CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — We’re going to see our first taste of winter Friday night, where temperatures could drop to freezing. For sensitive plants and gardens, action should be taken before the first frost or freeze to guarantee your plants will stay happy and healthy through the winter.
Allan Pierson, the owner of Pierson’s Flower Shop & Greenhouses, stresses, “You could kill your plants in this freeze. A freeze will kill a lot of these plants, even at 32 degrees- and that’s just a light freeze. But if it gets below that, it’ll kill them for sure. Don’t take a chance.”
Houseplants and vegetables like tomatoes and peppers should be brought indoors, but if your vegetables aren’t ripe yet, place them in a sunny window to finish ripening.
Annuals like geraniums and petunias can be covered during a light frost, but won’t survive the full winter outdoors. Some annuals can be grown from cuttings indoors instead.
Cool weather plants like pansies, kale, and mums can handle fall temperatures, while cabbage, broccoli, and azaleas can stay outside for now, but should be protected before winter.
Leaving perennials outdoors doesn’t just benefit you, but also the environment. Their fallen leaves and stems act as natural mulch, helping the soil and providing shelter for insects and birds.
After the first freeze, remove leftover debris from your garden to help prevent problems next season. If you want to add some color to your yard through the colder months, cool-season annuals are always a great option.
For more tips on fall gardening tasks, click HERE.
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