Frost and the Fall Garden

Don’t let an early frost wipe out your veggies prematurely

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It ’s September . Kids return to school , the sun is broken in the sky , the nights arise nippy . There ’s a crispness to the melodic phrase , and if you look cautiously , you ’ll get the soupcon of semblance in the New England swamplands . Ordinary folk take in football game . Gardeners go on frost watch .

If you ’re new to horticulture , you may not be aware that rime can pass over out most of your veggie . So here are some things you should know about hoarfrost and how to protect your garden against it , or at least forestall its effects .

TheFarmer ’s Almanaccan enjoin you the average killing frost date for your orbit ( here in Connecticut , it ’s October 10 ) , and that will give you a general ideal of what to expect . But it wo n’t help you much with counter light freeze . You also have to know your microclimate . A low - lying arena may be underwrite in icing , while just uphill a bit everything is all right .

As we all bang , weather can be quirky . As the days get unretentive , I check the forecasts frequently , and I get a sentiency of thing as I walk the dog-iron after study . Is the sky cloudless and the tip minimal ? Is there a chill in the air ? Does it smell like frost ? If so , there ’s work to be done .

When frost threatens

crop differ in their susceptibility to ice , and there are footfall you could take to strain the season . These manoeuvre are worthwhile , because typically a frost is follow by Indian summer and its warm , cheery weather before thing really chill down .

If a light rime is promise , I comprehend my rime - raw crops with assorted bedsheets , blankets , and tarps and Bob Hope for the proficient . The next break of the day , look to rising temperatures , I remove the screening .

If you do n’t cover your plants and frost murder them , you could sometimes save them by hosing off the frost early in the morning before the sun hits them .

What to harvest when

If you ’re like me , you ’ll want to keep your garden going as long as you’re able to . So you wo n’t want to put your garden to bottom until it becomes absolutely necessary .

The measuring rod described above body of work for a while , but at a sure full point , enough is enough . Even if the industrial plant are alive , they are no longer actively producing . When a hard icing is imminent , I defer to the inevitable . After give thanks the garden ( my placid , but essential annual rite ) , I glean all remainingtomatoes(ripe or not),cucumbers , hot peppers , mellisonant pepper , eggplant , beans , andbasil , along with any frost - sensible flowers I ’d like to love a bit longer in a vase — or in a salad .

I do n’t commonly harvest thewinter squashandpumpkinsyet , as these exist just fine in the battleground even if the vines cash in one’s chips . Allium porrum , scallions , beets , andcarrotsare in no risk from frost either , and member of thecabbage family — brussels sprouts , Brassica oleracea italica , andkale — actually improve in flavor with icing . These remain flavourous even into winter most years . Parsleyalso does well until Thanksgiving and sometimes beyond , as do sage and chive .

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