Thursday, October 11, 2012

Frost Watch/Warning: tips for the garden

Frost Watch/Warning!  It strikes fear in the heart of gardeners with young plants in the Spring, or those trying to extend their growing season in the Fall.  Those are the words now popping up on our forcast for Friday night into Saturday.  My initial reaction was the usual "oh no!" until I realized that my garden is now filled with cold weather crops.  They'll enjoy this drop in temps.  However, my zucchini, which does not realize that it is October 11th, might need a little help tomorrow night.  Yes, I will not give up on it as long as it's still producing!  If you're in need of some garden protection, here's a few ideas with links.  Bundle up those plants, it's going to be cold outside!  And if you remember my Spring blog on how I tried to call Mother Nature's bluff, I won't be doing that again. 

1.  Build a frame that can be used for a tarp, plastic sheeting, or mesh.   This is useful for protection from heat, cold, or insects.
PVC pipe for frame (click for more info)

2.  Place some sticks in between the rows to hold up a tarp.

Community Garden at our local elementary school "tucked in" for a night of frost last year

 
3.  Build/Buy a larger-scale cloche.
These garden "tents" look cozy!  Click here for more info.
No matter how you cover your gardens, remember to heed the frost warnings.  Your plants will thank you in the morning!

3 comments:

  1. I think it's great that you are still getting so much from your garden at this point! Keep "tucking in" those plants :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great Article! Thanks for sharing this type of article is very helpful for us!
    Waterproof Tarpaulins

    ReplyDelete