Early spring frosts sometimes wipe out fruit crops. Tammy Algood of the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service shares some tips for preserving your fruit harvest. If your fruit trees are in bloom and frost is predicted, string outdoor Christmas lights through the trees to provide a heat source. Larger bulbs work better than the small ones. Another way to save your plants is to cover them with floating row covers. This is an especially good method for protecting vegetable crops such as tomatoes and squash. You can also use an old sheet, a blanket or even newspapers. Don't use plastic: soil takes in heat during the day and releases it at night; plastic allows the heat to escape. If you have herbs or other tender plants that need frost protection, make a small tent by bending wire into a frame and covering it with floating row covers (figure A). Anchor the protective coverings with stones or bricks to prevent them from blowing off.
Larger plants can be protected with the same fabric, plastic tubing or PVC pipe and specially made clips to hold the fabric on the plastic tubing (figure B).
Seedlings can be protected with plastic drinking cups. Push each cup into the surrounding soil to create a seal. Place the cup over the seedlings at night when frost is predicted, and remove it the next morning. Plastic milk jugs work well for larger plants. Tip: - Don't prune your plants in fall. Pruning stimulates new growth, which is more susceptible to frost damage.
RESOURCES :
Gardener's Supply Company
Gardener's Supply Company
Burlington, VT 05401-2850
Fax: 800-551-6712 -or- 80
Email: info@gardeners.com
Website: www.gardeners.com
A. M. Leonard Inc.
A. M. Leonard Inc.
Piqua, OH 45356
Fax: 800-433-0633
GUESTS :
Tammy Algood
UT Agricultural Extension Service
5201 Marchant Drive
Nashville, TN 37211-5201
Phone: 615-834-5162
Fax: 615-832-0043
Email: Talgood1@utk.edu
Website: http://www.utextension.utk.edu
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