Plan Ahead to Protect Your Garden from Cold Weather

 

We know the routine. Working through the seasons addressing immediate needs, we are often caught by surprising weather forecasts.

OMG! It’s gonna drop tonight into the teens or below! Better cover those tender plants, but with what?

Winter is coming. It always does. Don’t let frigid weather catch your garden unprepared. Get ready now.

There are lots of methods for protecting your garden from deep freezes. Here are a few:

Cloches. Garden cloches are bell- or cone-shaped covers that are placed over individual plants for frost protection. Cloches of yesteryear were made of clear glass. Most are now made of materials such as plastic, or frames covered with light-weight plastic sheeting, polypropylene or polyester fabric. The fabrics trap heat while still allowing light and moisture to pass through. Unless they have devices for allowing heat to escape, those of solid materials must be removed before too much heat builds up.

Frost fabrics. Frost fabrics are those light-weight materials as mentioned above for cloches, but purchased in much larger sheets. They work the same way and should be suspended over your plants, avoiding contact with foliage. This is often accomplished by draping the material over hoops or rods and anchoring the sides and ends to the garden soil or sides of raised beds to prevent the fabric from blowing off. These work fine unless a load of snow is forecast. In that case, the structures should have sloping sides to allow snow to slide off.

Greenhouses. These are commercially available in a wide range of sizes, materials and costs, or they can be homemade. You’ll find a host of videos on YouTube and other media sites to assist you with planning and completion.

Straw mulch. Mother Nature is hard to beat. Straw mulch can be laid around your plants – even over some of them – for protection. Mulch traps heat from the soil just as synthetic materials do. When winter is over and spring has sprung, the mulch can be raked aside and allowed to decompose in the garden, helping to retain moisture and enhancing soil fertility.

So, plan now to protect your garden from frigid weather. Gather your materials now and have them ready for use before that fateful weather forecast is announced.

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The Gardener's To-Do List for September

 

Virgo

Helen Hunt Jackson's poem, "September", evokes the images and atmosphere of the month that we welcome so heartily.

        THE golden-rod is yellow;
        The corn is turning brown;
        The trees in apple orchards
        With fruit are bending down.
         
        The gentian's bluest fringes
        Are curling in the sun;
        In dusty pods the milkweed
        Its hidden silk has spun.
         
        The sedges flaunt their harvest,
        In every meadow nook;
        And asters by the brook-side
        Make asters in the brook.
         
        From dewy lanes at morning
        The grapes' sweet odors rise;
        At noon the roads all flutter
        With yellow butterflies.
         
        By all these lovely tokens
        September days are here,
        With summer's best of weather,
        And autumn's best of cheer.
         
        But none of all this beauty
        Which floods the earth and air
        Is unto me the secret
        Which makes September fair.
         
        'Tis a thing which I remember;
        To name it thrills me yet:
        One day of one September
        I never can forget.

This poem is in the public domain.

Now that we're feeling better after a brutal August, let's go garden now. Here are some gardening suggestions for each region.

Northeast Region

• Plant spring-flowering bulbs.
• Dig tender summer bulbs for storage over winter.
  
• Stop fertilizing. You don't want tender new growth to emerge this time of year.
  
• Divide perennials.
  
• Continue to be on the lookout for insect pests. Pick them off, if possible, and destroy them. If pesticides are necessary, consider organic alternatives. Always read label instructions. 
• Plant fall annuals.
  
• Add finished compost to your garden beds.
• Turn your compost pile, again.
• Construct hoop houses and cold-frames to protect plants over winter and keep them producing.
  

Mid-Atlantic

• Plant fall annuals. 
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs.
• Get your vegetable starter plants in the ground.
  
• Stop fertilizing and pruning to avoid encouraging tender growth that could be damaged by the cold.
  
• Remove spent plants and compost them.
• Turn the compost pile.
• Gather materials for hoop houses and cold-frames.

Southeast

• Start winter annuals for transplanting later.
  
• Cut and dry flowers and herbs for later use.
• Order your spring-blooming bulbs, if you haven't already. 
• Harvest fruits and vegetables.
• Stop fertilizing trees and shrubs. 
• Turn your compost pile, again.
  

Midwest

• Plant your spring-flowering bulbs, if you live in the northern parts of the region.
• Plant cool season annuals. 
• Turn your compost pile.
  
• Divide perennials.
• Dig and store tender bulbs, tubers and rhizomes.

Pacific Northwest

• Begin planting shrubs and trees.
• Buy your spring-flowering bulbs.
• Turn the compost pile.
• Plant cool-season annuals.
• Direct-sow root vegetables and leafy salad greens.
  

 Pacific Coast

• Continue harvesting fruits and vegetables.
• Keep the garden clean of spent plants and weeds.
• Gardeners in the southern region should buy spring-flowering bulbs.
• Gardeners in the warmer region can begin a second round of planting for warm-season vegetables and annuals.

Southwest

• Continue pest control.
• Plant cacti and succulents. 
• Refresh annuals, as needed.
• Continue regular garden maintenance.
• Turn the compost pile.
• Continue irrigation, checking the system for maximum efficiency. Don't waste water.

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