How to protect plants from frost so they survive the cold season
Freezing weather in the spring or fall can be hard on some plants in your garden. Temperatures in the low 30s Fahrenheit can kill vegetable crops like tomatoes and peppers and colorful flowering annuals like petunias and begonias. While you can't jacket your cucumber vines or marigold pots, you can help your frost-tender plants come through the cold unscathed. Here's what you need to know about which types of plants need frost protection and when to take action.
What is snow?
When weather forecasters issue frost advisories in late spring and early fall, it's your best bet to protect annuals and other vulnerable plants. You might think the temperature should go to freezing (32˚F), but freezing can occur between 36˚F and 32˚F. Also, frostbite can be light or hard; A light frost around the upper end of that temperature range may kill the tops of tender plants, but the lower parts will remain green. A hard freeze occurs when the temperature hovers around 32˚F for a few hours, which is enough to kill all parts of the ground.
Below 32˚F is considered freezing, which is more destructive than frost. Tropical houseplants and tender plants such as geraniums die when air temperatures drop below 32˚F for a few hours. A frost warning often signals the end of the growing season in the fall, as temperatures begin to kill annuals and initiate dormancy for hardy perennials, trees and shrubs. A frost warning in spring is a sign that you should bring tender plants inside.
Which plants need frost protection?
In general, annual plants that fruit and flower in warm temperatures are more sensitive to cold weather. Think about the vegetables and herbs you harvest in mid-summer and which annual flowers are most colorful in warmer temperatures. Plants like these need frost protection in the spring or fall when they are young and young if you want to keep them as long as possible before winter sets in. Many of them come from frost-free tropical regions of the world. , so play it safe and plan to protect them whenever the temperature drops below 40˚F.
In contrast, perennials (garden plants that come back every year), shrubs and trees can generally withstand sudden drops in temperature as long as they are healthy and hardy in your area. A spring frost can damage developing fruit and kill flowers, but these plants will survive. Some edible plants such as peas, spinach, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes and cabbage are actually quite hardy. These cool-season vegetables typically tolerate temperatures as low as 26°F. Hardy crops like beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, collards, cabbage, parsley and spinach can also rock temperatures in the low 20s. Some cold-hardy flowers, such as snowdrops and sweet alyssum, don't mind freezing weather.
Frost-protection techniques
Depending on the size and scale of the plants you need to protect, you have a few options when it comes to frost or frost.
1. Move containers indoors
If possible, bring tender plants indoors. Small container gardens and any plants in their nursery containers are usually easy to move indoors temporarily. A warm place is not always necessary. Moving plants into a space such as a garden shed or growing plants in a garage will provide adequate protection during cold weather. However, when the lows are near freezing, it's time for an insulated indoor location.
2. Bring out the blankets
Old bed sheets, blankets and large towels. Scatter them loosely over the plants and support them with stakes of material as needed. Be sure to extend the plant cover to the ground in all places to create a small dome of insulation. If wind is a problem, anchor the fabric to the ground with bricks, stones, or anything heavy. Woven fabric offers better protection than plastic or paper. You can also add plastic sheets over your fabric layer to protect it from rain. Remove your covers mid-season so the plants don't overheat, but keep them warm as more than one frost is forecast per season. Keep in.
3. Use a Cloche
French for "bell," a garden cloche is a circular cover that serves as a miniature greenhouse. A super easy garden hack to make a milk jug is to cut the bottom of a gallon-sized jug and place it over a plant, making sure to push the bottom of the jug about an inch deep into the soil. Tie the pitcher's handle to a nearby pole to keep it from blowing away. Cover the pitcher at night for maximum protection, but remove the lid during the day to let the cloche out to avoid overheating the plant.
4. Water well
Did you know that wet soil can withstand 4 times more heat than dry soil? Moisture in the soil will conduct heat to the soil surface, warming the area around the plant by 2˚-3˚F. If cold weather is forecast, water your plants well. In addition to watering, a cover or blanket may be necessary to fully protect the plants.
5. Add mulch
A thick layer of mulch, such as shredded bark or compost, can help isolate tender plants. Cover the entire plant with mulch the night before low temperatures are forecast. Remove it when the weather warms up again. Messy and labor-intensive, mulch may not be the best choice for large planting areas. Reserve this method for a few small but sturdy plants (don't try this with fragile seedlings!) or where you can spread extra mulch after the need for protection is over.
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