Yay, Vicki!   from Rita B.

Frost Tolerance of Vegetables

Hi Everyone,

What an amazing idea to use a blog to communicate among the gardeners!  Kudos to those who have put this together for us.  

I thought it might be nice to post something regarding the frost tolerance of vegetables since the cool weather to come is inevitable.  I found this link on the website of Botanical Interests and it has some excellent guidelines of what your vegetables can withstand.  Please remember that these are only guidelines though, and if in doubt, you may want to cover.   http://www.botanicalinterests.com/articles/view/26/Frost-Tolerance-of-Vegetables  

And on a related note........

One of the most important things I have learned over the years is to realize that not all frost blankets are created equal.  Let's just say I learned that lesson the hard way! Wind chill is a factor.  It is wise to look for those that have a temperature rating listed on them.  As an example, protects plants down to 24 degrees or provides 4 to 6 degrees of frost protection.  This provides you with an idea of whether one blanket is enough or do you need an extra layer.  The blankets do work incredibly well and if diligent in your covering, many vegetables will continue to produce all winter.

Low or high tunnels are extremely easy to construct and if you look at Vicki's (Bed 41) or mine (Bed 29) it should get some ideas flowing.  I can't wait to see what we all come up with!  

Has anyone found some good pricing on frost blankets?  Pikes did have them on sale two weeks ago for $6.99.