Protecting the garden from a light freeze

A freeze! It’s too early! What do I do?

With an unusual cold front looking like it's heading our way, it’s a good time to write about strategies for protecting your gardens to get us through a cold snap. For those of you that haven’t lived on the Front Range for long, this is reallllyy weird. Our typical first light freeze isn’t for another 6 weeks, or even longer. With temperatures rebounding afterwards, there is still a significant amount of time we can get out of the growing season. So, what can we do to get through this potential freeze, or a day or two of freezes later in the season that will be followed by some fair weather?

Frost blanket I found at Gulley Greenhouse a couple years ago

Protecting your garden: small, large, and containers

Small gardens are relatively straightforward. If you happen to have frost cloth, this is great to use! It can be found at most nurseries and is nice because it comes in large sizes. Sheets will also do, but try not to use plastic. Where the plastic touches can kill areas of the plants, and since it’s not breathable, if you’re a little late on removing it the next day, the heat can build quickly underneath them, causing some plants to throw a hissy fit.

Most nurseries carry frost cloth if you feel you need it

If you have tomato cages, T-posts, trellises, or other staking, these will be great scaffolding to drape your frost cloth or sheets over. If you don’t, it’s ok since (fingers crossed) we shouldn’t be getting snow that weighs the cloth down. If a snow is forecasted, do what you can to give support under the cloth so your plants aren't crushed. Keep in mind that even if the tips of your plants get frost burned, the rest of the plant will be ok and keep producing. Often there is wind, so I recommend securing the edges of your cloth to the ground and/or your cages. I use rocks, bricks, whatever I have handy for weighing it down and making sure it has good contact with the ground. Try to avoid gaps for cold air to get in/to keep warmer air in. For securing the cloth to cages, T-posts, and the like, I get creative with chip clips, binder clips, and rubber bands. 

Tip: Pick as much produce as you are able to before the freeze. For tomatoes, if they are just beginning to blush, you are good to pick them and let them ripen on your counter. You can actually pick them before they start to blush with color if a deep freeze is coming: if they have shiny green skin, they will eventually ripen, but if they have a matte finish, they will likely never ripen. Tomato flavor and texture can suffer with temperature drops, so picking as many as you can before this happens will get you better quality fruit. 

For larger gardens, you’ll do the same as for smaller gardens, you’ll just have more work ahead of you. If you don’t have enough covering, ask your neighbors if they have something you could borrow. You may have to prioritize what you cover. Warm season crops and things that are still developing produce will be a priority. Cucurbits that still have a ways to go (perhaps winter squash, melons, etc), tomatoes and peppers, etc. Greens like Swiss chard and kale and root veggies will be fine with a light frost. 

For containers: pull them into a sheltered area if you can. If you can move them into a garage or shed, that is an option. If you want to bring them into your house, just be aware that you could accidentally introduce pests to your houseplants if they’re not completely separated. If the best you can do is move your pots against your house, do that, and put a sheet over them.

As long as the temperature is nice the next day, remove all coverings in the morning as soon as it starts to warm up. 

For a quick cold snap with a long time left in the growing season, it’s easy to make the decision to protect your garden to keep it producing for a while. Sometimes late in the season, you may decide the garden is mostly done producing, and rather than doing a lot of work to draw things out a week or two, it’s best to say that it’s ok and that whatever happens happens with a light frost. Of course, there will come a time when it’s really done for the year, as is the case with a deep freeze or a heavy snow. A few years ago I was able to keep the garden going until November 4th when we got our first deep freeze! But last year, I let the early frost take out the tired tomatoes and squash since they were looking cached anyway. 

Here’s to several more weeks in the garden! If you do have some casualties if this front does indeed dip below freezing (really, who knows in Colorado), it’s alright! Take advantage of planting some short days-to-maturity crops that are frost tolerant. Check out my post on fall planting. 

Good luck everyone!