Mason Jar Plant Protectors

Early each spring, I set out my hardy, winter sown seedlings in our garden. The only trouble with this is that sometimes the slugs and snails - thriving in spring's wet weather - eat my seedlings before they have a chance of growing bigger. And if I set seedlings out in an area where the chickens scratch, I can say goodbye to those, too.

This year, I realized there was an easy way to protect these seedlings from slugs, snails, chickens - and even frost: Glass or plastic jars.

I used pint sized canning jars, but you can use any type of glass or plastic jar. Just place the jar over the seedling, open end to the soil. To make them more stable where animals might knock them over, just press the jars into the dirt a little, so the rim is buried.

So easy! As a bonus, the jar works like an old fashioned cloche, keeping the seedling warmer so it grows a little faster. Click here to read about using milk jugs to protect seedlings.

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