As much as we are excited to enjoy Christmas and New Year’s Eve, our plants might not enjoy the cold weather. We all wait anxiously to go out in the snow and have fun, but what about the plants that you have planted? If we have spent our summer evenings working on our plants and looking after their health and growth. Winter comes with loads of snow, and harsh weathers are a threat to us and our plants as well.

Many gardeners worry about protecting their plants when winters arrive or looking for solutions to prevent them from frost. Many gardeners quit working on their gardens when the winters approach. They usually wait for the springs, or they prefer bringing their plants indoors. You might prevent your plants from frost while keeping them indoors, but they might have other issues lined up.

Choosing indoor growing is one of the best preventive measures to protect your plants from frost. If you are using grow tents and grow lights, your plants are safe throughout the winters, and they will continue to grow. You might have enough space to accommodate your outdoor plants indoors, but how about those gardeners who do not have enough space? If you are one of them, do not worry, there are options available for you.

Plenty of vegetables and plants can sustain the harsh weather like winters, and they can yield good produce at the end of the year. With the cold around the corner and we're here to give you all the tips on how not to have your plants die from frost! Try these tips and find out what suits your plants the best.

Understanding Frost

When we hear the word "frost," many of us will envision temperatures of negative degrees or the surroundings covered deeply in snow. A frost does not need extremely -low temperatures or snow piles to damage your plants. Even a chilling winter breeze can damage your plants despite the sky being clear and the weather being calm.

When cold air blows, we feel it from head to toe, but the air settles, it settles on the ground, and that's where your plants are! You will notice ice crystals forming on your plants. The formation of these crystals is harmful to your plants as they hinder roots' functions and leave your plants dehydrated and dry. On the other hand, chilling winds can make things even worse by lowering the temperatures further down. In some cases, warmer winds can help your plant fight against the cold climate, but that rarely happens if the weather is in transition.

What to Grow in Cold Winters?

Some plants only grow and flourish well in hot weather, but there are plenty of options for you to plant in your garden to sustain colder temperatures. If you are on your vacation and wish to try your luck at gardening, try growing these vegetables in your garden, and they won't disappoint you. With that extra space in your garden, you can have peas, pak choi, mushrooms, garlic, peas, broad beans, spinach, asparagus, and lettuce.

These plants are the perfect fit for winter growth, but they also need protection. As much as they are known to survive harsh weather, you cannot plant them in peak December and hope for them to grow because they can stand extreme weather. Are you looking for methods to prevent these plants from bad chilling weather? Well, lucky for you that we have researched some protective techniques to help your plant survive the cold winter months.

Preventive Measures against Frost

Unlike those pesky bugs that can invade your garden anytime and munch on it, the weather is predictable, and we can know about it beforehand. When protecting your plants from harsh weather, keeping a check on the forecast is essential. Some preventive measures might not work out well, but there is always a solution that may fit your needs and requirements.

Let the Seedlings Harden Inside

Seeds and young plants are in their developmental stages, and leaving them exposed to cold can kill them instantly. Are you planning to set up a winter garden? How about you keep your plant inside until it develops enough strength before getting them outdoors? The best way to initiate any garden is to help it grow indoors first. We have a seed starting trays that can help you with everything you need for hardening the seeds indoors. Once the seedling has enough root mass and hardened off, you can shift it outdoors.

Get a Strategic Garden Design

The way you design your garden has a significant impact on the health and growth of your plants. If you have designed your plants' arrangement in a way that prevents them from getting enough sunlight, it is likely that your plants will soon die. Setting up your garden in a particular manner can minimize the risk of frost getting to your plants. Since we know that frost settles on the ground, we can use raised beds to prevent our plants from getting damaged.

Another method of preventing your plants is to make sure that you have placed your raised bed near the fence, bench, or wall. If the raised beds are darker in color, they are ideal for absorbing heat during the day and will provide that heat to your plants throughout the night, protecting them from frost. It may seem a small measure to take, but it is an effective method to keep your plants safe from frost.

