3 Ways to Protect Fall Crops Using Row Covers

15 September 2026, written by Benedict Vanheems

Many of us use row covers in spring to protect early crops from wind and frost, which can add three weeks to the front end of the growing season. Row covers bring similar benefits when used in autumn, only in reverse. Toward the end of the season, row covers can be used to tame excess sun and hold soil warmth while protecting plants from insects and animal pests.

There is a slight tradeoff in terms of light transmission, but the plants don’t seem to mind. Opaque covers like tulle (wedding net) or insect netting block only 10 percent of sunlight, while lightweight row cover (garden fleece) reduces the light supply by about 15 percent. This does not seem to bother broad-leafed plants including lettuce and most leafy greens, which adapt well to light levels similar to dappled shade.

Heavier row covers may retain heat on unusually hot days, but this can be a good thing as summer turns to fall. When Eryn Neyer of Berea College’s Grow Appalachia project in Kentucky USA saw the late tomatoes struggling to ripen, she found that covering them with row cover retained enough heat to give the crop the boost it needed.

Cabbage under netting — Light netting keeps cabbage safe from leaf-eating insects

1. Using Row Covers to Exclude Insects

If you see small white butterflies flitting around your garden on sunny days, prepare for trouble. They are the parents of common green cabbageworms, which can seriously damage broccoli, kale and other cabbage family crops, often in concert with smaller cabbage loopers and darker armyworms. If leaf-eating pests get out of control you can use Bt or Spinosad to kill insects that are actively feeding, and then cover the plants with a lightweight row cover to keep others at bay.

However you will not need insecticides at all if you cover direct-seeded beds at planting time. Several studies have shown that radishes and kale grow better under row cover, mostly by protecting the plants from pests. Even hard-to-control cabbage aphids can be prevented entirely with row covers that are tucked in around the edges.

Turnips — Lightweight row cover protects crops from rabbits and deer

2. Using Row Covers to Exclude Animals

Rabbits, deer and other animals often step up their attacks on garden crops in autumn, but if they can’t see it, they won’t eat it. Row covers that hide tempting crops from view are a sure defense, and they are much more effective than aromatic sprays. The row cover need not be a tight fit. In late summer I routinely cover my peppers and sweet potatoes with a loose row cover every night, which is held in place with bricks or other weights. It’s the best way I’ve found to protect the plants from the hungry deer that show up after dark.

3. Using Row Covers to Extend the Season

In most temperate climates, cold-hardy crops like spinach, kale, mache (a.k.a. corn salad or lamb’s lettuce) and winter lettuce stop growing in late autumn due to cold temperatures and short days. But you often can keep young plants alive though winter under row covers, so they start growing again as soon as days lengthen in early spring.

Through the winter, the cover protects resting crops from wind, snow and pounding rain, resulting in less compaction and erosion. When tucked in around the edges, low row cover tunnels trap and hold heat from the ground, which raises the temperature inside by a few degrees. After winter arrives to stay, you can add a layer of plastic over a row cover tunnel to provide more insulation from bitter weather. Just be sure to remove the plastic when the weather warms in spring.