When the day on your calendar arrives, plant your seeds and cross your fingers. Every year the weather varies, so there are no guarantees on when you’ll have your first killing frost, but even if there was, where’s the fun in that? This is an opportunity for you to learn about your growing opportunities and exercise your green thumbs to anticipate nature and use it to the fullest opportunity!
Get Defensive!
If winter does decide to show up earlier and colder than you expected, you don’t have to throw in the towel! You can fight off this chilly arrival with some defensive measures to prolong the life of your garden with four of our favorite frost protection tips.
- Keep your Soil Wet
- ‘Tent’ your Garden (here’s a how to video)
- Add Extra Mulch
- ‘Light it Up’
You can learn more about these garden frost protection tips here.
Ready to grow?
Frost will damage most plant’s tender green tissues, or even kill the root system. It is important to use the right plants and vegetables in your garden that can handle the year’s lower temperatures. Frost resistance may be indicated by the plant’s hardiness rating found on the plant’s tag or package.
To get you started, try these frost tolerant plants that will add some color and beauty to your garden.
- Sweet Peas
- Forget-me-nots
- Rose Mallow
- Sweet Alyssum
With winter often making your garden a bit dreary looking, these plants will give it a nice splash of life.
What are some frost tolerant vegetables?
The Brassicaceae family is extremely frost tolerant and actually perform best in cool weather. Not familiar with the scientific name? Maybe you’ll recognize their more common names:
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower