At the time of writing this article, we have yet to experience a hard frost, but that could change any day! For many plants, frost signals their demise. In the case of tender annuals such as dahlias, begonias, and marigolds the water in their cells expands when it freezes, bursting the cell walls and causing the plants to look either soggy or blackened, signalling that it’s time to remove them from the gardens. Other annuals and most perennials can tolerate a fair amount of frost and will look good much later into the season. Frost-hardy annuals include snap dragons, ornamental kale, and many of the ornamental grasses.
In the vegetable world plants also vary in their tolerance to frost. Truly tender vegetables such as summer squash, beans, tomatoes, and peppers should be harvested before the frost or covered to protect them. Many veggies can tolerate a light frost, including lettuce, cauliflower, peas, and Swiss chard. Still others actually improve in flavour after a frost. For many members of the cabbage family (kale, Brussel sprouts) cold weather triggers the plants to increase the sugar content in their cells. This creates a natural anti-freeze effect, preventing cell contents from expanding and bursting the cell walls. In the case of root vegetables like parsnips and carrots, cold conditions cause the plants to convert their starches to sugars, again allowing the plant to withstand freezing temperature. In both cases the result is sweeter tasting vegetables. These frost-hardy vegetables can be left in the garden until the ground is in danger of being frozen to the point that digging becomes difficult.
Stop by the CKE Community Gardens this month and see what is still holding up well in our garden boxes!
Happy Gardening!
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