If you’ve ever had to deal with frost damage in your garden, then you know how devastating it can be. Frost damage can kill plants and cause buds to never bloom while slowing vegetable growth, leading to a less-than-ideal harvest.
It can also become costly if you have to replant your garden every year. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent frost damage from causing damage to your garden.
Cover Plants During Extreme Temperatures
The simplest way to protect plants from frost damage is by covering your plants with a light sheet or cloth that blankets the top of the soil. You can also buy commercial covers and blankets, which are typically made of clear plastic film with holes in it for leaves and stems, as well as an elastic band that keeps them in place.
Covering your plants when a frost is expected can protect them from suffering any damage. This can help extend the life of plants through the fall season as temperatures drop. Eventually, temperatures may drop low enough for plants to die or become dormant regardless.
Refrain from Removing Snow from Plants
If it unexpectedly snows, you may be tempted to remove the snow as quickly as possible to save your plants. Unfortunately, the plants have already been exposed to ice and freezing temperatures at this point, so removing snow will likely not make a big difference as to whether or not the plants survive.
Removing snow from plants can be risky because you could unintentionally cause damage to the plants during the removal process. Plants are extremely fragile after being frozen, and branches could break easily or leaves could fall off of the plants.
It is best to wait for the snow to naturally melt, and then assess the state of your plants to see if they have survived. If there is a heavy amount of snow on the plants, you can remove the top layers of snow in order to speed up the melting process, but exercise care once there is only a light layer of snow left on the plants.
Watch for Hidden Damage
Frost damage is not always obvious. If you notice any of your plants are more than just a little brown around the edges, check to see if there’s frost damage that you can’t see. Pick up a few of the leaves in question and look underneath them. Are they wilting or drying out? If so, they’ve been damaged by frost.
While frost is common at night when the sun is down, frost can also occur when temperatures drop below freezing during daylight hours if there isn’t enough sunlight to warm the ground or plants back up again quickly enough.
It’s not always obvious when frost damage is occurring. Just because the sun is out doesn’t mean that plants aren’t being damaged by the sun. Pay close attention to your garden before sunrise and after sunset; these are prime times for temperatures to drop quickly and cause frost damage on tender plants such as strawberries and tomatoes.
If the weather is extremely windy, this could also lead to frost damage as wind creates colder temperatures. Rain and sleet can also lead to frost damage because the moisture can freeze onto the leaves of plants.
If there is any type of extreme weather expected in your area, cover your plants during these times. This may be the key to saving your plants from frost damage.
How to Make Your Garden More Resistant to Frost
Before fall approaches, you can try these tips to make your garden more frost-resistant:
Plant hardy varieties.
The type of plant you choose will have a big impact on how well it survives cold weather. Some plants naturally withstand colder temperatures than others and are better able to handle a frost or two. Look for hardy varieties when choosing what to grow in your garden so they’ll survive the heaviest frosts.
Plant in the correct season.
If you live in an area with particularly unpredictable weather patterns, planting too early or late could leave your garden vulnerable to winter frosts—so plan ahead! If you’re not sure what time of year is best for planting in your location, consult a local nursery or ask at farmers’ markets for advice from those who have experience growing their own food outside.
The best time of year to plant a fall garden will vary based on your local climate. Some areas can grow an abundance of plants all year, while others will have limited growing seasons.
Remove Dead or Damaged Plants from Your Garden
If plants or leaves have died from frost, remove these from your garden. Dead plant materials are more prone to rotting or harvesting disease that could spread to surviving plants. In order to save the remainder of your crops, remove any plants that seem to have suffered detrimental damage from the frost.
Steps to Take to Prevent Frost Damage
Cover plants with blankets, sheets or plastic if temperatures are predicted to drop below freezing.
Keep an eye on the weather forecast for inclement weather and remove plants that are most susceptible to frost damage, such as tomatoes and peppers. If possible, grow plants in pots so that they can be moved indoors when necessary.
Remove any dead plant material so that the rest of your garden can survive.
How to Prevent Frost Damage in Your Garden: Final Thoughts
It can be devastating when your garden is damaged by frost, but with careful planning, you can protect your garden from moderate frosts.
Otherwise, planting a successful garden is a learning experience, and if your garden has suffered from frost damage, you can adjust your approach to gardening next season by starting your garden sooner or earlier.
As you harvest fresh produce from your garden this season, download the Lil’ Broc app to track and monitor the freshness of your produce.