10 Ways to Protect Your Garden From Spring Frost
Frost generally occurs on clear and calm nights, where there are few to no clouds to
reflect warmth back to the ground and little to no wind to disperse warmer patches of
air. The cold air then settles down to the lowest point, while the hot air rises up and
away from the ground.
On these nights, frost can happen even if the temperature on your thermometer
does not read below freezing. As long as the air temperatures at ground level dip
below 32°F, ice crystals can still form on plants. This in turn disrupts the movement
of fluids within the plant, depriving its tissues of water and drying it out. This is why
leaves damaged by frost shrivel up and turn dark brown or black. If left in freezing
temperatures for long durations of time without much protection, plants can easily
die from desiccation.
Some vegetables and flowers are hardy souls that thrive in spite of (or sometimes because of) the
cold. These kinds of plants are known as "hardy," because they can tolerate some amount of
short-term freezing. By contrast, plants that are killed or severely injured by freezing temperatures
are known as "tender."
Crocuses often push their way through snow to bloom, and a spring storm rarely gives narcissus,
tulips, grape hyacinths, or pansies pause. There are also a wide range of tasty edibles that are
resistant to frost, including
| ★ broccoli |
★ cabbage |
★ carrots |
★ chives |
| ★ lettuce |
★ leeks |
★ peas |
★ radish |
| ★ spinach |
★ Swiss chard |
|
|
Experts at your local nursery are great sources of information about hardy plants
appropriate to your zone. Native plants, particularly native perennials, will most likely
be the best choices.
Don't strand plants. Smart placement near other plants, benches, or walls—especially
if these structures are south- or west-facing—will go a long way toward protecting
plants from being damaged by frost.
It's as true for plants as it is for real estate: location, location, location. Set out seedlings
and store-bought spring plants in areas that are less likely to experience damaging cold.
As cold air moves to lower ground, it will pass by plants located on high ground or slopes.
That's why it's best to place seedlings and other plants that are susceptible to frost in
these elevated locations.
Placing plants by benches, fences, and walls—particularly if they are south- or
west-facing—can provide additional protection, especially if the structures are dark in
color. During the day, the structures absorb heat. Throughout the night, they radiate
that heat, keeping plants warmer than they'd otherwise be. Nearby shrubbery also
provides protection from light frosts.
Before setting out seedlings, acclimate them to the outdoors by gradually exposing them
to conditions outside. This process, called hardening off, will help you grow stronger
plants that are more likely to withstand the vicissitudes of early spring.
Check the ground temperature. Temperatures higher up may vary from those lower to
the ground. In other words, just because an elevated thermometer reads above 32°F
doesn't necessarily mean it isn't below that at ground level.
Before setting out seedlings, acclimate them to the outdoors by gradually exposing
them to conditions outside. This process, called hardening off, will help you grow stronger
plants that are more likely to withstand the vicissitudes of early spring.
Begin the hardening off process about 14 days before transplanting. When the weather's
mild and above 45°F, place the seedlings outside during the day in a warm, shady spot
that's protected from the wind. At night, bring them indoors.
After two weeks, the seedlings will be stronger, sturdier plants, ready for transplanting.
If you’re going to cover up your plants before a hard frost, do so before dusk. If you
wait until darkness falls, most of the stored heat in your garden will have dissipated.
No matter what type of cover you use, make sure that it extends down to the soil on
each side. Do not leave any openings for warmth to escape. If you can, it's also
advisable to use stakes to keep material, especially plastic, from touching the foliage.
Do not affix or gather your cover to the trunk, however, as this will prevent the heat
radiating up out of the soil from reaching the plant.
It's also important to remember that covers don’t have to be elaborate or expensive in
order to work. A row of sticks with newspaper, cardboard, or sheets and towels tented
over them will do just fine. If you don’t have sticks, lay the covers directly over your
plants. This too will prevent heat loss. Make sure to place your covers completely over
your plants and let them drape all the way to the ground—don't tie the cover to the trunk,
otherwise the heat radiating up out of the soil won't be able to warm up your plant.
Cloches are removable glass or plastic covers that protect plants from cold. Sometimes
alled bells or bell jars, most fit over individual plants, but some are large enough to
cover a row. Like other covers, cloches should be placed over plants before the sun goes
down and removed in the morning after the frost has thawed.
Glass cloches are highly ornamental. When you're not using them outside for frost
protection, you can use them indoors over humidity-loving houseplants like violets.
You can also use plastic cloches, which are generally less expensive than glass ones.
But because they are lightweight, they must be staked into the ground to prevent them
from blowing away in high winds.
Note: Since cloches used for cold protection are temporary measures, you may
opt to create your own makeshift versions. Flower pots, Mason jars, baskets, and milk
jugs with the bottoms removed can all be placed over plants to shield them from freeze
and frost.
Fill plastic milk jugs with water and place them in the sun, allowing them to soak up heat
during the day. Before dusk, set the jugs around your plants and throw a cover over them.
The water in the jugs will lose heat more slowly than the soil and the air, and the warmth it
emits will help protect your plants from the cold.
It may sound crazy, but watering around plants the night before a spring frost can actually
protect them from freezing. During the night, the wet soil will release moisture into the air,
which will raise the temperature and keep plants warmer.
If you grow fruit trees, be sure to wrap the trunks in the fall with burlap strips or tree wrap.
Most fruit trees have thin barks that are susceptible to splitting when temperatures fluctuate
dramatically. Tree wrap will prevent this splitting, which is known as frost crack.
It's often a good idea to use multiple layers of cloth or weatherproof paper, while still keeping
the wrapping a bit loose. This provides more effective insulation. You should also extend
the wrapping all the way to the ground and at least as high up as the lower limbs or branches.
If necessary, this wrapping can be left on for the majority of the winter season.
When frost is predicted, bring planters and hanging baskets inside. The roots of potted
plants experience more severe temperature fluctuations than those planted in the ground.
They'll reach lower temperatures, too. That's why potted plants are especially susceptible
to root damage due to cold. It can cause their roots—particularly those near the edge of the
pot—to turn spongy and black. Although root damage may not kill the plant, it will stunt its
growth.
Just make sure when you bring potted plants inside that they don't have any insects or
pests on them and aren't currently suffering from any diseases. This will not only potentially
exacerbate the problem, but it could also infect your other plants.