Protecting plants before a frost helps them survive winter weather, and keeps your garden healthy for spring.Move container plants indoors, cover outdoor plants with breathable cloths, and add mulch to insulate roots.Prepare trees for ice by pruning young branches; avoid common mistakes, like using plastic covers, or uncovering plants too late.
Frost advisories (or worse, freeze warnings) strike fear in the hearts of gardeners. However, freezing temperatures don’t have to spell doom for your plants. There are steps you can take to minimize the damage, whether it’s bringing your flowers inside, or adding a bit of extra mulch to your beds. Here, we spoke with experts about the tried-and-true methods that will keep your garden safe this season.
Bring Plants Inside
For potted plants and vegetables in containers, the easiest and most effective protection method is to move them indoors physically. This seems easy enough, but if you have a lot of plants, then it can become a big job.
Your indoor space will need to be inaccessible to pets or small children—an unheated shed can work for light freezes; a heated garage, mudroom, or basement is best for very cold days and nights.
Keep in mind that small containers are easy to move in and out, but containers full of moist soil can be quite heavy, so you may need help to move them. When temperatures rise above freezing during the day, you can put the plants back outside to get some sun.
Cover Plants
Covering your plants is an effective way to protect them from occasional light frost. “Bed sheets, frost cloths, old tablecloths—anything breathable and light works,” says gardening instructor Meg Austin. These options are inexpensive, easy to drape over plants in the evenings, and just as easy to pull off the next morning.
If the temperatures really start to drop, then you may have to take a slightly different approach. “When we’re facing a true freeze, I’ll still use frost cloths,” she says. “I secure them more intentionally with clips or landscape pins so the cold air can’t sneak in.” She also recommends mini greenhouse setups—like milk-jug planters or cold frames—which create a surprisingly warm microclimate for seedlings and cold-tolerant greens.
Remember to Mulch
You can protect plants from frost damage with mulch. “Once winter settles in and temperatures stay below freezing, I shift to deep mulching,” says Austin. She uses a thick layer of straw or leaves around the base of the plant to insulate the soil and protect the root system until spring.
Mulch is inexpensive and easy to make yourself. It’s easy to apply, and spring cleanup is minimal.
Harness the Power of Snow
Snow has some natural benefits. “The best insulator to protect the roots and crowns is snow,” says horticulture educator Laura Irish-Hanson. “[However], a solid snow cover is not guaranteed each winter, so we rely on mulch to help insulate roots.”
She recommends watering even established plants during this period to help slow soil cooling.
Prepare Trees for Ice Storms
Ice buildup from freezing rain is problematic for trees. Before this happens, it’s important to prune and shape young fruit trees for strength, so they’re less likely to break.
The branches of some conifer trees—which are notorious for breaking—can be temporarily braced with soft rope or cloth bindings. You can remove heavy snowfalls from small trees, which will help prevent the branches from bending.
Common Mistakes
Using incorrect frost barriers. “A big mistake people make is using the wrong type of cover,” says Austin. “Plastic tarps or trash bags seem convenient, but they trap moisture that can actually freeze directly onto the plants.”Covering too late in the evening. Don’t let the day get away from you. “You want to trap the warmth the soil absorbed during the day, so plants need to be covered before the temperatures drop,” says Austin. “People also tend to forget about wind. Even the best frost cloth won’t help if the wind is flapping it open. Securing the base nice and tight against the ground makes a big difference.”Waiting too long to uncover. Plan to get up early the next morning to clear your work from the night before. “Once the temperatures rise, it’s important to let air and light in to prevent overheating or fungus issues,” says Austin.
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