2 – Vegetables that Love a Cover. In it, Jabbour lists a plant, addresses planting, growing, harvesting, and then cover strategies. She cover twenty-four vegetables from artichoke to tomatoes.

Overall, this book is an incredible resource if you’re looking to extend your growing season through the use of covers. I feel like Jabbour hits every angle – every possible option – in great detail. Visually, the photographs are bright, clear, and well edited. Plus, the book is filled with interesting sidebars, including ‘a short history of growing under cover,’ ‘five uses for shade cloth,’ ‘Niki’s Under Cover Calendar’, and ‘ideal air temperatures for healthy growth.’

There are so many ideas in this book. If you only use one, the book would be worth it. However, my only negative critique is that I wish Jabbour would have addressed geography by letting us know her planting zone and possibly making recommendations for other zones. I feel like this book provided all the information about growing with covers except how to tailor it to your zone.

I received a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. A blog of this review appears at: https://patch405.com/2020/11/03/book-...

[Oxana Tomova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing Under Cover is a neat guide for beginners on covering your veggies, harvesting for longer, and getting better crops.
I really liked the tone of the book and how everything was explained. The author provides a very motivating plan on how to learn more about growing vegetables year-round and how to get into doing it. There's also lots of useful information like: possible materials, how to take care of your covers, their likely longevity, and appropriateness for different situations (after all, glass is much more durable than a polyethylene sheet, but not always better).
Unlike the first part of the book that's concentrated on how to choose and build your cover, be it a tunnel or a full-blown permanent greenhouse, the second part looks at veggies that grow well "under cover". Together with when and how to grow them, the author adds information on what cover techniques work best with each plant.
I wasn't too happy with the formatting of the text (two columns with small font), however the text was broken-up well with colourful headings and subheadings. There were also lots of beautiful pictures from the author's garden (and not only hers), which were put in nicely, without drowning the text.
Overall, a really nice read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic reference and Niki is such an inspiring and encouraging garden writer! Bumping this up to five stars since it’s great as a stand-alone book - I was already a fan of Savvy Gardening and have read both Veggie Garden Remix and The Year-around Vegetable Gardener so there’s some overlap. It’s wonderful to see such colorful photos of plants and structures as the temperature outside is freezing and the wind is 20mph. It took me a long time to get through this as I won a copy from Johnny’s after watching Niki give a webinar about growing under cover - much of the information is in this book and when reading it I imagine her warm and engaging presentation style.

P.S. I see another reviewer disliked the frequency with which the author appears in photos. I didn’t mind at all and would prefer to see Niki Jabbour with her toque and jacket holding collard greens in the dead of winter any day, over the equally ubiquitous but overly stylized images of Erin Benzakein with an armload of sweet peas at golden hour. Gardens are about people, not just plants, and seeing Nikki enjoy hers year-round is lovely and inspiring.

[Tove R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sounds like a spy novel, but no, it’s a book about gardening. And, it’s in fact a great one. It’s a subject I have had just the most basic knowledge about, but after reading the book I know quite a lot about the subject, and it’s time to put theory into practice.

The book is filled with awesome pictures, and great advice about for example what sort of cover works for you, depending on where you live and what you need the cover for, as well as other reasons clearly explained. The step-by-step instructions on how to build mini hoop and poly tunnels.

I particularly enjoyed the tips about how to deal wit pests and ventilation. Great to know beforehand what might go wrong, because it might be easier to predict when something is about to go wrong. The last chapter regarding which vegetables like covers is fabulous, because it shows someone else has put a lot of hard work into it all, so that the rest of us have it a bit easier. This book works very well for colder climates, and I appreciate it a lot!

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had just begun to learn about using hoop houses and used mine once, before blight struck my yard and I stopped gardening a a few years (beginning again next year!) I was amazed at how early I could actually start planting in NE Ohio! I planted small tomato plants in my yard the first week of March as the weather was pretty mild for a few days and placed my mini hoop houses over them. Even though it did snow once in a while, my plants survived unharmed and I had my earliest tomato ever on May 29! Couldn't be a bigger fan of them! I enjoyed reading this book about the various types. I realize this book will probably be of better use for a larger property (mine is a suburban postage stamp), it's ideas can surely be adapted to a smaller plot. Wonderful and loads of info. Plenty of pix, too, which I always appreciate when reading non-fic books of this nature.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library. But it was so chock full of good ideas for planting and growing that it's more of a "bible" than a book that you would just read once. In fact, I'm considering buying it as a reference to use for my gardening ideas.

And if one gardening idea option didn't suit your needs, there were plenty of other options to choose from, with ideas suitable to many size gardens, from windowsill to a big outdoor covered garden for the most northern of climates, all the way up into northern Canada.

