As a gardener, the thought of losing newly planted flowers and vegetables to frost is likely in the back of your head each spring. One spring you might only see frost cover every couple of weeks. Others, however, you might see more days with frost cover than days without it.
Frost protection is a very real strategy that gardeners such as yourself employ to protect their plants from frost while also maximizing the growing season for the plants by getting them into the ground faster. That said, frost protection is more than just learning to identify when frost will accumulate — it is a well thought strategy that includes multiple steps from planning to protection.
At Frostproof Growers Supply, we have a large inventory of gardening tools and plant protection products that can be used to combat garden frost. Continue reading as we discuss our favorite plant protection tips and trips, as well as how our innovative garden products can help protect your garden.
Plant Damage Happens — Accept It
When gardeners experience frost damage for the first time, it can feel devastating. After all, once a plant has become damaged by frost, it’s over. Right?
Wrong. Frost damage is fairly common. In fact, if your garden is constantly subjected to nights below 32°F, frost damage is almost inevitable. What really matters is controlling the amount of damage rather than preventing it entirely.
If your plants do experience frost damage, it is important that you closely monitor the damaged tissues. If the damage begins to spread, prune the damaged areas. If the damages do not spread, simply leave the plant and allow it to regrow itself.
While frost damage is sometimes unavoidable, it is important to protect your plants to the best of your abilities. Continue reading as we discuss some helpful tips that can help you fortify your garden from frost.
Plant Cold-Hardy Plants
If you are planning to plant your garden during the early spring months, it is important to consider what plants that you intend on germinating. In an effort to prevent damages from frost and cool temperatures, consider planting vegetables and flowers that are cold-hardy.
A cold-hardy plant is a flower or vegetable that can tolerate the cold and short-term freeing better than other plants. Some common cold-hardy plants that you can find at your local nursery include:
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Lettuce
- Leeks
- Peas
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Calendula
- And more!
If you have questions about what plants are or are not cold-hardy, consider stopping by your local plant nursery to ask a professional. There are plenty of cold-hardy plants out there that would do well in your early-spring garden.
Choose Frost-Resistant Locations
While most people think of frost as a blanket of frozen precipitation that covers the entirety of the ground, there are areas that your plants will fare better than others.
As cold air lowers towards the ground, it will pass by plants that are planted at a slightly higher elevation than the general slope of the area. Because of this, it is important to avoid planting any flowers of vegetables in depressions in the ground that are known as frost pockets.
Additionally, it is important to utilize structures like fences, walls, shrubs, benches, and more when choosing where to plant your new flowers and vegetables. Structures and large shrubs retain heat from the sunlight during the day — in turn emitting a small amount of heat at night that will help your plants stay warm.
Last, but certainly not least, be sure to plant your early-spring plants and vegetables in locations that are south or west facing. South and west facing aspects are usually the last to receive light each day — giving your plants the warmth that they need to make it through the night.
Cover Plants at Night
As a gardener, the best thing that you can do to protect your plants during cold, frosty nights is to cover them before nightfall. Plant covers have two primary benefits when they are used to cover plants before nightfall. First, covering the plant before nightfall will help tra-p the residual heat from the soil and plant — keeping the plant warmer at night. Second, covering the plant will prevent the soft tissue of the plant from having any contact with frost that might accumulate overnight.
Covering Your Plants
When covering your plants, it is absolutely imperative that you make sure the material is hanging all the way to the ground in order to retain plant warmth. Next, use stakes to secure the material in a way that does not bring any pressure down on to the plant. Whatever you do, do not gather and tie the material at the stalk of the plant.
In the morning, once the frost has fallen, be sure to only remove the plant covers once the frost has thawed. If you remove the cover too quickly, it could cause the plant to break it’s temporary dormancy and begin growing again. Removing the covering too quickly could result in the becoming susceptible to damage.
Frost Protection Products:
- Large Frost Covers - Large frost covers are a type of frost blanket that can be used to cover multiple plants — whether they be large raised flower beds or a cluster of separately potted plants.
- Single Frost Covers - Single frost covers are plant covers specially designed to cover one plant at a time. Some plant covers are designed to cover one individual plant in the ground or one large pot.
- Row Frost Covers - For gardeners that have a large, row-based planting system, the best frost cover to use is a row frost cover. Row frost covers come in many sizes and are meant to cover a single row of vegetables.
- Frost Cover Accessories - Frost cover accessories are anything that helps secure or position cloth frost covers. Stakes are used to secure the covers to the ground and other accessories can be used to help the frost cover retain form.
If you are looking for frost protection tools for your garden, we urge you to check out the Frostproof Growers Supply store today. Is there a particular product that you are looking for that you don’t see in our online store? If so, feel free to contact us today.
Check Out Our Online Gardening Supply Store Today!
If you are looking for gardening tools, frost protection tools like frost blankets, or any other gardening-related products, we urge you to check out our online store today. All of our products are specially designed to make gardening easier and more efficient. So what are you waiting for? Shop now!