If the warm temperatures of recent weeks have led us to believe that the risk of frost has passed, mother nature has a little surprise in store for us for the next few nights when temperatures will approach freezing point.
Most of our vegetable and annual plants are plants that come from tropical climates and are therefore mostly sensitive to cold. With temperatures dropping below 10 °C , fruit set of vegetable plants and flowering of annuals can be greatly affected, while temperatures below or near freezing can simply kill these plants.
Although we recommend transferring our plants to the garden only when the nights are above 10 °C , it sometimes happens that the weather plays bad tricks on us, even when the season is already quite advanced.
If, for plants that are in pots, the solution is to simply bring them into the house, garage or shed, it is a little more complicated for plants that are already in the ground. For the latter, water well before temperatures drop. This will have the effect of protecting the roots from the cold. Then, shelter your plants with a floating canvas, a day sail, an old sheet, cardboard boxes or overturned pots. If you use the latter option, remember to make a hole for ventilation and avoid condensation. It is not recommended to use plastic sheets because they conduct cold. If severe cold weather is forecast, you can cover your plants with straw or even dead leaves to provide additional insulation. Also pay attention to high winds which can affect the foliage of certain plants that are not adequately protected, even if they are sheltered by a building (e.g. climbing plants).
The floating canvas is an excellent tool to add to your gardener's kit: it not only protects against cold weather (by increasing the air temperature by 2 to 5 °C below), but also provides excellent protection against insect pests. for sensitive crops (e.g. cabbages, onions, leeks, etc.) It has the advantage of allowing sunlight and water to pass through, and therefore does not need to be removed from the crops.
Non-exhaustive list of plants sensitive to cold:
- Begonias;
- Palm trees;
- Canna;
- Petunias and other annuals;
- Tomatoes;
- Cucumbers;
- Zucchini and other zucchini;
- Melons and other squashes;
- Eggplants;
- Chillies and peppers;
- Beans;
- Groundcherry;
- All basils;
- etc.
