Oregon weather is a fickle thing. This year has offered an amazingly (sometimes exhaustingly) long summer, which started in May and will likely continue well into October!
However, even though it’s shorts weather in the afternoon, it’s swater weather in the evenings. While “layers” are a thing for humans; that’s usually not the case if you’re a tomato or a pepper. The shock of those cold nights after those warm days can take its toll on plants, and cause all kinds of problems. And if that fickle Oregon weather decides to throw us the unexpected curve-ball of a frosty night, all that diligent work watering those plants is down the drain!
Fear not, though! There are things that you can do to help mitigate some of the shock and damage to your plants this time of year, in the spring, or anytime the weather is unpredictably cold.
Row Covers, sometimes called hoop rows, are a good solution if you have garden beds in rows that need protecting. These are usually PVC or wire “hoops” that you press into the ground and cover with plastic sheeting. The sheeting often attaches to the hoops with clips and to the ground with stakes, so it doesn’t catch a gust of wind blow away. You can leave these on night and day to increase warmth and protect your plants. (We do have some hoop row kits left in the feed store, but our big shipment of these will come in closer to spring planting season.)
Frost Blankets are big sheets of plastic film or other tightly woven material that you can place on larger plantings at night or when the temperature drops. Typically these are removed once the danger of frost has passed. (We don’t currently have any frost blankets in stock, but you could check Territorial Seed and see what they have.)
Bell Cloches are great for smaller plants that need protection, perhaps something like your basil, oregano or other small herb. Cloches are tiny little plant “tents”. They are essentially a bell-shaped jar, made from glass or plastic, that you simply set over the plant and secure. We don’t currently have any cloches in stock, but you can also pretty easily create your own, homemade cloche. To create one:
- Find and clean a clear two liter soda bottle (don’t use the green ones, they will block the light your plant needs to stay alive) and a two foot long stick or narrow dowel.
- Carefully cut off the bottom of the bottle with a pair of sharp scissors and remove the cap from the top of the bottle. The plastic will be sharp, so careful not to slice your fingers! (You can use the part of the bottle that you cut off as a catch pot for a houseplant!)
- Set the bottle over the plant you want to protect.
- Put the dowel or stick through the hole at the top of the bottle and press it firmly down into the ground, carefully avoiding the stem of the plant.
Emergency mulch treatment! If you have this sinking feeling that a frost wave is likely to wander in, cover your low-growing garden plants with a temporary layer of protective mulch, such as fallen tree leaves or straw. In a pinch, we’ve even used sheets of newspaper or piles of shredded paper. Cover the entire plants (or as much as you can) in just enough mulch to keep the frosty air off of their leaves, but not so much so that it breaks the stems and branches. In the morning, once the frost danger has passed, uncover your plants. You can leave the mulch on your garden to use another night or to compost down over the course of the winter months–yes, paper can also compost down even though it can make your soil a little more acidic. (Straw is our preferred protective mulch and we always stock straw in our warehouse, so come down and get yourself a bail to have on hand in emergency frost-protection situations!)
We have lots of products and ideas to help make your Oregon gardening season a little longer. If you are looking for something specific, don’t forget that you can request a special order, or even just give us a call or visit the store to see what is currently in stock and discuss options. We would love to talk with you!
