The weather in Tennessee is extremely volatile this time of year. One day it could be in the 70’s (as it was today) and then the next day it could be a 40 degree high (as it is predicted for tomorrow!) This makes it a challenge to garden in the spring time. There are a few things you can do to protect your plants, but keep in mind not all your plants need protection. Many of our native Tennessee plants are adapted to these spring time temperature fluctuations and will get by fine with minor freezes.
What kind of plants need protection?
- Japanese Maples and leafed out crape myrtles (these two trees were hit hard in the Great April Freeze of 2007, GAF for short)
- Strawberries and flowering fruits (our strawberries are already blooming)
- Tender or newly planted perennials (these tend to be greenhouse grown and aren’t 100% acclimated to the outdoors yet.)
- Annuals that you just recently planted that you should have waited on planting until after April 15th!
- Anything else that you would feel safer having covered than not!
Four ways to protect your plants from frost:
- Coldframe – You can move tender perennials and annuals into a coldframe for protection if you have one. If not you can easily build a small hoop house with PVC piping and plastic, although probably not by tomorrow. You can even assemble the coldframe over raised beds to protect those strawberries!
- Plastic – Though not the best material to use plastic can be effective in keeping the cold off your plants. Just make sure that the plastic does not touch the plants in any way or the cold will transfer with the contact.
- Sheets – Cloth sheets are probably the simplest way to protect your plants from frosts. Just drape them over the tender plants and stake them down if you need to. Cloth will prevent the frost from damaging the plants and won’t transfer the cold through. The thicker the covering the better the protection, but don’t run out and get that 800 count thread set of bed linens just for your plants, save that for an anniversary present! Most old sheets will do fine.
- Nursery pots – I did this technique last year to protect my tomatoes from Jack Frost. Just take a saved nursery pot and cover the plant. This works very good for individual plants. If winds are a problem, place a rock or a brick on the pot to hold it in place. Alternately you can use plastic cloches made from milk jugs that will do the trick.
Don’t forget that mulch will help keep the root systems safe so even if your plant doesn’t come out unscathed, having a healthy root system will speed it along to a quick recovery. Make sure that you remove any covering during the daytime to prevent a cooked plant. Also plants do like that light thing so it’s best to let them have it!
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Dave-
Thanks for a very informative post! In my area the “Official” frost-free date is May 15. I have to just shake my head at the customers who come to our landscape aupply store and ask when we will get our flowers since ________ (the grocery store or big box store) has them. I wonder what the Lowes by my house is doing with their flowers tonight- there’s about 2″ of snow on the ground and it’s still going like gangbusters!
Great point to bring up…we are all so smitten with the new growth that we forget about that freeze date. Hope everyone has their tenders protected.
So, does this include clematis vines? My linen closet is going to be raided, for sure!
Thanks for the update.
I have been worriedly watching the weather this week. Supposed to freeze tonight and tomorrow. My crepes have not leafed out, but the J. maples have so I’ll be covering them. I read on the Internet burlap is a good thing and also that the magic number is 28 degrees. When it hits 28 degrees for three hours or more-damage. So far the forecast here is above that so fingers anxiously crossed! I appreciate your warnings each year and love the moniker for THAT freeze. Hopefully this will the last of them. Gotta go gather my sheets and burlap now. I have been smart finally and left in the houseplants and did not plant warm crops yet.
P.S. Cut my grass long yesterday and think I like it already!
This is the 2nd time in the last week and a half I’ve had to cover my veggie garden. Our last frost is usually in March. And I usually wait until the mesquite trees have leafed out since they usually don’t leaf out till after the last frost. Unfortunately this year that wasn’t true. It has been safe for me to follow their lead for the last 13 years, but not this year. The new perennials I had, I waited to plant fortunately so they’re in the barn, protected.
http://KayzKreationz.blogspot.com
We’re having the same weather patterns. Hot yesterday, highs in the 40’s tomorrow with a low of 30. My Japanese Maple JUST leafed out this weekend. The crape myrtles are still snoozing.
I did my best to cover during those night-after-night stretch of frosts in late April 2007. If we just have one night, I’m not too worried. But, if it’s like 2007, then there’s a big problem.
