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Last spring I needed new tomato cages so I bought a 5' x 50' roll of light weight fencing material, cut it into 5 foot sections, and made 10 tomato cages. Then this winter as we started to have freezing nights, I needed something to cover low tender vegetation. It was then that I realized that the tomato cages would be a perfect form to make a sort of greenhouse. I opened up a cage and put one long side in back of and one in front of the plant. On longer plantings I used 2 or 3 cages in a row. The cages form a dome over the plants which I then covered with plastic drop clothes. On warm days I just throw the plastic off of the dome or open up the ends to allow air to flow through. It works wonderfully to provide protection while keeping the plastic itself off of the plants.
Then I decided to go one step further. I have 3 long narrow planting containers which I filled with a good planting medium, and into those pots I sowed spinach and lettuce. I put the 3 containers side by side on my patio and covered them with one tomato cage, again forming a dome which I also covered with plastic. In a short time I had a vigorous stand of green leafy vegetables which are protected from extreme weather and insects (..and squirrels..). This would also be a good way to quickly and cheaply make a hot house for starting spring seedlings.
This method for protecting plants works very well; but as a caution you do need to open up the plastic on warmer days and you will need to provide supplemental water, especially on the potted plants.
Mary Hamlin, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas AgriLife Extension Service