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| Tender
vegetables like peppers can be damaged by the first light frost. But with extra protection for a day or two, they may go on bearing for weeks. |
If the early-October frost didn’t freeze your beans off, you
may have many more days
before the vegetable garden shuts down.
Vegetables can be harvested as they mature. Many vegetable
crops can go on producing
long after the first light frost. It’s usually mid- to late
November in most areas of
Georgia before a frost that will freeze tender vegetation
arrives.
Many vegetables will have been producing vigorously for two
to
four weeks before this
date. However, it may be possible to harvest them even
longer.
Often, a few nights of low temperatures will be followed by
warmer weather for several
weeks in the fall. If you can protect tender vegetation during
these few cold nights, you
can continue harvesting vegetables.
Save Tender
Vegetables
Some gardeners try to gain more days of growing time by
covering plants with baskets,
blankets or plastic at the first frost warning.
You need not cover your whole garden. Focus on only the
tender
vegetables that will be
easily damaged by a slight frost, such as peppers, eggplant,
tomatoes, squash, beans and
sweet potatoes.
Stretch temporary coverings of polyethylene plastic, blankets
or tarpaulins over the
rows to provide frost protection. A small light bulb burning
underneath such coverings can
provide protection to around 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
Anchor coverings so they won’t damage garden crops if a
sudden
wind develops. As little
foliage as possible should come in contact with the surface of
the covering, because that
foliage will freeze fast.
| When to Harvest | ||
| Tender | Damaged by the first light frost. | Beans, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes,
peppers, eggplant, sweet potatoes. |
| Semihardy | Can stand a light frost. | Swiss chard, beets, Chinese cabbage,
collards, Irish potatoes, Bibb lettuce, mustard, radishes, spinach, leaf lettuce. |
| Hardy | Can stand several frosts; use before
20-degrees low. |
Collards, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower,
Brussels sprouts, carrots, turnips, kale. |
After the danger of frost has passed, remove the coverings.
Be
prepared to put them on
again if a sudden frost is forecast later.
Harvest semihardy vegetables if temperatures in the mid- to
upper 20s are forecast.
Pick hardy vegetables if temperatures in the low 20s seem
imminent.
Root crops such as beets, carrots, potatoes and turnips may
be
mulched and used as
needed. If the soil begins to freeze, they will need
be harvested.
