There are a few strategies that can be used to help protect vulnerable plants from frost damage:
- Move potted plants to a more protected area such as a deck or patio, or up against a wall.
- Protect small seedlings on frosty nights by creating cloches out of plastic soft drink bottles that have been cut in half.
- Cover sensitive plants with frost or shade cloth. You can construct a temporary cloth cloche with a frame to hold the cloth up, to make a protective tent over your plants. Make sure that the cloth reaches to the ground around all the edges. Bricks or pavers are a handy way to weigh down the edges of the cloth on the ground. Make sure the cloth isn't directly touching your plants, there needs to be space between them.
- A popular method to construct a cloche frame is to hammer two 40cm lengths of steel rebar into the ground to make pegs, then push each end of a length of 15mm alkathene pipe onto each steel peg, to form a 'hoop'. Make a line of hoops to drape the frost cloth over, long enough to cover a row of vegies. Bunch the cloth into a knot at each end and pin them down to the ground.
- A very simple alternative is to hammer in a Y post (AKA waratah standard) at each end of your vegie row, stretch a length of wire between them and just drape the frost cloth over the central wire to make a simple tent. Make sure the ends are closed in (you can knot them together loosely) and reach right down to the ground.
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