Then there's the section of recommendations of what can grow successfully in different areas of winter and what grows best under which kinds of covers. There are sections devoted to individual vegetables--with very specific recommendations for how to get the best harvest from each veg.

This is one of the most practical and useful books on growing edible plants I've read yet.

[Amary Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide to a smart way to extend your growing season, both at the start and the normal ending with covers. Not only do the cover help with weather, they can also deter pests.
An intelligent primer that gives you the questions to ask yourself to determine your needs and custom fit the cover to your situation. I was impressed by the options offered and the clarity offered in the instructions for a custom build of some of them.
Great information on planting cycles, mulching and different beds. Suggestions for heat, humidity and ventilation and suggestions for handling them in an intelligent manner.
Different specific vegetables are covered as well as some diseases and pests. I would recommend to anyone as there is a wide variety of solutions for any size garden.
I requested and was granted a NetGalley ARC to peruse and offer my opinion freely.

[T Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very extensive book, with simple techniques to improve any vegetable garden. The photos and other illustrations are very beautiful, and the detailed tips on several vegetables are very sensible. I was especially glad to see bioshelters and walipinis, which are much better than the "beautiful" standard greenhouses. The only thing I missed, was the Chinese style polytunnels with northern walls for heat storage. These have the possibility to roll up the cover both on the ground and on the top of the wall for ventilation.

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had a lot of trouble this year with animals and weather in my garden. I have raised beds so I found a lot of interesting possible solutions to many of my problems. Niki Jabbour starts off with simple covers…from easy to make frames and plastic, to mesh, and materials…and for the pests she suggests little wire baskets, which I immediately ran down to the Dollar Tree and bought 20 of. She also moves on to more elaborate structures. All in all, a very informative book.

[Linda Leone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing Under Cover is a great guide to using different kinds of covers for varying reasons. I was most interested to learn about protecting my garden from pests. But, I learned so much more. Lost of info about mulching, covers, watering, overwintering, and composting. It has wonderful photos as well. I will definitely be using this book come spring. Bring on the garden season!

Thanks to netgalley and Storey Publishing for the arc

[Anna Janero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niki is a very knowledgeable gardener. Utilizing covers and structures to help extend seasons even in cold climates had always interested me. Niki lives in Nova Scotia, but is able to garden all year long. So it was nice to learn about how she does that. I am hoping to have a greenhouse of my own in the future, but even without a greenhouse right now, I definitely learned a lot of ways to extend my gardening season.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more. I found the first half of it to be scattered, disorganized and repetitive. The last part of the book did seem quite helpful, giving lots of information on how to grow each type of plant given a variety of circumstances (i.e. high tunnel, cold frame, greenhouse). I wish the first part of the book were as organized as the last.

[Kali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niki Jabbour’s gardening books are my favorite. Chock full of useful information presented in an approachable, appealing way that inspires you to try new things. I like that this builds on the basics in The Year-Round Gardener to extend seasons and maximize yields.

[Trace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niki Jabbour is one of my favorite gardeners. I love her books - she's a Canadian gal and knows how to make the most of our harsher weather to get the maximum yield from her gardens.
All of her books are very informative.

[Pam Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing Under Cover by Niki Jabbour is a guide for how to grow vegetables all year round under cover, with an aim to have a pest free garden.

There's lots of photos, and information on how to grow vegetables from seed in the ground, and when the best time is to start growing things.  It also gives you a guide for where to start with covers.

I felt this was a good book with instructions, and gave me a good starting point for what I should start looking for.

 Growing Under Cover  by Niki Jabbour was published on 22nd December, and is available to buy from  Amazon,   Waterstones  and  BookShop.org .

You can follow Niki Jabbour on  Instagram ,  Twitter  and  Facebook .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Storey Publishing .

[HeatherAnne Norbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough book about all types of covers for home gardening, including shade cloth - so not just about winter gardening.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third book by Niki Jabour is a winner for all gardeners in cool climates, in North America. Her no nonsense approach to extending the growing season is welcome at this time of year.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niki's first book The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener is still my favorite, but this is a good follow-up.

[Jennifer Arnott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information, presented well.

[Andrea Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love Niki Jabbour, she is my garden inspiration! Next year I hope to have some cold frames built and will attempt to grow into our winter!🙏🤞

[Mary]

Very thorough!

[A. Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very practical guide to making all sorts of covers for your plants, from cloches to green houses, and how to make anything you need yourself. With lots of great pictures.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information, albeit a bit repetitive. I would also have liked more information to help me apply the principles to my specific (much colder) climate.