How do I protect my garden from frost?

During the day, plants and soil absorb and store heat from the Sun. As the Sun sets and night comes forward plants begin to lose their stored heat. As the temperature drops, the moisture in the air settles and create dew. This dew can freeze when temperature drops below 32 degrees F. Water both inside and outside of the plants freeze causing cell ruptures, which kill the leaves on the plants.

So, what can I do to protect my plants from winter destruction??

Well, if you have well established plants, simply place an old tablecloth or trash bag over them during the evening and remove it the next morning. Your cover doesn't need to be fancy, look around your house for something you can re-use over again that is thick enough to keep out the dew but light enough it won't break any branches.

However, if you have young plants or winter veggies you might want to build a frost box. Frost boxes are very easy to make and you can get materials from your local recycling center or post on our GreenExchange. Here is a picture of a very easy to make frost box.
Simply close the lid at night! These are great to use if your going on vacation as plants can survive up to 4 days without having the lid opened.

Now that's the way to beat the frost!