Was to keep garden warm during suprise freeze.

[WilliamAshley]

So yes it looks like I may get hit with freezing temperatures tomorrow night and a couple other times later over the weekend and early next week... snow and in June again! But hey at least its not July.

I have some greenhouse tarps but am wondering what else I can do to save the seed I already have in the ground that is growing already. I think I may have success with the tarps but any other things I can do kindly share your secrets on saving your crop during surprise freezes.

 

[Mike Quinn]

You can buy fleece for the garden at most garden centres or plant stores

 

[old_anorak]

Cut the bottoms out of milk jugs and soda bottles and set them over your plants. Put the caps on the bottles and jugs at night and take the caps off during the day so the plant can breathe well. If you have access to straw, you can cover everything with straw as well.

 

[Dani]

Cut the bottoms out of milk jugs and soda bottles and set them over your plants. Put the caps on the bottles and jugs at night and take the caps off during the day so the plant can breathe well. If you have access to straw, you can cover everything with straw as well.

I save many of my plants with year with our strange weather we had earlier this year with the milk jugs and soda bottles. They act like their own little green house

 

[WilliamAshley]

some good suggestions, I suppose it is mostly a matter of getting things covered in plastic or cloth. Does anyone bury their plants in a soil layer or make mounds around them. I read last year this is how grape vine are winterized, and this in combination with putting green house plastic over top suceeding in preserving over 50% of my firstyear stubs, they are now starting to bud again.

If anyone has any other suggestions like raised beds, hot rocks, etc.. I'd love to hear them as I will likely need to start protecting the stuff again in late august, and winterizing the vine again, which I'd like to increase the survival rate this year more.

 

[old_anorak]

We don't bury anything with dirt, but we do use old hay, straw, and litter from the chicken coops to pile on top of things like parsnips, turnips, carrots, beets and a few other root crops to hold them longer in the ground. For your grapes and other vine bushes, I think I would prune back the canes and cover in really deep straw or some other mulching materials. Not only will that provide protection from the cold, it will add nutrients and heat to the soil as it rots/composts. For a cold frame you could possibly use a few shovelful's of manure inside the structure to heat the plants as it rots. The only trouble I can see from that would be possibly over-heating your plants, you'd have to prop up one end of the frame on especially sunny or mild days. Hope that helps.

 

[WilliamAshley]

We don't bury anything with dirt, but we do use old hay, straw, and litter from the chicken coops to pile on top of things like parsnips, turnips, carrots, beets and a few other root crops to hold them longer in the ground. For your grapes and other vine bushes, I think I would prune back the canes and cover in really deep straw or some other mulching materials. Not only will that provide protection from the cold, it will add nutrients and heat to the soil as it rots/composts. For a cold frame you could possibly use a few shovelful's of manure inside the structure to heat the plants as it rots. The only trouble I can see from that would be possibly over-heating your plants, you'd have to prop up one end of the frame on especially sunny or mild days. Hope that helps.

Speaking of carrots I had a great experience today, I found a carrot.. that seemed to survive the winter, it is actually sizable as I only had baby carrots last year come the end of August... it seems it survived the winter.... and I just found it today. It is quite well grown for this time of year. I think I'm going to let it go to seed though. Do carrots survive cold winters and keep growing? I probably planted it last year or perhaps a little over a year ago,

Has me question if I should have left more of them in the ground rather than having baby carrots.

Oh for sure very helpful. Although the absence of chickens sorta limits that capacity.

I'm still putting a few things in.. and am considering planting carrots late for next year if I figure out they wil survive over winter in the ground.


Any clue what plants survive in ground in -20 to -60f

I'm also loving that rhubarb multiplies each year.. I think I'm up to 6 or 8 stalks this year.

 

[old_anorak]

I don't know if it grew over the winter, there may be a possibility that some of your other carrots went to seed and it's a volunteer. Anything is possible I suppose. What variety did you plant? As far north as you are, I really don't know if planting late would give you the desired results. Have you considered parsnips?

 

[WilliamAshley]

I don't know if it grew over the winter, there may be a possibility that some of your other carrots went to seed and it's a volunteer. Anything is possible I suppose. What variety did you plant? As far north as you are, I really don't know if planting late would give you the desired results. Have you considered parsnips?

I planted 3 or 4 types of carrots last year. Maybe I can get a quick photo.

 

[old_anorak]

If I remember correctly, you're growing your carrots in a heavy clay soil. You might try Danver's Half Longs since they don't go as deep but get fairly chunky.

 

[WilliamAshley]

If I remember correctly, you're growing your carrots in a heavy clay soil. You might try Danver's Half Longs since they don't go as deep but get fairly chunky.

I got hardy varieties, I actually mix my clay with straw and compost. After watching a video on soil composing I tend to build my soils rather than just plant straight in. not a golden rule but I try to provide for whatever I am planting



This area wasn't really planted this year, I actually alternated the area I grew in last year with the area I didn't grow in last year... to break new soil and see what comes up where last years crop was.

I didn't even have carrots this size in august last year so it is either a year later or something else going on.. but its not the only one there is atleast two more in there but not completely in the same place, definately going ot let them go to seed though.