OK, so I've asked a couple left-field questions about starting corn, using row covers, etc.

If I want early vegetables, primarily corn, but even other things too, I'm looking for the pros/cons of floating row cover, hoops/low tunnels, starting inside, etc.

If I used hoops with row cover, I might get ~5 degrees of protection, but would I get some decent warming inside on a sunny day? I'm not trying to grow tomatoes in Feburary, just start things maybe up to a month early at most - in my area, although ground frosts can occur into early May, its rare to get much colder than the upper 20s after the last week or so in March.

If I use PLASTIC with hoops, I fear that the first sunny day over 75 or so will cook my plants inside - since I do work during the day (as does my wife), I can't babysit them every time the sun comes out! My thought was row cover, although it won't protect quite as much from frost, breathes well enough to keep it from getting TOO hot except on maybe the very hottest days! If I set it up right, I'm sure I could roll back the cover (and keep on-site) when it's forecast to be warmish, and put them back, but I'd prefer to do that as little as possible until sometime in May when they would come off permanently for the remainder of the season (maybe throw them back on in fall depending on how things are doing.

Oh, and by the way - does rain penetrate floating row cover effectively?

I'm fishing for ideas to see what you all have done.