Protecting Plants From Frost

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but in my parts, it has been an Indian summer in every sense of the word. The weather has stayed unseasonably mild, which means my garden has lasted a lot longer than is typical.  Because some of the plants have kind of been tricked into a revival instead of going dormant, I am a little worried that they will be susceptible to the first frost in ways they might not have been.  So, while they are gearing down for the winter freeze, I am plan on babying them a bit.

Since I planted several new perennials this year, I probably would have babied them through the winter anyway–just to keep any losses at a minimum.  Mulching around perennials for the first planting winter gives them an extra fighting chance.  The mulch is like a little blanket on their feet {okay, roots, but I kind of like to imagine them as people}.  It can provide a little insulation from a couple of light frosts, while they transition to the ground freezing for extended periods of time.  {Here’s the difference between between a light frost and a freeze.}  I’ll be using leaves that Monkey Boy has mowed up with the lawn mower as my mulch.

Because the weather has been so mild, some of my fall planted garlic has started to poke through.  This has happened before, so I plan to lay a THICK layer of mulch over the top of the little emerging shoots, and it should be totally fine.  The first onset of consistently cold weather will send a little reminder for it to stop growing, and the mulch should protect the newly emerged shoots through the winter.

If you have edibles you would like to continue to harvest through the month {and maybe even into next month, if you play your cards right}, now is a great time for row covers.  At the last house, I used floating row covers/hoop houses.  They were awesome.  This year, I didn’t get around to making any, so I may just toss an old sheet over the top of some of my garden at night.  It will protect the leaves from the combination of overnight moisture and cold temperatures, and maybe buy me a couple more weeks.

If you have enough lead time {2-3 days} before the first frost, water your plants really well.  I watch the weather like a hawk this time of year for just this reason.  For the initial couple of frosts, the soil will actually retain more heat when wet.  If days upon days of freezing temperatures are predicted, though, skip this step.  It will do more harm than good.

If you have a potted outdoor succulent garden, it’s probably time to move that bad-boy inside.  While some succulents are cold hardy, others aren’t, so I like to just hedge my bets and move the whole dang thing to a more protected spot {in these mild parts, that can mean under the protection of a covered front porch or patio}.  Lemon will need to be moved inside now too.  If you still have warm days and want to keep your citrus trees out a little longer, you can build a little frame out of scrap wood and toss a sheet over the top.  I wouldn’t chance too many nights in a row of cold temperatures, though.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned about the first frost is how hardy plants can be.  If you plants get “bitten” by a surprise frost, don’t go nuts and start chopping off the affected parts of the plant.  Leave them be through the winter. Come spring, they may surprise you and rebound.  If you get new growth at the base of the plant, or toward the center of the plant in the spring, you can trim off any dead parts then.

Do you protect your plants from frost or let them ride?  If you do, what is your method of choice?

~Mavis