It’s almost Halloween which means temperatures everywhere may start dropping before you’re even ready. The fall season is tricky for home gardeners, especially in the October months because you never know when the next frost is around the corner. But, if you haven’t prepped your garden yet for the first frost of the season, please don’t fret.
Here are 5 things to do as soon as possible to save your precious garden from some killer cold temperatures this season.
Cover Your Plants
One of the best ways to protect your garden and other outdoor plants from a cold frost this season is to cover them. Especially if some plants aren’t easy to relocate from the outdoors to the indoors, covering your garden may be your best bet to fight against the bitter cold.
Coverings that could work for your plants are items like sheets, blankets, tarps, towels, or frost fabric. These kinds of coverings will help trap heat from the ground to keep frost from forming on the leaves of your plants and help reduce the risk of plants freezing. However, please take into consideration that once temperatures reach below a deadly 28°F, the covering will not be as effective.
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Use Cold Frames
Another great way to protect your precious plants before temperatures plummet is to use cold frames. A cold frame is a simple structure that acts like a small greenhouse for your garden. The ground and frame of the cold frame are heated by sun rays during the sunniest hours of the day and then proceed to spread heat to your plants and garden during the nighttime. They are also perfect to use for extending the growing season by a couple of weeks in the fall and the spring, allowing you to continue to grow plants later in the season.
Put Plants in an Indoor Shelter
Bringing your plants indoors is for sure the easiest way to ensure your plants are protected from outdoor temperature changes. As a general rule, it’s actually best to bring in your plants when the temperatures start hitting around 50 degrees. Remember, the weather can be unpredictable, so make sure you’re keeping an eye on the weather channel.
Apply Mulch
You can apply a layer of mulch around certain plants like trees and shrubs, before the weather gets too harsh. Even just a thin layer of mulch will help protect the roots from further damage from frost.
Water Your Plants
While this may seem counterintuitive, watering your plants before a frost hits your yard will actually benefit your plants and outdoor garden. Watering your plants before a big temperature change can help protect them from cold injuries. Why? Well, soil that is well-watered and hydrated absorbs more heat from the sun and then reradiates heat. This helps to increase the elevated temperature around your plants, therefore, protecting them further from any cold temperatures and hardcore frost.