As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, it is key for gardeners to protect their plants especially if they’re non-hardy or tropical varieties. Other plants that may need protecting are crops like chilli plants, legume pods and seeds and flowers.
Kate Turner, Miracle Gro’s Gardening Guru, has shared her tips to help Britons protect their plants and prepare before the winter months.
Impact of frost on the garden
Frost is caused by cold, clear, still nights when the air drops below freezing. Ground frost affects lawns and roots while air frost affects stems, leaves, flowers and fruit.
Kate said: “Water in the plant’s cells freeze, expands and then bursts leaving the plant unable to take up water and nutrients.
“When soil or compost freezes for any length of time then roots are unable to take up water and the whole plant will show signs of drought and may eventually die.
“Short-term frost damage can often be reparable but rapid thawing can be fatal as can long-term extreme frost.”
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Kate said: “Trees and shrubs with thick bark will survive as their bark acts as an insulator, keeping the heat in.
“Deciduous trees and shrubs that lose their leaves will also survive, as there’s less risk of cell rupture.”
How to protect plants from frost
Bring any tender plants inside before the risk of frost, if you can. Outside, put containers together near a wall or under trees and shrubs to avoid planting in a frost pocket like at the bottom of a slope.
Kate added: “Be wary of planting susceptible plants in an east-facing situation, as the early morning sun can cause rapid thawing.
“Cover your plants with horticultural fleece, easily found in garden centres and DIY stores or wrap pots in bubble wrap to help keep heat in over the colder months.
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Vegetables that need protection
Kate said: “Summer vegetables such as tomatoes, courgettes and peppers will not survive a frost and are treated as annuals.
“However, some people have success overwintering chilli plants indoors where they keep them alive ready to start growing again in the spring.
“Many vegetables can be grown outside in the winter including Brussels sprouts, cabbages and leeks. Did you know, leeks benefit from frost as this encourages them to become sweeter! The sugar in the plant can act as a natural anti-freeze.
“With the larger veg plants, such as the brassica family, make sure that they are firmly in the soil as a frost can often push the plant up and out. If they do start to rise, push them down and cover with a thick layer of mulch.”
