Row covers have so many benefits that once you start using them you will wonder how you ever gardened without them. We use row covers for every season.  Thicker during the winter months and thin cover during late spring, summer and early fall.  

Here are some uses for row cover to help solve problems in the vegetable garden.  

• It can shelter plants from high-UV sun damage in the desert.
• It helps conserve water. When you water a plant under a row cover, moisture in the soil gradually evaporates into the air. When there is row cover being used, the rising moisture lingers to humidify the air immediately around the plants, mitigating effects of low-humidity conditions and evaporative water loss.  
• It protects against drying winds. Young transplants and seedlings are susceptible to desiccation from dry winds, and sensitive older plants are too. A row cover eliminates the need to create a windbreak for the whole garden by providing temporary or permanent smaller scale areas.
• It seals off plants from insects. Organic gardeners who do not use pesticides use lightweight row covers to create a screen for their vegetable crops. They are particularly useful for preventing whiteflies, aphids and spider mites, which are very difficult to control. This is one of the best preventative tools for pest management.