This year I built 2 'cold frames' the same size as your low tunnel, very similar, except I have chicken wire on the ends. One is just to cover plants, like echinaceas, that might stay too wet during the winter if left exposed to the rains. The other will house marginally hardy plants and will get covered with cloth on the coldest nights.
In north east Nebraska it gets a little colder here so we tilled a patch of ground and buried the pots in the ground, put a couple of inches of wood chips on them, and covered with row cover to keep the critters out and let moisture in.
I bury the pots in a bed of wood chips or bark mulch so the top of the pot is level with the surface of the bed. Then I cover the whole thing with 4-6 inched of leaves. If the taller plants stick up through the leaves it's ok. The object is to keep the roots from freezing. I start the process in early October when plant sales are over in this part of the country. When the snow melts next April I'll use a blower to remove the leaves and leave the chips alone until I use them for mulch.
I sunk the hostas in pots into a garden raised bed and covered with straw pretty thick. The smaller hydrangeas are in the garage. So hopefully they will all be okay!
I do not have a backyard nursery but have learned so much from you, thanks. I did do a couple cuttings from my hosta and they are in little pots sitting right next to the house with leaves covering them.
We made a small hoop house for our oak leaf hydrangeas and hostas and spirea and Abelias. I added some dappled willow cuttings in there too which had taken root really well. We would love some of your dappled willow cuttings! We’ll be watching for when they’re available.
When we go through warm periods, and we do here in our mid-south climate, I uncover them as needed. But using the UV resistant plastic, as any plastic covering plants should be, it doesn't get overly hot inside. Warm, but not hot. Clear plastic? They'll cook in a few hours.
I have a dozen 12-18” Rose Rugosa plants I was going to put into the ground, pot & all. Also have a dozen 18” fir trees in pots. How do you decide which plants to put under a tunnel and which to leave out in the weather? Zone 5 NH. I am going to try to rent out or sell the firs for Christmas. Year 1 with a nursery.
If I had room for it, I'd put everything under tunnels except evergreen stuff... I just never lose any of them. But if plants are hardy in your zone, they should do fine through the winter in pots out on the open. And, if they can get buried in snow, all the better... it offers great insulation and wind protection.
Thank you exactly what I was trying to do my plastic isn’t that heavy and I have to see what I can gather to hold it up but thank goodness I won’t be building mine 10’tall maybe some pieces of pvc,bamboo stakes or I was going to see if I could put plastic over our arbor for what I found apiece of plastic that’s you would store a king size/queen size mattress inside of from home depo and public storage on package any ideas or a couple of shorter trellis asap gonna freeze tonight and looks like a week or so and thanks again for everything you do
Whatever you can get to work will work. You can make it fancy and put some money into it, or you can go as crude as draping some plastic over limbs and lawn chairs.
I wonder about watering plants from now through the winter. I have several plants in 4” pots and gallon pots that keep drying out now because we have had several weeks with no rain. Zone 7a.
Yeah, I think most of us have have very little, if any, rain in recent weeks (months!). Still gotta do occasional watering, even in winter. When it rains every couple of weeks, no need for water in winter. The weather pattern will change and it will get wet soon, I think,
We are reworking the memory garden at my church and a lot of plants are being removed. I have permission t take all the hosta before demolition work begins. Should I pot them up before spring or just bury the clumps as I dig them out, and separate and pot them up in the spring?
I put my Green giants in my greenhouse for the winter. They are in 3-5 gallon planter boxes. Should i just leave them outside? I'm concerned that the roots my freeze. I live in the south end of the Texas panhandle, zone 8B believe.
Green Giants are fine outside all winter. I'm in zone 7 and I never lose any through winter. They can and will freeze solid... doesn't matter. If you go long stretches without rain, just water them once in a while.
The humidity in there is very high... in fact it's usually dripping. I will check on them every few weeks though. If it's getting dry, I just water them.
It's beneficial anywhere that gets cold... helps moderate weather some. Everything inside still freezes, but no drying winds or rain water sitting in tops of frozen pots.
I have a hydrangeas that I wish I knew the name of it’s beautiful blooming and still making new buds and opening every day it turns green and red stems but it’s leaf’s turn green to red flowers green to red I started taking cuttings this year to propagate last time I was trying to figure it out don’t know what I was looking for but 2 times it/google telling me I never have had happen and??their talking all this against the law stuff and scare me to death but I had to spilt it up or parts were going to die still worry about that too but not too much cause it’s hard to get cuttings to take
It can be confusing. It's best to take cuttings from plants that you bought yourself from reputable nurseries who know what they are selling. Knowing exactly what you are propagating is critical in the nursery world. "White hydrangea" on't cut it. Good luck! You'll get it figured out.
How do you overwinter your nursery plants?
Mine i keep in the house in small pots so i can monitor them, i only have 150 pots so no problem.
This year I built 2 'cold frames' the same size as your low tunnel, very similar, except I have chicken wire on the ends. One is just to cover plants, like echinaceas, that might stay too wet during the winter if left exposed to the rains. The other will house marginally hardy plants and will get covered with cloth on the coldest nights.
In north east Nebraska it gets a little colder here so we tilled a patch of ground and buried the pots in the ground, put a couple of inches of wood chips on them, and covered with row cover to keep the critters out and let moisture in.
I bury the pots in a bed of wood chips or bark mulch so the top of the pot is level with the surface of the bed. Then I cover the whole thing with 4-6 inched of leaves. If the taller plants stick up through the leaves it's ok. The object is to keep the roots from freezing. I start the process in early October when plant sales are over in this part of the country. When the snow melts next April I'll use a blower to remove the leaves and leave the chips alone until I use them for mulch.
