Last week I wrote about protective coverings for early plantings. Last night I found out how well (or not) they work.
Several times since I planted my vegetable patch and container flowers, overnight temps have dipped below freezing. All my plants are under cover, or are easily coverable, with a combination of commercial fabrics, milk-jug cloches, plastic-covered frames, and old bed sheets. These have proven effective for a light tickle of predawn frosting — but long hours below freezing are another story.
Last night’s hard frost took out all the tomatoes and peppers except for the experimental 3 under Kozy Koats* in the lasagna garden, 3 under milk-jug cloches in an EarthBox, and 1 under a milk jug in a pot on the deck. Everything else under jugs, fabric, or plastic got zapped, save for the lightly covered, cold-tolerant broccoli and peas in scattered gardens. Lettuce in containers shoved against the house under a rooflet, not covered with anything, seem just fine.
One-third of the flowers survived; one-third didn’t; one-third took a hit but seem to be alive. Yet-to-be-planted annuals inside a cold frame had similarly mixed results.
I could kick myself for losing the carefully selected varieties I planned all winter and my neighbor started from seed; that’s what I get for jumping the gun in a region where common wisdom says to plant no earlier than Memorial Day. Conversely, I planted with this risk in mind, and created a perfect test lab for different season-extending techniques. Now I know from practice, instead of theory, what actually works, as well as have a better understanding of backyard microclimates. Unfortunately, the opportunity to practice what I’ve learned has to wait another year!
For now, off to the nursery to replace homegrown, custom transplants with whatever I can get. Chances are slim I’ll lose them, because we’re entering a week-long warm spell that will take us past normal last-frost date. Therefore, my mistakes can be chalked up to experience instead of causing hardship. Not so for farmers and orchardists who can’t cover everything, and so lose an entire crop when caught by surprise.
More than ever I admire people who grow food successfully, and bless them for growing extra so the rest of us can afford to make mistakes!
Carolyn Haley
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
* Kozy Koats, a.k.a. Wall-o-Waters, a.k.a. teepees of vinyl water tubes that work on the principles of solar gain.
Posted by: Opening the heart, gardens, gardening, yard, plants, cultivation, spring — Carolyn Haley
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