Covers, blankets can extend growing season

This challenging growing season has thrown vegetable gardeners a lot of curves. The chilly, wet weather got plants off to a very slow start in the spring and it’s anybody’s guess how soon a killing frost will hit the area.

Using season-extending methods is one way to keep the season going a bit longer. They also come in handy for getting a head start in early spring.

One of my favorite products is the floating row cover. This lightweight fabric is placed over plants in order to give them a few extra degrees of frost protection. The covers let in light and moisture, and they also act as an insect barrier for plants that are particularly susceptible to nasty bugs like aphids, leaf miners and cabbage loopers.

For years, gardeners could only buy a very lightweight row cover that protected plants down to 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Now there are heavier weights called “frost blankets” or “garden quilts” that will provide extra protection down to 24 degrees. Those 4 extra degrees might not sound like much but it actually makes quite a difference.

Frost blankets can be found online at Johnny’s Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com), Harris Seeds (www.harrisseeds.com) and Gardener’s Supply (www.gardeners.com).

Another way to protect plants is to create a tunnel of plastic sheeting over a bed. You can use flexible sprinkler pipe to make hoops over the bed to support the plastic. Just remember to open each end of the tunnel during the day so the plants won’t get cooked by the sunlight.

When there is a danger of frost, I’ve been known to surround my tomato cages with flannel sheets, blankets, cloth or plastic tarps and even landscape fabric if I’m desperate. I attach them to the cages with clothespins in case it’s breezy. I remove the covers during the day and replace them at night.

There are several types of season extenders that work especially well during the early spring. Many gardeners place Walls o’ Water – water-holding cylinders of plastic – around their tomato plants in the spring. The water warms up during the day and gives off heat during the night.

A newer version of these are Kozy Coats from Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com). Instead of clear or green plastic, Kozy Coats are made from heavy-duty red plastic that is supposed to speed up ripening, thus increasing plant production.

Another product that covers plants is the hot cap. Made from paper, hot caps can be placed over small plants. They won’t provide a lot of protection from the cold but they’re better than nothing. They can be found at local garden centers and at online garden supply companies like Lee Valley Tools (www.leevalley.com).

You can save money by making your own version out of empty pop bottles or plastic milk jugs. Be sure to monitor the daytime temperatures so plants don’t get too hot.

Mini-greenhouses and cold frames are other plant protectors. A cold frame is a box that has a transparent roof. Once it is placed on a garden bed, crops like Swiss chard, salad greens and spinach can be grown inside them.

Gardener’s Supply, Grower’s Supply (www.growerssupply.com) and Charley’s Greenhouse (www.charleysgreenhouse.com) sell them.

Something that is relatively new on the market is a spray that is supposed to increase a plant’s cold tolerance. Gardens Alive sells Frost Patrol Plant Protector and Burpee Seeds (www.burpee.com) sells Freez-Pruf Plant Spray.

I haven’t tried either product yet but both can be safely used on edible crops.