Alright guys lets talk about something that everyone needs to be aware of if they are going to garden in Minnesota Springs. Safety. Well plant safety that is.
With Minnesota springs we can have 70 degrees one day and 20 degree nights the other, we all have seen them, now let's talk about how to prepare for them.
It starts with the weather forecast. As a rule of thumb you aren't usually supposed to plant your early crops, the ones that like the cold before at least the middle to end of April. These ones are your peas, carrots, green onions, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. And these are just to name the most common ones, you could plant anything else that likes the cold as well.
Now you've planted, and your stuff is sprouting, how are you going to protect it if the weather takes a turn for the colder?
There are so many different things and gadgets out there to buy that it would boggle your mind. I use sheets sometimes, or plastic covers as shown in the photos below.
The sheets work great until it rains or sleets as we found out the hard way, then they get wet and just sit on the plants, I wouldn't recommend this for a long term solution, maybe just for a night if it's supposed to get below freezing, usually the plants that I have mentioned above do just fine until it hits the freezing point. Anything below that and I would look for covers.
These are the plastic covers, they are made to go over the top of seed trays so they don't work as well as I would like for covering the garden if it gets cold, but they do work really well if you only have one or two big plants to cover. The circles on the top spin to open vents to let out hot air if it gets too hot, so you don't cook your plants. These are very flimsy though and do have a tendency to fly off if it's too windy outside so I wouldn't really recommend them to Minnesota people as we get very windy in April. These are the two I use, the other ones that I know of are cloches, and tunnels.
Cloches are glass cups, at least they look like them. They are usually used for bigger plants, like cucumbers, or cabbage that you would grow individually and not in a row or bed. Here is an image I found,
They come in all shapes and sizes and different styles, some are more like mini greenhouses and some are even smaller then this, and though I have never seen them in my local gardening center I know you can buy them on amazon and I am putting a
link in case you would like to check them out more. Some come with adjustable air vents and some don't. I personally would probably like them a lot more then my plastic ones if only because these seem like they wouldn't blow away.
Greenhouse tunnels though,they are on my wish list. A few of the other blogs I follow use them and they seem to have very good luck with them. They look like this,
You can also add a door on the end if it is tall enough, and they are supposed to be sturdy enough to withstand even Minnesota winters. I don't know if I believe that they will work but this certainly is next on my list for wants. I left a link
HERE for you to look at if you want more information or ideas. The only drawback with these is you have to put up the hoops and the plastic, and if it's really big it can be a hassle. And they don't always come down easily. Though I do like them a lot.
Honestly there are about a million ways to cover your crops, people use old plastic milk jugs cut in half, windows and a frame make an excellent choice as well especially if the windows are on a hinge to allow opening if it gets too warm. The only rule is to keep an eye on the temperature, if it gets too cold cover them up, and if it gets too warm under the cover let it vent. Spring means a lot more tending and watching as the varying temperatures will almost guarantee you covering and un-covering at least once or twice.
In the meanwhile make sure everything is watered and weeded and enjoy your little seedlings popping their heads above the soil!! Happy gardening!
