Prepare for a hard freeze

If this week's forecast becomes a reality, we are expecting a true hard freeze and maybe even our first snow! (which really spoils our winter fun around here - we didn't even have a chance to start our snow pool!)

At any rate, many of you have been calling in looking for advice on what to do to protect your plants and preserve your harvests. Here is a little guideline on things that you can do to minimize your losses.

1. Trees & Shrubs: Water deeply, especially if they are new plantings. Using a root stimulator will help prevent shock as well. You can also mulch around the roots with a bark mulch or other natural material. This isn't essential for all trees, but definitely a must for roses - make sure to mulch around the crown as well.

2. Perennials: Same as shrubs, but apply a bark mulch to the root line.

3. Warm Weather Veggies: Warm weather veggies (especially tomatoes!) will not survive a frost down to 30 degrees or lower, so if they are in containers, move them inside. If not, harvest all of the fruit before it freezes, because not only is your plant going to die, but your fruit will freeze if left out in the cold. If the fruits have begun to ripen, store in a warm area out of direct sun so they can finish ripening. The best advice I've seen for tomatoes for ripening is to place them on a tray in a dark, warm spot and cover them with a single sheet of newspaper. Since tomatoes ripen from the inside out, placing them in the sun will only turn them red, not ripen them!

4. Cool weather veggies: Water your cool weather veggies well the morning before the frost. Be careful not to get water on the leaves, and ensure any moisture has dried before the sun goes down. Cover the plants with frost cloth in the evening, but take care not to remove it too early the next morning! To be on the safe side, harvest any fruit that is ripe or mostly ripe.

4. Annual flowers: Any containerized annuals should be moved indoors if possible. If your containers are in a protected area on the porch, you can cover with frost cloth and they should be OK. Water your annuals the morning before the frost, again taking care to water at the roots and avoid getting moisture on the leaves or flowers. Cover the plants as well as the pot with the frost cloth.

Annuals in the ground can be watered, apply bark mulch around the base of the plants, then cover the plants with frost cloth.

5. Winterize or protect irrigation systems: There are two schools of thought here, and both are right! If you winterize too soon, you will have to water by hand for quite a while. Wait too long, and you could end up with frozen pipes and expensive repair bills. I can't tell you which way to go, but I strongly suggest that you at least wrap any parts sticking out of the ground. You can get insulation and duct tape, then cover with a plastic bag; or use an old blanket. Just make sure to cover that with plastic, or the blanket will get wet and cause more damage.

Fall in the garden

With winter quickly ~ much too quickly! ~ approaching, it's time to get serious about winterizing your yard. Here's a really handy checklist of things to be done around the yard in preparation for winter, our "Winterizing Checklist".

The majority of these are things that can usually be done much later in the season, but given our sudden glimpse of winter, we thought you might want to be prepared! Let us know if you have any questions or concerns that we haven't covered!