should I just cover tomatoes with bubble wrap?

Question

I'm thinking about this cheap planthouse http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100494626

Money is tight, and my gf says bubblewrap will do virtually the same. I want to extend the growing season for my tomatoes in Chattanooga, TN Merry Christmas folks

Answer 1

Weeelllll, don't expect miracles from this little greenhouse. For one thing, you don't have a way to store heat for the nights. Buy a heater and running it will cost more than just ditching the plant. That's not to say you can't have veggies from the garden thru the winter. It's been done for many generations. Root crops such as carrots and turnips can be left in the ground and mulched heavily and harvested as needed. In these insulated or "bubble wrap" cold frames and greenhouses you can grow cool crops such as spinach, kale, lettuce. Do some research........Rodale Press books, many probably in the library, can guide you. If the magazine "Mother Earth News" is still around, they are chock full in useful info on winter gardening.

Answer 2

Make sure you leave ventilation. Otherwise you will have stew Tomatoes by mid morning. If you wrap them, you must unwrap them. At this point, it may not be worth your while. Day length is also important. Plus, after a season in our zone, they build up diseases . When the plant quits producing, ditch it. Bubble Wrap is good stuff. She is not wrong. But all good things run their course and do end.