Protecting your plants from frost

Give Me Shelter

Growing Fruits and Vegetables in the Fall 

Many of you probably think fall and winter gardening is only for West Coast Super gardeners like Ron Finley or Callie Kim. I live in zone 6B that's 3,000 miles from the California coast as the crow flies. Yes, fall and winter gardening is more of a challenge but not as difficult as many people think. While most nights are in the low thirties they have been a few where the temperature has gone down to - 2 and yes my plants survived. 

Today I want to focus on gardening in the fall. Every September and October I have vegetables growing in the garden. Some of my gardening friends freak out every year when they hear the F word, you know the word I'm talking about FROST. 

Tomorrow is the first of September. I am currently growing Ghost Peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, elephant garlic, ginger, and carrots that won't be ready for harvest for at least another month. 

So what do you do before the first frost hits?

Knowledge is power, especially in the garden. You need to know who much cold your plants can withstand. 

The best weapon against the cold is containers. If you have the space you can simply move your pots or containers indoors. 

Did you know that ginger will begin to suffer once the temps drop below 55 degrees but garlic and carrots can take frost as long as it is not for an extended period of time?

My biggest concern is sweet potatoes.  I planted them late. They are above ground which makes them more susceptible to cold. The bins are heavy and large so transporting them is more difficult however the solution is pretty simple. 

For those cool nights, a frost cloth is a good way to go. I have two. 

 I use this to cover my mini greenhouse but I also cover my plants when a frost cloth is not sufficient protection from the cold. 

                                                 

Years ago many gardeners used burlap, well it's making a comeback. I use this material to line my milk crates and to cover my seedlings but during the fall it creates a warm blanket for my plants and its' reusable. 

If you are in a pinch there are DIY  solutions. Almost any clear plastic will do. I have even cut leaf bags and dropped them over my plants. 

Above is a tomato cage I used as a support to keep the plastic from touching the plant. 

It is important to remember that once the sun comes out the temperatures under your covering will increase significantly. 

Do not forget to remove your covering once the weather warms up. 

Later this week I will talk about DIY structures you can put together for winter gardening. 

                           Check out our videos on Youtube