Frost Protection

Cold-hardy as your iceberg lettuce or snow peas may be, a late-spring frost can still cause serious damage if the temperature dips down for a prolonged period during a clear, high-pressure night. In some instances, you can plan ahead and utilize cold frames to give a layer of frost protection and even encourage your young veggies to mature more quickly than they might otherwise. But even without cold frames, it’s relatively easy to protect plants early in the year, as they’re still small and short.

Plastic sheeting can work well for large areas (especially raised beds), but in a pinch you can always use sheets, blankets and towels. For individual small plants, cloches are an obvious choice, but you can also try drinking glasses or even paper/plastic cups. Watering the garden before the evening of a frost can also help prevent the temperature near the ground from dipping down into the danger zone.

The goal of all of these ideas is to simply add a layer of protection for a brief period. By the next day, it’ll probably be nice and warm again!