Cover or wrap vulnerable plants with burlap, old blankets or towels, straw or something else to create insulating air around the plant, such as Harvest Guard's Plant Protection Bag (top right). Remember to tie or weight down your cover material.
Bed sheets or comforters work best for covering large plants and shrubs. Newspaper can be used on low-growing foliage, but it can often be difficult to get it to stay in place. You can also use old pillowcases, sheets, towels and even cardboard boxes.
A fabric covering is best because it will allow moisture to escape while still protecting your plants from frost. Fabric coverings will prevent the freezing air from coming into direct contact with the moisture on the plant while also capturing the heat that is radiating from the ground.
Plastic can be used to protect plants from frost, but it's not the best or most effective material. In fact, the horticultural experts here at Green Impressions actually recommend against it. Plastic materials such as vinyl and traditional camping tarps aren't breathable, causing moisture to get trapped inside.
So, keep an eye out for your local weather forecast and get your plant coverings ready when temperatures are forecast to dip to 32 degrees F and below.
To know when to cover your plants, you need to know when the plants you have are susceptible to frost damage. Some frost-tender plants need to be covered as soon as the temperature hits 32°F, while others can handle lower temperatures and/or longer freezing periods.
The easiest way to protect from a freeze is simply by covering plants with a sheet or a blanket. This acts like insulation, keeping warm air from the ground around the plant. The added warmth may be enough to keep a plant from freezing during a short cold snap.
Plastic will transmit cold air to the plants, causing more harm than good. We recommend using cotton fabric or frost cloth to protect plants from frost.
If you want to insulate your plants from the cold, don't use only garbage bags to cover them if they're not made from polyethylene. Use a layer of a blanket, towels, cardboard, or any insulating cloth between the plant and the garbage bag. Don't wrap the garbage bag very tightly where it's touching the leaves.
-Don't make the mistake of thinking that a plant can remain covered for a few days when the weather calls for more than one night of frost. The protection needs to be taken off every morning when the sun comes out. Plants can't breathe under a heavy container, a layer of plastic or fabric.
From that experience, I've found the best frost protection for your outdoor plants is either free or cheap. Cardboard boxes and brown grocery sacks make perfect frost cover and at the end of the season can be recycled. I keep various boxes on the patio and when frost is forecast simply put one over the plant.
Plants and perennials that require additional protection to survive your winter will need a deep layer of mulch added by mid November or later, when the ground is beginning to freeze. Do NOT add deep mulch too early or your plants will not be slowly exposed to colder temperatures, allowing them to acclimate for winter.
Cover Plants – Protect plants from all but the hardest freeze (28°F for five hours) by covering them with sheets, towels, blankets, cardboard or a tarp. You can also invert baskets, coolers or any container with a solid bottom over plants. Cover plants before dark to trap warmer air.
Gardeners use the gauzy fabric as frost protection and freeze protection over vegetables during a cold snap in spring and autumn. It helps prevent damage to plant tissues. It's also handy for sheltering crops from inclement weather like heavy rain, hail, and strong winds.
Frost cloth, also know as reemay or row cover, is a light white fabric, usually made of polypropylene or polyester, that can be placed over cold sensitive plants to protect them from low temperatures. You can keep it over your plants day and night because light and water can both get through.
Why use bed sheets to protect plants from frost? 'Using bed sheets in the garden to prevent plants from frost is a great way to protect your plants from the cold temperatures and keep them healthy,' explains Zeeshan Haider, the CEO of Greenery Enthusiast.
Moist soil may absorb more heat and radiate it throughout the night. Cover plants before sundown to trap the stored heat from during the day. If you wait to cover it until after nightfall, the heat may have dissipated. Use frost cloth, burlap, drop cloths, sheets, blankets, or even newspapers to cover plants.
In agriculture and gardening, row cover is any transparent or semi-transparent flexible material, like fabric or plastic sheeting, used as a protective covering for plants, usually vegetables. Covers are used to extend growing seasons, and reduce undesirable effects of cold, wind and insects.
A covered porch usually provides protection from light frost, but the garage or sun room is better for freezing temperatures. A couple days in darkness won't hurt the plant. Or move them out during the day and back in at night, if cold temperatures persist.
For the best chance at success for keeping your garden alive through the winter, choose hardy native plants that are used to your area's climate. When the weather forecaster warns of an overnight freeze, cover your plants with burlap, an old sheet or blanket, or clear plastic.
Thoroughly Water plants if it's not going to rain before the freezing temperatures arrive. It may sound illogical. However, a moist ground stays warmer than dry soil. Watering the night before the freeze comes will insulate the root structure of the grass and plants and decreases the potential for cold injury.
Old blankets and sheets are a great way to protect plants from frost. The blanket will help insulate tender plants and keep them alive during a frosty night. Use stakes or hoops to hold the material up and away from the foliage and drape the blanket over the plants until it touches the ground.
A thick layer of mulch, such as shredded bark or compost, can help insulate tender plants. Cover the entire plant with mulch the night before low temperatures are forecast. Remove it when the weather warms up again.
Once temperatures drop below 40°F, you may want to start covering your plants with a frost blanket depending on what you're growing, which we'll get into in just a bit. Freeze – A freeze is when the air temperature is 32°F or below.