Using Garden Cloches In Fall To Keep Greens Growing After First Frost

Garden cloches provide frost protection to autumn-sown greens and root crops, helping extend their growing season in areas with short or extended spells of cold weather.

Cloches were once constructed from glass but are now made out of various shapes and materials such as plastic breathable domes or wire domes. You can even make your own out of recycled items like milk jugs and soda bottles to create your own custom-designed cloche!

Warmth

As colder temperatures come, late season vegetables and hardy greens may benefit from being covered to protect them from early frost damage or kill, such as early frosts. Commercial row covers are an effective solution, though blankets, bed sheets or old towels can also be used to cover gardens or containers. Some hardy greens such as kale thrive after experiencing even minor frost; root crops such as carrots, beets and rutabagas become even sweeter after multiple nights of low temperatures.

Frost also marks the end of harvesting vegetables and fruit from Minnesota gardens unless hoop houses, greenhouses or other season-extending structures have been installed. Knowing how to harvest these final harvests ensures maximum flavor retention and longer storage capabilities.

Water

Frost damage can be particularly devastating to plants that have just emerged from dormancy, making containers especially susceptible as their roots lie aboveground without soil’s insulative protection.

Tender plants include many garden crops (tomatoes, basil, squash and cucumber) as well as tropical fruit trees and succulents from tropical climates. Most annual flowers and common houseplants also fall within this category of tender plants.

To lower their frost sensitivity, water plants early in the day before any particularly chilly evening. Not only will this provide adequate hydration but the damp soil offers better insulation against freezing than dry soil does. Furthermore, make sure that frost cloth covers every square inch of bed or container without gaps that could allow heat escape and weight it down with bricks or stones so it doesn’t blow away in a gust of wind; then remove it on warm days when temperatures have exceeded freezing point.

Ventilation

As days become colder, ventilation becomes key to maintaining stable greenhouse temperatures and avoiding over-humid conditions. Even opening windows and vents by a centimetre or two every day helps bring fresh air in which can circulate to neutralise overly humid conditions while keeping greenhouse temperatures stable. Ventilation brings in fresh carbon dioxide for gas heaters to operate efficiently as well as helping plants perform night-time transpiration processes more effectively. Adjustable vents, shutters and louvers offer greater control of ventilation in greenhouses without heating; you can open windows and vents as necessary depending on weather conditions. This is particularly important for unheated greenhouses where temperature regulation can be difficult. As an easy fix bubble wrap sheeting can also be used as an insulation material for windows if necessary – while a backdraft damper offers passive ventilation options.

Pests

Vegetable crops vary in their temperature requirements depending on their origins. When frost blankets are unavailable, other coverings can help protect plants against frost damage; such as cutting and anchoring a plastic milk, juice or water jug at its corners to act as an makeshift frost blanket; it traps heat stored in the soil while keeping plants warm at night.

However, these covers should be removed when the sun rises to prevent overheating and moisture build-up. A tarp or layer of mulch may also help avoid frost damage.

Cloches can provide protection from frost as well as pests like caterpillars. As temperatures decrease before frost comes, more insects such as caterpillars (like diamondback moth and imported cabbageworm ) seek shelter; flea beetles also nibble at leaves of crucifers and solanaceous vegetables like eggplant; however their numbers usually decline with fall and carbaryl can easily control this pest issue.