It’s right about this time of year that people across the country start wondering how to protect plants from frost. While it might still be hot here at the end of August, many parts of the country will soon be seeing the end of their garden harvests as the weather turns cool. Tomato plants will wilt, fruit that isn’t tolerant to cold will become mushy, and the cold rains will come and eventually turn into snow.

But the fact is, there is still fruit that isn’t ripe yet and that people want to save. What can be done? Well, the first thing to do is prepare with some frost protection. Protecting plants from frost won’t keep those plants all winter long, but it can extend your growing season.

What Do We Know About Protecting Plants From Frost?

Well, we’re Frostproof, after all! We certainly have a good supply of frost blankets and covers, but that’s not where our name came from. Our name comes from the city in which we live, Frostproof, Florida. The town name was actually an 1850s marketing ploy to get people to come and grow citrus fruits, saying that “frost had never hit the town and it never would.” That promise lasted about three years before a frost came and destroyed most of the citrus haul for that year. Whoops!

Who’s Looking For Frost Covers

There are basically three types of customers who are looking for frost protection.

Farmers - Most farmers are harvesting before the frost begins, but there’s always the chance that they have experienced a short growing season and would like to give their plants longer to grow the produce. Our row covers are a great way to protect them late in fall (and also early in spring).

Flower and Gardening Shops - The most annoying aspect of frost is that it can hit one night and then not for many weeks after that. Still, that one cold night will kill whatever’s left out, which means that gardening centers that sell potted plants have to use plant covers in order to keep the frost off of them. They go on and come off easily, so just keep an eye on the forecast.

Gardeners - For parts of the country with longer growing seasons, such as those that last from March through October, the tomato plants (and other garden plants) have enough time to deliver their entire harvest. But for someone who lives in a western state such as Colorado, the growing season is mid-May until mid-September. There are green tomatoes that get hit by the frost because there’s not enough time for them to ripen. That’s where our frost blankets come in, which are able to protect small gardens (we have 12’ x 10’ frost covers) all the way up to huge gardens (12’ x 500’). Of course, those larger sizes can be used by gardening shops and farms as well.

Are Frost Covers Just For Fall?

Actually, no. These same covers that can be used in the spring as well, allowing plants to be planted earlier than usual. The most important aspect at this stage is to make sure that the ground temperatures are warm enough to keep the plants from dying.

We stock up on our frost covers and other forms of garden protection, but within the month is about the time that everyone starts shopping for them and our supplies run low. Be sure to grab what you need to keep your plants warmer and the icy rain off of them. Check out Frostproof’s great selection right here.