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 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.
Do you protect your plants from frost or let them ride? If you do, what is your method of choice?
~Mavis
Helen in Meridian says
Today is my only son’s birthday too. Happy Birthday to our boys.
Connie says
We usually have short winters with daytime temp above freezing and freezing nighttime. I have one bed that faces south and is protected on two sides where plants do great. I also plant lettuce in fall in a small bed and cover it with bubble wrap that I can pull back on warm days
Carol says
Great post, Mavis! I only have two tomato plants to look after. I live in Northwest Indiana and we have had one night of near freezing temps. I covered my two plants with sheets. Both the cherry tomato and the Big Boy plants took that near freeze like a challenge and have been busy producing more!
I’m watching the night temps too, hope to get as many fresh tomatoes possible!
Thanks,
Carol
Laura T. says
We had one night of frost in Illinois so I went & covered everything with sheets. I knew it was supposed to be back to 70s & 80s after that so I didn’t want to loose anything yet! It has been unseasonably warm here too!
Mel says
We’ve had a fluke warm spell. It’s been in the 80s this week, so I have the opposite problem of trying to keep cool weather plants from thinking they need to bolt. Most were planted a bit late, so my procrastination paid off in that respect since they’re maybe a bit too young to bolt. Beyond that, I’ve mulched heavily (we use dried pine needles) and watered well. I don’t know if the water makes a difference, but in my mind the plants enjoy a cold drink on an unseasonably hot day. Some of our plants are growing in smart pots, so I’ve pulled the fabric edges up as high as they’ll go to cast more shade on the plants in them.
Practical Parsimony says
If you just toss a sheet over plants, the leaves that touch the sheet will still by frostbitten.