How to protect your gardens from overnight freeze, by WWLP-22News on YouTube. 1 min 9 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 9 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Check the overnight forecast in the afternoon. Frost can form when the low is around 2 to 4 C (36 to 39 F) with clear, calm skies, so cover anything tender before then.
Water the soil deeply the morning before the cold night. Damp soil holds far more heat than dry soil and releases it slowly after sunset.
Push stakes or hoops into the ground around each plant so the cover will sit above the leaves. Fabric should never rest on the foliage.
Drape a sheet, blanket or frost cloth over the stakes before sunset. Let the fabric fall all the way to the soil on every side to trap the warmth.
Clip the cover to the stakes and weigh the bottom edges down with bricks or stones. Wind lifting a corner defeats the whole job.
Wrap pots and containers in bubble wrap, burlap or an old blanket, and move small pots into a shed or garage for the night. Roots in pots freeze faster than roots in the ground.
Set jugs filled with hot water under the cover on the coldest nights. Keep them on the soil, not touching the stems or leaves.
Add a 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inch) layer of straw or dry leaves around perennials, carrots and other root crops to insulate the soil.
Uncover the plants in the morning once the temperature is back above freezing. Lift the fabric gradually so the leaves do not shock.
Tips and common mistakes
Never lay plastic sheeting straight onto leaves, because it traps moisture and cold and can burn the foliage.
Cover up before sunset and uncover mid-morning, since a plant left sealed all day gets no light and can overheat.
Cold air sinks, so plants at the bottom of a slope or against a fence get hit first and need the thickest cover.
Bring tender herbs and houseplants indoors for the night rather than trying to cover them.
Questions
At what temperature should I cover my plants?
Start covering when the overnight low is forecast at 2 to 4 C (36 to 39 F) under clear skies. Frost can form on leaves even when the official air temperature stays just above freezing.
Can I leave the covers on during the day?
No. Take them off in the morning once it is above freezing, or the plant gets no light and the air under the cover overheats.
Will a bed sheet really protect my plants?
Yes. Even one layer keeps the air around the leaves a few degrees warmer. Two layers or a proper frost blanket hold more heat on very cold nights.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