I cover my house plants outside with either frost cloth or an old sheet at night and remove usually during the day time.
I sunk the hostas in pots into a garden raised bed and covered with straw pretty thick. The smaller hydrangeas are in the garage. So hopefully they will all be okay!
Should work fine!
I do not have a backyard nursery but have learned so much from you, thanks. I did do a couple cuttings from my hosta and they are in little pots sitting right next to the house with leaves covering them.
Wonderful!
Loved the green hat with the green plaid shirt . I'm sprouting wheat and milo for chickens under a pvc pipe rectangle covered in plastic .
Sounds great! My attire? I never pay any attention. I just get dressed. 😀
Heavy frost this morning! I have a tempory cover on some plants but need to get into the winterize mode for others! thanks for your information!
You bet!! See yall in a few days!!
We made a small hoop house for our oak leaf hydrangeas and hostas and spirea and Abelias. I added some dappled willow cuttings in there too which had taken root really well. We would love some of your dappled willow cuttings! We’ll be watching for when they’re available.
I did something very similar but added frost cloth inside. Also be careful of sunny winter days as the plastic can cook some plants.
When we go through warm periods, and we do here in our mid-south climate, I uncover them as needed. But using the UV resistant plastic, as any plastic covering plants should be, it doesn't get overly hot inside. Warm, but not hot. Clear plastic? They'll cook in a few hours.
I have a dozen 12-18” Rose Rugosa plants I was going to put into the ground, pot & all. Also have a dozen 18” fir trees in pots. How do you decide which plants to put under a tunnel and which to leave out in the weather? Zone 5 NH. I am going to try to rent out or sell the firs for Christmas. Year 1 with a nursery.
If I had room for it, I'd put everything under tunnels except evergreen stuff... I just never lose any of them. But if plants are hardy in your zone, they should do fine through the winter in pots out on the open. And, if they can get buried in snow, all the better... it offers great insulation and wind protection.
Great information thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Our first cold is frost on the ground today. Spent yesterday doing all this. Good Luck with Jack Frost,
thanks... winter is here for sure!
Thank you exactly what I was trying to do my plastic isn’t that heavy and I have to see what I can gather to hold it up but thank goodness I won’t be building mine 10’tall maybe some pieces of pvc,bamboo stakes or I was going to see if I could put plastic over our arbor for what I found apiece of plastic that’s you would store a king size/queen size mattress inside of from home depo and public storage on package any ideas or a couple of shorter trellis asap gonna freeze tonight and looks like a week or so and thanks again for everything you do
Whatever you can get to work will work. You can make it fancy and put some money into it, or you can go as crude as draping some plastic over limbs and lawn chairs.
I wonder about watering plants from now through the winter. I have several plants in 4” pots and gallon pots that keep drying out now because we have had several weeks with no rain. Zone 7a.
Yeah, I think most of us have have very little, if any, rain in recent weeks (months!). Still gotta do occasional watering, even in winter. When it rains every couple of weeks, no need for water in winter. The weather pattern will change and it will get wet soon, I think,
Do you ever have pest issues in the low tunnel? Probably not insects (?) but say mice or something eating the foliage?
We are reworking the memory garden at my church and a lot of plants are being removed. I have permission t take all the hosta before demolition work begins. Should I pot them up before spring or just bury the clumps as I dig them out, and separate and pot them up in the spring?
You can do it either way. The plants aren't going to do anything til next Spring either way.
What is Penny eating in the yard back there?!
Who knows?? She eats everything
Will this work with perennials I am taking up because I am moving and will not have enough time for them to establish in the ground?
Most perennials will benefit from a setup like this.
What zone are you guys in?
7B now. Pre 2023, 7A.
@@savvydirtfarmer think this should work in 5b winters?
@@austintrees Will definitely help. Always make sure your plants are hardy to your zone or to one zone below (4 for you).
💚💚
I put my Green giants in my greenhouse for the winter. They are in 3-5 gallon planter boxes. Should i just leave them outside? I'm concerned that the roots my freeze. I live in the south end of the Texas panhandle, zone 8B believe.
Green Giants are fine outside all winter. I'm in zone 7 and I never lose any through winter. They can and will freeze solid... doesn't matter. If you go long stretches without rain, just water them once in a while.
No worries about them drying out while they're in the tunnel?
The humidity in there is very high... in fact it's usually dripping. I will check on them every few weeks though. If it's getting dry, I just water them.
@@savvydirtfarmer Thank you.
Do you know what made the difference in your success rate with the hydrangeas this year?
I think the deal with these oakleafs was giving them less moisture. 90% - 95% shade and less mist than I give most things
What zone or will this work for all zones that get frost?
It's beneficial anywhere that gets cold... helps moderate weather some. Everything inside still freezes, but no drying winds or rain water sitting in tops of frozen pots.
I have a hydrangeas that I wish I knew the name of it’s beautiful blooming and still making new buds and opening every day it turns green and red stems but it’s leaf’s turn green to red flowers green to red I started taking cuttings this year to propagate last time I was trying to figure it out don’t know what I was looking for but 2 times it/google telling me I never have had happen and??their talking all this against the law stuff and scare me to death but I had to spilt it up or parts were going to die still worry about that too but not too much cause it’s hard to get cuttings to take
It can be confusing. It's best to take cuttings from plants that you bought yourself from reputable nurseries who know what they are selling. Knowing exactly what you are propagating is critical in the nursery world. "White hydrangea" on't cut it. Good luck! You'll get it figured out.
Hello, amazing info and i love it and im happy because i got seeds and cuttings of Thuja Plicata aka Green Giant which is amazing!! Lets go!
Sounds great!