Just checked my gardens and everything is up. I have swiss chard, 3 different lettuces, spinach, radishes, onions, beets, broccoli,cauliflower and garlic. My question is, if we get a real cold spell what do I need to cover. We usually only get a few days of really cold weather and maybe a couple of inches of snow that melts when the sun comes up. Do I need to worry? Thanks, Donna
I don't think you need to worry unless it is HEAVY WET snow (smashing the plants) or bitter cold snow( freezing the plants). Upper 20's will, most likely, not hurt the things that germinated and are growing "cold". My beets have survived all Fall and we have had some pretty cold weather. It did do some damage to the beet tops but not the roots.
I don't know if "worry"is the word, but rather "prudent". I often cover some of my stuff with hoops and a length of fleece...or in the case of some upright flowering plants and blueberry bushes I surround the tender parts. You can call me a sissy if you want, but I just call it prudent. Mother Nature is a formidable contestant and imprudence can sometimes be punished swiftly and harshly. Good luck over there.
Sjoerd, Rest assured I have row covers and fleece in waiting. I'm taking no chances. Do you think bubble wrap would work ok to protect. I have some hugh sheets of it.
I don't know if it would work. It would certainly be Oké for the short term. The thing with bubble wrap is that if the tunnel is closed properly there cannot be air circulation, as the plastic is not perforated, whereas the fleece will "breathe" a bit. Naturally if you are talking about using the bubble wrap for a couple of days, it ought not to pose a great problem.
Just went online and found nothing about using bubble wrap in garden except for wrapping pots to protect roots. Thought that was a good idea.
Hmmmm...I don't know if it would "burn" plants. I would imagine that it might, but with the air layer of the "bubble", perhaps not. If you could use it without having the plastic actually touching the plant leaves, I believe that it would be better. The leaves release O2 (oxygen) and moisture from the plant. The moisture that is released, can condense on the plastic. This is in my view where the problem lies. I have not had it touching my plants because I use hoops, or bowed pvc tubing to keep it off my plants. I have also used the bubbly plastic vertically as a windbreak. Yes, I think that it is a good idea too, especially short-term as you plan. I reckon that the bottom line is --which is better? Is it better to take a calculated chance that the plants will be damaged by the plastic covering, or is it better for them to be damaged by freezing. To me, the freezing seems the more certain of the two choices.
I like your windbreak idea. And I have used the pvc tubing before, It works great. With bubble wrap it should be like a mini greenhouse. Thanks for chatting with me Sjoerd. I really enjoyed this conversation.