Cover before Nightfall

As long as the sun stays, even if the weather is cold, it will provide some warmth and necessary heat to your plants to keep them healthy and away from frost. But when the sun goes down, that's when you need to worry about your plants the most. You can protect your plants from night frost is to covering them up. Covering your plants as the sun goes down helps trap the heat for the night to keep your plants warm.

Now, you must be wondering about the temperature range that can damage your plants. The temperature at which you should cover your plant varies on the type of plant you have in your garden. Anything below 32-degree Fahrenheit can be detrimental to your plants. Some expert gardeners recommend covering your plants at 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

How to Cover Plants Effectively?

You will find many ways to cover your plants and protect them from frost. Some will work for you, while others may not. You do not have to go the extra mile or look for a fancy covering; a simple bamboo stick or stakes around your plants will work if you cover them with whatever you have. Make sure that bamboo sticks or stakes are equal to your plant's height. You can use blankets, bedsheets, drop cloths, garden blankets, greenhouse shade cloth, or frost cloths. If your plants are not tall enough to have stakes or bamboo around, you can covet them with an inverted empty pot, or even milk jugs will serve the purpose.

Out of all the available options, we will still vouch for a garden blanket or frost cloth. They are designed to protect against frost. They are breathable, waterproof, and lightweight, so they are an ideal shelter against ice without burdening your plants further. The idea of covering your plant is not to strangle them but to lightly drape the covers on them.

If you are thinking about using tarps to cover your plants, go for plastic tarps or trash bags. If you have none of these options accessible and your last resort is your porch, don't worry; we have an opportunity for that too. Covering your porch is still far better than leaving your plants exposed to cold weather. A covered porch will offer some warmth to your plants. If you have potted plants and want them to move, try moving them to warmer places like the garage or sunrooms to give them enough protection.

Peak winter temperatures are quite harsh, and a gardener might think to leave them covered all day. Unless you reside in the North Pole, where the sun is hiding most of the time, you do not need to keep them covered all day. When the sunlight is in abundance in the morning, let your plants absorb the sun as they need it for photosynthesis. And you can cover them back around sundown when the intensity of frost is vigorous and there is no heat.

Use Water Jugs

If you are running out of choices, you can make use of the water jugs you have. Using water jugs will increase the chances of heat within the cover. Are you wondering how to use it? All you need is to fill water jugs (use as many as you want) and keep them under the sun to get heat all day. Gather them before sundown and place them near your plants. They will release the heat through radiation as the hot water or the jug's temperature will align with atmospheric pressure at night, i.e., cold.

Water Before Frost

It might sound illogical, but it works! We can keep a tab on changing weather by following the weather forecast. So, when you know that frost is about to happen, watering your plants before frost can combat it. We recommend this method because cold weather does not allow much water evaporation from the soil. Also, watering your potted plants before the frost can provide them protection, giant, first to some extent. The water trapped in the soil will release enough moisture throughout the night, increasing humidity and temperature.

Keep your Plants Indoors

If you have a spare room that can house all of your outdoor plants, then it is your best option against frost. This preventive measure is only useful if you have potted plants as they are easy to move. You can keep them in your garage, sunroom, or any place that has hardwood. If you are already growing plants indoors, you must grow lights and grow tents to boost your plants’ growth.

Accommodate your outdoor plants indoors for the rest of the winters, and you do not have to worry about your plants drying or facing harsh weather. Are you interested in indoor growing and looking for the right kind of kit? Pick up a grow tent kit and have your share with gardening.

Conclusion

When it comes to shielding your plants against frost, not every solution is for you. Some might work for you well than others. To sum it up, your best bet for fighting off the frost is to plan ahead of the weather. Grow the plants that can stand cold and freezing weather and use raised beds.

Covering them with frost blankets, watering them before frost, or bringing them indoors, all these tips can help in preventing your plants from frost. Your outdoor plants can grow well indoors, and all you need is a grow tent kit to provide the optimum growing conditions so find them at GroIndoor.com.