Helping Your Plants Survive a Late Season Frost
In our area (USDA zone 5) the frost free safe date is usually Mother’s Day, but we’ve had two frosts since then this year. We had a fairly hard frost last night!
What can you do to protect your plants from a late season frost?
- If you’ve planted any tender annuals, such as tomatoes, melons, peppers, petunias, or cucumbers cover them with a lightweight blanket or sheet.
- Any newly planted plants that have been inside or in a greenhouse, and are not hardened off to the outdoor weather yet should be covered.
- If your plants aren’t in the ground yet bring them up onto a porch, or sheltered area out of the wind and direct cold. Even an overhang at the side of the house will help protect most plants from a light frost.
- A frost won’t usually harm perennials, and fruit trees, it takes a hard freeze to do damage to plants that are hardened off and used to the Spring temperature swings.
If you cover plants to protect them from the frost, don’t forget to uncover them in the morning. When the temperature heats up the next day the plants could be cooked by the sun.