Part of the winter preparation is frost-proofing the garden. And you may not have noticed, but some parts of the country have had light touches of frost already.
In the past, you could expect a few frosty mornings by the end of October. Even though we are constantly reminded of the effects of global warming, there is still a chance of early frosts in dry weather when high pressure leads to clear night skies.
Frost causes the water in your plants to freeze, which damages their cells. Damaged plants can become limp, blackened and distorted. Where plants face the morning sun, problems can be made worse because rapid defrosting will cause the cell walls to rupture.
As with most problems, prevention is better than cure. So here is a handy list of things you can do to protect your valuable plants from the effects of early frost.
- Cover trained plants or tender plants growing in the ground with a fleece covered frame.
- Cover bulbs, corms and herbaceous plants that have been cut back with a layer of manure, leaf mulch or straw.
- Grow tender plants in pots so that they can be moved indoors or into a greenhouse when the weather gets worse.
- Cover low growing plants from wet weather with plastic or glass cloches.
- Choose frost-proof outdoor containers so that they don’t crack. Move them into a green house or shed if the weather is likely to be particularly bad.
- Dig up annual plants that are unlikely to survive the winter and throw them on the compost. This will give you more time to deal with other jobs that need doing.
- Watering plants before a frost will insulate the roots.
- Cover plants that are in the early-morning sun with sheeting to shade them from the sun’s rays so they don’t defrost too quickly.
The winter will soon be over and spring preparation will be in full swing. But, by preparing for the winter and protecting your plants from the elements, the quality of next season's offerings will be that much better.
