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Useful Pots for Late Spring Frost Protection

June 5, 2013 by Laura Blodgett 2 Comments

thinking about upside down containers
thinking about upside down containers

Winnie the Pooh was quick to point out that an empty pot can be quite useful.  It may be only one or two days a year that it is useful, but it can make or break a gardener who has spent weeks nurturing seedlings or hours planting out their tender crops.  Like I mentioned, sometimes it just makes sense to plant when the spring weather is warm for a while.  But one must be prepared for that potential late frost.

3-4 inch pots covered the smallest plants
3-4 inch pots covered the smallest plants

Fortunately, such a frost is usually barely a frost.  That is, all that has to be done is to keep a little layer of warmth between the plants and the coldest night air. As such, there are quite a number of options for what can be used. What matters the most is whether or not it fits over the plant without causing damage.

if there is the possibility of frost more than one night in a row, just leave the containers there until the next afternoon
if there is the possibility of frost more than one night in a row, just leave the containers there until the next afternoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we were faced with a potential frost this week, my husband helped me round up a variety of other containers after we had used up all of my altered milk jugs.  We used gallon nursery pots, which are not a true gallon, over some medium sized peppers and basil.  Smaller  3-4 inch pots were a good fit for the smaller peppers.  Even though they have some holes in the bottom-which-becomes-the-top, it is enough to trap some warm afternoon air and repel most frost.

it is best to put the containers on in the late afternoon, to capture a little of the day's warmth
it is best to put the containers on in the late afternoon, to capture a little of the day’s warmth

Of course, we used my blankets over the support cages, because they were available.  We also used quite a few 3-4 cup yogurt and sour cream containers. (see top photo)  Sometimes, they were tipped a touch because of a soaker hose, but, again, with a light frost this is not an issue. We actually did use quite a few 1 gallon empty plastic honey pots and mayonnaise containers.  These were truly a gallon.

blankets are not necessarily the most efficient covering for little plants in the spring
blankets are not necessarily the most efficient covering for little plants in the spring
plastic gallon jars make good little temporary greenhouses in case of light frost
plastic gallon jars make good little temporary greenhouses in case of light frost

The more I thought about what could be used, the more everything I saw had potential.  A lime green household wash bucket was put over one pepper, and an old laundry detergent bucket protected a cape daisy. My husband had a few containers from mixing odd cement potions in his workshop that I just had to shake some dust out of.

there is a pepper plant under there
there is a pepper plant under there
the cape daisy comes out of the bucket
the cape daisy comes out of the bucket

Finally, I had a couple of peppers that were too tall for anything I had left.  We had used the few extra large nursery pots already on other plants. Dear husband came up with the idea of putting a stick in the ground next to the plant and setting the container on that, sort of like a full-coverage umbrella.

sticks making containers taller
sticks making containers taller
after the containers are removed in the morning
after the containers are removed in the morning

The moral of this story is that even though it is not likely there will be another frost this year, it might be time to save some containers while it is fresh on the mind.  Find a place out of the way, where you won’t be tempted to throw them away. One day next spring you may be scrambling for useful containers to cover your seedlings and you will be glad you packed them away!

 

Filed Under: Gardening in Southwest Idaho, Inside the Homestead Tagged With: southwest Idaho gardening

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