A couple of weeks ago as temperatures hit near 80 in northwest Louisiana a rousing conversation broke out on social media gardening pages. The consensus? It was time to move plants back outside and transplant seedlings to raised beds.
Denyse Cummins, the former LSU-AG Area Horticulture Agent and current Master Gardener was skeptical.
“It was always just a dream that we were going to slide on into spring, so it didn’t work out.”
Cummins says with a forecast that is “all over the place” for tonight and tomorrow morning, gardeners who want to save their plants should take action.
Forecasts ranging from 27 to 32
She says first, bring any potted plants that you put out, back in.
Vegetable seedlings – LSU Ag Center
LSU Ag Center
As for items planted in the garden, “the warm seasoned vegetables, the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, things like that, they’re gonna eat it if they’re not covered.”
Cummins says herbaceous plants, those non-woody plants with soft, green stems will fare the worst. She says cover tender plants and seedlings with leaves or pine straw if you have it, and use fabric, not plastic.
“Because you have to be so careful to run out there and get that off of there before the sun hits it, or you build up so much heat that it will kill your plants instead of the freeze killing your plants. So cloth, I always think is better or piles of leaves.”
It may sound counterintuitive, but a good watering, especially 24 hours before, helps keep the soil warmer. That will act as an insulator for the plants.
A rudbeckia in bloom in NW Louisiana.
BY LIZ SWAINE | Staff writer
Trees and shrubs should make it
“If it’s going to stay over 30, you know, they’ll be okay. If it’s going to go below 30 and get down in the 20s and stay there for hours, you’re going to have some burn. You’re gonna lose some of your buds, but generally trees and shrubs should be all right, just water them well.”
Luckily, she says, the forecast shows only a single night freeze so all the effort should be just for this one night.
“You need to go ahead and protect what you’ve got and worst case scenario, be prepared to go back to the nursery and buy replacements.”
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