Your garden is beginning to expand, and you now have peppers, tomatoes, and winter squash. Although they’re not ready yet, you wish to keep the plants alive so you may harvest them at the end of the season. Every year, just before the harvest is ready to be picked, a cold force moves through the garden and freezes it. We’ve broken down our plan for frost into easy steps.
Step 1: Check the weather prediction and temperature.
First, we should watch the weather report. Check the same feed daily to determine what will happen in your area. In other words, no matter where you receive your feed, check the same computer, phone, or another source daily. Then, look at how different the actual temperature in your garden is from what has been predicted.
For me, this is about four degrees different. Hence, if the forecast predicts 36 degrees Fahrenheit, I realize my garden will be nearly freezing due to this slight discrepancy. You can use this method to protect any plant in a garden bed or on the ground.
Step 2: Put frost covers on at night
Your frost covers should be ready to go before you need them. Here’s what I do to keep frost from killing my plants:
Layer 1: Wires
Layer 2: Blankets
Layer 3: Plastic
Layer 4: Wires
Layer 1: The wires
First, I build a system to keep the blankets from touching the plant. You want a small cushion of air between the plants and the blankets because if cold air tries to touch the plants, it can move back down to the cover. So, I could start making a cold frame if I had some wire or a frame.
Layer 2: Blankets
I placed my blanket on after that. You can use a quilt, a blanket from their bed, or towels. You can also buy heavy frost blankets in stores. You can use any big blanket that will cover the edges.
Layer 3: Plastic
On top of the blankets goes a layer that won’t get wet. Even though they don’t warm you up when wet, keep your blankets dry when it’s cloudy, raining, or snowing. You want your plastic on. We have many old roofs left over when we alter the roofs on the glasshouses. But a tarp can be used instead. A night cover for plants doesn’t have to be clear.
Layer 4: Wires
Next, you’ll need a way to keep that polycarbonate or waterproof layer on because when a cold front comes in, you almost always get wind. Keep the covers on so that the plants can be protected. I added another wire to hold it together and keep this wind from mucking. I use a hardware mesh that you can get at a lumber mill.
I put it right on top and then tie a string to a block, a stake, a brick, or anything else that will keep it from moving. We had one of them on while the breeze was gusting 50 miles per hour, and everyone inside was safe and sound. This is how plants stay alive during the night. But we found out that the cover could trap some cold air.
Step 3: Take the plants’ covers off during the day.
Step 3 is to give your plants warmth and sunlight during the day. You want to let warm air in when you take out the wire. You want it to be around 50 and 60 degrees under the cover. Even if it’s only halfway, I like to turn the covers back.
That will let air get in and out of the room. If there is a gloomy tarp on top, flip it over so the plants can get the light they need. So, you want the middle of the day to be when the sun is brightest, and the air is warmest. If the temp decreases the next night again, everything will return to how it was before.
Best wishes with your garden!
Because of this, if you pay attention and plan, you can keep growing peppers, tomatoes, and squash in your garden for about four weeks after the first frost if you are careful and ready. And during that time, your garden would be able to give you a lot more food than it did before. Putting in the work is, therefore, worth it; after everything is set up, it is easy to use.
