Frost can easily come at 36°F, sometimes 37°F. Yep, above freezing temps. Knowing this is very important. I've lost a few summer crops due to an unexpected frost where I thought I was safe. I've found that if the weather channel predicts 40°F or lower, you have to consider they may be off by a few degrees in many micro-climates. You can't assume or you'll lose. I like the trial you did, but could you try one taking temperature readings before the morning sun starts warming everything. Most damage will occur just before the sun rises when it's coldest. I've gone out at 3am and turned on sprinklers for a few minutes, then again at 4am, then at 5am, etc until the sun rises. Watering helps against freezing. Best.
Hello C3Voyage! You have shared such valuable information. While I can not edit this video at this point, I will pin this comment so that other viewers can benefit from it. I will also try my best to include your suggestions for the frost experiments when I make a future video on this topic. Thank you, kind sir!
Thank you! I’ve been trying to keep my plants alive with the reemay cloth and then topped with some newspaper that’s covered with a cotton sheet. The cotton sheet is not ideal but it’s working for now since I don’t have $$ to buy more reemay fabric. I need to elevate the fabric so it’s not touching my veggies. Thank you for this reminder!
Thank you for sharing your experience here FM-ij7iu. I am all up for DIY solutions because we find such innovative ways to solve a problem while doing so. Newspapers, brown papers etc provides good insulation as well.
Very good video. I do wonder though how this would work in my colder zone. For example if I have morning temps of 32 with row cover or plastic cover....would I still want to water it the evening before?
Hi Dolly Perry! I am glad you found this video useful. In my experience, row covers and greenhouse plastic covers handle frost well, irrespective of watering. I personally do not water when I am using either of these two for frost, which is at 32 degree F. But if the temperatures fall beyond 30s and you still want to protect your plants, go with greenhouse plastic because row cover won't protect beyond that. And if you have the plastic on for long, no snow will get in, so plants will need some water from time to time to survive. I usually pick handful of snow and put it around my plants (making sure it doesn't touch the plants) and the heat in greenhouse melts it. Clearly it is not a fun activity to do in winter though. If I can get my cold hardy plants to survive till December, it is good enough for me. I leave them alone in deep winter.
Frost can easily come at 36°F, sometimes 37°F. Yep, above freezing temps. Knowing this is very important. I've lost a few summer crops due to an unexpected frost where I thought I was safe. I've found that if the weather channel predicts 40°F or lower, you have to consider they may be off by a few degrees in many micro-climates. You can't assume or you'll lose. I like the trial you did, but could you try one taking temperature readings before the morning sun starts warming everything. Most damage will occur just before the sun rises when it's coldest. I've gone out at 3am and turned on sprinklers for a few minutes, then again at 4am, then at 5am, etc until the sun rises. Watering helps against freezing. Best.
Hello C3Voyage! You have shared such valuable information. While I can not edit this video at this point, I will pin this comment so that other viewers can benefit from it. I will also try my best to include your suggestions for the frost experiments when I make a future video on this topic. Thank you, kind sir!
Thank you! I’ve been trying to keep my plants alive with the reemay cloth and then topped with some newspaper that’s covered with a cotton sheet. The cotton sheet is not ideal but it’s working for now since I don’t have $$ to buy more reemay fabric. I need to elevate the fabric so it’s not touching my veggies. Thank you for this reminder!
Thank you for sharing your experience here FM-ij7iu. I am all up for DIY solutions because we find such innovative ways to solve a problem while doing so. Newspapers, brown papers etc provides good insulation as well.
Very good video. I do wonder though how this would work in my colder zone. For example if I have morning temps of 32 with row cover or plastic cover....would I still want to water it the evening before?
Hi Dolly Perry! I am glad you found this video useful. In my experience, row covers and greenhouse plastic covers handle frost well, irrespective of watering. I personally do not water when I am using either of these two for frost, which is at 32 degree F. But if the temperatures fall beyond 30s and you still want to protect your plants, go with greenhouse plastic because row cover won't protect beyond that. And if you have the plastic on for long, no snow will get in, so plants will need some water from time to time to survive. I usually pick handful of snow and put it around my plants (making sure it doesn't touch the plants) and the heat in greenhouse melts it. Clearly it is not a fun activity to do in winter though. If I can get my cold hardy plants to survive till December, it is good enough for me. I leave them alone in deep winter.