Cameron
Laura,
I do have to confess that I bought a potato vine or three and some Dusty Miller at one of those stores the other day, but I put them in the garage greenhouse with the tomatoes and other plants not ready to be put out. Really it’s too early for these stores to stock the annuals. Perennials, shrubs, and trees would be fine though!
Janet,
It’s very easy to get caught up in the planting to forget about that date. Especially on 70+ degree days! No matter what, you can’t control the weather.
Kathy,
A clematis that has been outside for a season may come through fine but if its been recently planted I would cover it. It may be one of those greenhouse grown ones that needs to acclimate. I might be tempted to cover it anyway even if you’ve had it a while.
Tina,
I’ve got to cover our Japanese Maples too. They are leafing out really nicely and I’d hate to lose them. Our crapes probably won’t leaf out for another week or so and they should be OK. Since we live in a frost pocket whatever the news predicts is usually about 3-4 degrees colder so we take even slight freezes with a note of caution. I really hope this is the dying breath of Old Man Winter. It’s his daughter Spring’s time to shine!
Kay,
The weather has been kind of strange this year. It seems we have more extremes and less moderation. But maybe I just don’t remember! The one thing I hope we don’t have is a mid-late April freeze. Those freezes are deadly.
Cameron,
We’re supposed to be back in the 60’s on Wednesday, maybe that will be the end. That 2007 freeze was extraordinarily long and dangerous. Two cold nights to cover those plants we can handle.
Dave, The delights of a zone 7 garden! I am heading to Lowes to get a few short pieces of rebar to stake into the garden edges…then I will drape the sheets over them and secure with rubber bands. I don’t want the heavy sheets to smash some of those beauties! Take care…maybe it won’t be as bad as predicted! gail
It is hard to remember the frost this time of year. It’s so exciting to have the warm days, I kind of forget that it can easily get cold again.
So true! It was 70 yesterday and we’re getting snow and temps in the 20’s today here in NE Ohio.
Spring and her mood swings!! I hear you loud and clear!!! I also like to put a little cloth under the individual pots on plants to help too!!
I’ll be doing them all. I was working at a Nursery that lost $5,000 in that last freeze. Isn’t the mid-south a delightful place to plant in the Spring.
I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do with all my seedlings under that rickety cold frame. I suppose I’ll cover it with a blanket.
I hope all your plants survive.
Hi Dave, thanks so much for writing this. I received an email from a fellow TN gardener asking what to cover. I sent them the link to your post, you have said it succinctly and eloquently. I have one larger Japanese maple that we will cover. The rest will have to tough it out. Let’s hope that wind keeps blowing, it is the still and clear that is dangerous.
Frances
Oh wow. I’m so glad I read this helpful post. I covered most of my beds with sheets and shrubs with throws and pillowcases, but I covered one bed with a plastic tarp. After reading this, I switched it out for a blanket. Thanks!
Our crepe myrtles leafed out a couple of weeks ago. They are way too big to try to cover. Do you think I should cover my three year old gingko?
Hi,
I’m new to gardening and I live in New Orleans. Tonight it is supposed to get down into the forties/low forties. If it isn’t actually freezing, should I worry about protecting my plants? I already brought in my cucumber that I have in a pot, but what about my hydrangeas?
Anonymous,
Your plants should do fine if temperatures are only in the 40’s. Where it becomes dangerous is when there are freezes. Taking precautions if you’re in doubt is always a wise way to go. If it wasn’t necessary it will at least ease your anxiety!
Thanks Frances!
Ginger,
I doubt the gingko needs cover but you could if the temperatures are supposed to be really low. The crapes might be fine with a little cold. I just remember two years ago when it happened that they were among the hardest hit trees. My parents have a beautiful one with two main trucks about 6-8 inches thick. One of those branches completely died in the GAF of 2007!
We survived the first night of the Early April Freeze with no damage. I don’t even think it reached 32 degrees.
We have a frost warning for tonight and I just planted some seedlings 2 days ago. It looks like this will be our last one (of course the weatherman said that last week), so I think I’m just going to do an emergency rig for one night. From all the advice I’ve seen on what to do I’m thinking about using a plasticized drop cloth like they use for painting over some stakes – it’s lightweight canvas on one side and plastic on the other – I’m thinking that with the plastic side up this should protect my seedlings down to the 31 degrees they are predicting – sound like a winner? Or am I being too lazy 😉