Fall is back in Denver and the first frost is on the way.
A cold front is expected for the beginning of next week with a chance of snow and sub-freezing temperatures for Monday evening. The change in weather brings a good excuse to partake in warm apple cider, but it also signals a change for home gardeners.
Dan Goldhamer, a Colorado Statue University Extension horticulture agent, offers some tips for protecting veggies and flowers.
Covering more tender plants like tomatoes in a bed sheet or turning Tupperware over it will help keep them alive.
“If it freezes don’t pull it off,” Goldhammer said. If the bed sheet freezes to the plant or the plant freezes to the vine, pulling it off could rip up dead cells.
Once the plant has warmed back up in the high-altitude sun, it is safe to pull them off of the vine.
The forecast for next week is expected to include classic Colorado swings with temperatures near freezing in the nights and highs in the 40s and 50s throughout the week.
Even with warmer days, the most sensitive plants like basil should be moved inside. The green leaves will turn black quickly in the cold nights, Goldhamer said.
But cold weather doesn’t mean the end to growing. Hearty plants like broccoli and cabbage turn sweeter after the first frost, Goldhamer said.
A self-described “veggie guy,” Goldhamer recommends moving potted flowers indoors. The website plantselect.org is a great resource for plant-specific advice, he said.
For perennials, plants that live in the ground for more than a year, covering them in protective mulch can keep them warm in the colder times, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. Another way to conserve energy for the plant is to remove deadheads. The spent flowers suck up valuable energy flowers like columbines and daisies need to survive.
With the changing temperatures, it’s not only humans that need to prep for the cold.
[Read More …]
No comments:
Post a Comment