What's the most inexpensive way to protect from a freeze
 

I am asking for a good 40-45 plants

Floating row cover that is if they are in the ground. Water before you put the cover on as it helps to keep the roots warm. How cold are we talkin?

[QUOTE=heirloomtomaguy;455025]Floating row cover that is if they are in the ground. Water before you put the cover on as it helps to keep the roots warm. How cold are we talkin?[/QUOTE]

I checked the weather for Mobile and it is foretasted down to 29 tonight.

Cover them up and if you have a drop light or something like a heat light put it under the cover too.
I have piled hay on the plants with great success too.

Worth

A bottle of bourbon, a lawn chair, and a camp fire. Well maybe not cheap but enjoyable.

[QUOTE=jmsieglaff;455031]A bottle of bourbon, a lawn chair, and a camp fire. Well maybe not cheap but enjoyable.[/QUOTE]

:mrgreen:

[QUOTE=heirloomtomaguy;455025]Floating row cover that is if they are in the ground. Water before you put the cover on as it helps to keep the roots warm. How cold are we talkin?[/QUOTE]

Sorry I am asking future tense. There is a chance between now and the end of the month for a hard freeze. Hopefully I can plant them this weekend.

Last year we had a hard freeze in early April usually by the middle of March there is on average a 5-10% chance of a frost.

Would box's work?

Cover and dry leaves around the plants helps too. If it were just a few plants, I would suggest a large pot with a sheet over it and a large plastic tote/tub over that.

I've got to try that bottle of bourbon, lawn chair, and camp fire thing.

Boxes would be great.
Darn it I dont have any bourbon in the house.:(

Worth

get up real early, before the frost starts. Make several very smoky fires, maybe even some used motor oil. Or piles of wet leaves. If it's a frosty night, smoke will linger near the ground and prevent UV radiation from being radiated toward the sky.

Any breathable fabric works, row cover is convenient but not that cheap. Regular old bedsheets work great, for individual plants you can even use things like newspaper if you can figure out a way to keep it in place. If it is really cold, strands of x-mas lights under the cover can add a few degrees, just don't let them touch the plants.

Don't use sheets of plastic, it gets really cold and can transfer that cold to plants and damage them. Also don't use vinyl

Boxes work, and if the plants are still small, upside down flower pots or cut in half milk containers work too.

The other thing you can do is make sure the soil is well watered before the cold front approaches. Wetter soil makes a little warmer micro climate around the plants.

[QUOTE=bughunter99;455069]Any breathable fabric works, row cover is convenient but not that cheap. [/QUOTE]

Row cover is very cheap IMHO 13-20 bucks for 25 feet. 5 feet wide. Works great, you can keep it on too, as light penetrates and it really get's warm in there. I have garden staples to hold it down. it can start to get expensive, but I always liked using the right tool for the right job. Makes life easier.

Since this is for the future and not a current problem, the most inexpensive way is to wait a week or 2 longer to plant.
Cool soil temperature will prevent your plants from really doing anything
those extra two weeks, so you're not gaining by planting out early.

Lee

[QUOTE=Lee;455094]Since this is for the future and not a current problem, the most inexpensive way is to wait a week or 2 longer to plant.
Cool soil temperature will prevent your plants from really doing anything
those extra two weeks, so you're not gaining by planting out early.

Lee[/QUOTE]

It is future tense but I cannot wait 2 weeks at this point as the plants are over two and a half feet. Yep next year I won't start them as early.

Boxes sound great! Its only for overnight, right? If you utilize this method, let us know how it works out.

Since you NEED to get them in, here is how I would do it. Plant them deep if you can, so there isn't as much exposed. Also the stem will root too for a better root system.

If you are going to cage them do it now. Add several old soda bottles or milk jugs full of water around the plant, inside of the cage. That will provide heat storage. Wrap the cage sides with clear plastic. You are making a mini greenhouse but without a top. The plastic will warm the soil and water for a "heat sink". But without a top, it won't overheat the plants.

On nites it will get below 40*, put something over the top at nite. A blanket or large garbage bag or ?? Be sure to take it off again in the morning.

This is something I adapted from an article in Organic Gardening from way back when it was the small size. Personally I do too big of a market garden to do it that way. But my neighbor did it with about 30 plants every year. He planted 3-4 weeks before our safe frost date. He had the plastic around the big woven wire type cages stabilized with a fence post. He would leave it on for about 6 weeks +- depending on the weather. By the time he took the plastic off, the plants were growing out the top of the cages.

Here is a visual page on my web site of this idea. [url]http://knapps-fresh-vegies.netfirms.com/tips.html[/url]

Good luck with your plants,
Carol