Frost help, ASAP!!!

[secuono]

There's a frost warning for Monday night and Tuesday morning! What can I use to protect the few remaining sprouts I have????


I have landscaping fabric, if I put that over them, will it help? Should I fluff out a bale of hay??

Everything is going to H*ll here, I can't loose the last sprouts as well!!

 

[897tgigvib]

First, take a deep relaxing breath. Anyway.

Next, gather your hay, sheets, and some scrap wood like 2x4's or 1x2's. Have your wheelbarrow handy. Duct tape if needed, hammer, nails, your man to help you...staple gun...Maybe a camp light or something if it starts to getting dark on ya.

Make some frames around your tender plants. Pound in stakes at the corners and where needed. You can add some top member pieces. Idea is to keep the sheets off the plants. Set the sheet over so it drapes to the ground on all sides. Tack it on to the wood if you think it needs to be with small nails or staples. You can stuff some hay in around the plants. Nice and covered? good. Set some stones on the areas around where it is draped onto the ground.

Hopefully if won't be much of a frost!

Come up with various ways for each patch that needs protecting.


Taking a deep breath, relaxing, and perhaps some late day coffee will help. Make it the project to get done.

Don't forget any of your other chores that need doing, feed and water for the animals, extra protection for the chickens if needed.

Some of the northerners may have better plans! Gentle, wise action. Keep moving. No mistakes.

Then you've done what you can.

When you have a chance later, make your protection plan easily remakeable. Hinges or some thing like that.

 

[majorcatfish]

plastic drop cloths works great. use some wood and make a tent over your sprouts quick and simple
our fingers are crossed

 

[secuono]

Well, they changed it for tonight....I thought it was spring!

 

[lesa]

Just covered a few things in the garden with drop cloths- and carried everything in from the greenhouse! What happened to spring? If your plants are small-you can turn a pot upside down over them for frost protection. Good luck! Spring will be back soon...

 

[Ridgerunner]

A few years ago, I went to the thrift shop and got some flat sheets for not much money, maybe $1.25 per sheet, queen size. When frost is forecast, say 36 degrees or thereabouts, I cover the tender plants with those sheets and put rocks on the corners to hold them in place.

If you use plastic I think it is a good idea to have some type of frame to hold it up off the plants, maybe just drive some short stakes in the ground. Since I use cloth, I really dont worry about that unless it is a pretty hard freeze, say mid 20s.

 

[lesa]

Should have mentioned, my drop cloths are fabric- not plastic. Also employed sheets and a blanket!

 

[secuono]

Ok, spread out fluffed hay and then topped with the landscaping fabric.
Can I just leave them on until Tuesday?

 

[canesisters]

Secuono, this doesn't help much with the current situation, but maybe will in the future.
I've got all my facebook friends on the lookout for old umbrellas - thrift shops, etc. I think that if I cut off the handles, I can just drop them over my plants in this type of situation.

 

[fair weather chicken]

we have a hard freeze warning for tonight. covered our fruit trees, apple and a pear loaded with blossoms. i work at a hotel and got retired sheets for free. hope it doesn't get as cold as they are saying. 81 for Wednesday. can't wait. hope all plants make it.
umbrellas are a cool idea.