On those sunny spring days, I am so eager to go out and plant everything into the garden to make space in the greenhouse… But we need to be careful! At this time of year, there is still a chance of frost here in Wales and this can be enough to damage or kill delicate plants.
Early spring can be one of the most challenging time in the garden and we need to accept that there is an element of ‘c’est la vie’ when gardening but there are some little things we can do to protect our plants. Here are some tips on how to protect them:
1) Covering – cover the plants with a fleece of material, ideally gardening fleece but you can also use old bedding or cardboard and then uncover them in the morning after it has warmed up. You can also place a bucket or pot over small delicate plants.
2) Heating – if you have a greenhouse or polytunnel, put a small heater or hotbed to keep the frost away. Close the door of the greenhouse / polytunnel early in the evening and avoid watering in the evenings!
By following these steps, we can protect our delicate plants when there is still a chance of frost. As a rule of thumb, greenhouse plants like tomtoes and cucumbers or anything that is sown after mid April for example will need to be protected.
