3 Ways to Protect Your Plants from the Cold
I don’t know about you, but we’ve been dealing with some pretty crazy weather up here in the Pacific Northwest. For starters, we had one of the coldest, snowiest winters I’ve ever seen on the west coast. And it seemed to go on forever! We finally had our last snowfall sometime in late March and the first signs of spring began to show themselves. The promise of better days was here at last! Or so we thought.
Fast forward to today; It’s now mid-June and it is feeling more like early spring (or mid-fall) around here. Granted, we have had a few hot and sunny days and we’re definitely past our last frost, but it’s grey and rainy and definitely sweater weather.
Yesterday I was scrolling through old photos on my phone when I came across a picture I took last May of our garden in all its glory with veggies already ripe for the picking. Contrast that with a glimpse of our garden today and you’d be forgiven for assuming today’s picture was taken much earlier in the season than last year’s. A few plants are well on their way, but over all everything is behind schedule by about a month or so.
I’m honestly beginning to wonder if summer will ever arrive. As I write this, the wind is howling and the rain is steadily coming down outside. I’m not gonna lie: The thought of a cool, grey summer followed by another winter like last one fills me with despair. And the thought of a shorter growing season just adds to the pain.
It’s been a rough start to the growing season, to say the least. And it’s all related to the weather. We lost most of our early spring crops because the seeds and seedling roots were either eaten by wireworms (a pest that has thrived here this year, likely due to cooler spring temps), or they were tilled up in our mad effort to rid our garden of the pests.
Couple that with a chilly spring that has pushed back planting and transplanting dates for most veggies by at least a couple weeks, and I’m feeling like we’re definitely behind on our food production so far this year.
Left: Our garden in May of last year. / Right Our garden this year (mid-June). The unseasonably cool temperatures have put us about a month behind in our growing season.
The good news is, we are not currently on water restrictions dealing with drought conditions. Everything is still very green and the cooler temperatures have been good for some plants that were already dying off because of the heat or preparing to bolt (go to seed) around this time last year. My peas are looking phenomenal and the broccoli is weathering the, um, weather, fairly well! But some of my heat-loving plants are struggling to survive out there.
I went to check on the garden yesterday evening before the rains arrived, and I noticed that two of my cucumber transplants had died off already. I only transplanted them a few days ago and I’ve now lost two out of the nine that I planted. Despite the late spring, it’s getting to be a little late in the season to keep starting new seeds, so I know I need to be careful not to lose anymore if I can help it.
I double-checked the soil for signs of wireworms who had potentially eaten the seedling roots, but I didn’t find any. The only reason I could think of to explain why the seedling had simply keeled over and died was the weather. Despite the fact that it’s mid-June, it’s just too cold and volatile for some of my more tender plants and seedlings out there!
I knew I had to work fast to save the remaining seedlings from the oncoming storm, but I wasn’t sure there was much that could be done at the 11th hour. Then Ryan, my husband, suggested I put clear plastic cups overtop of each seedling to help shelter it from the elements. Bingo!
I just so happened to have some clear plastic cups stashed away in our pantry, so I set to work covering each one of my cucumber seedlings and a couple of my pole bean seedlings that are just starting out. If there’s one thing I’ve really learned about starting plants from seed and keeping them alive through the seedling stage until they are big, strong and healthy enough to withstand most of what life throw’s at them out there, it’s that the process is much like caring for children. Seedlings need lots of TLC. They need to be tended to daily, they need just the right amount of warmth, water and light, and they need extra care and protection to keep them safe from anything that threatens them.
It’s yet to be seen how my little seedlings will fare under the protective dome of the plastic cups, but in theory this should protect them and save me from having to restart all of my cucumbers from seed again, further delaying the growing season. Aside from some plants we grew in our greenhouse last year, I haven’t really had to deal with protecting my plants from the cold yet. But I’m learning that as the climate (and hence the weather) becomes more and more unpredictable, gardeners especially need to be prepared for anything if we are going to be successful in raising strong, healthy, high-yielding crops.
When it comes to shielding plants and seedlings from the elements, there are several methods and tools you can use to protect your plants from the cold. The method you choose will depend on the plant and its stage of life, including whether you are growing it in a container or in the ground, as well as the resources you have to work with. You can apply these methods whether you are dealing with a long cool spring like me, you’re wanting to extend your growing season later into the fall, or you’re looking to get a jump on the growing season by getting your plants started nice and early. Here are your options:
1. Move Your Plants Indoors
Whether you’re just starting your seeds or you’re dealing with some nasty weather, temporarily starting or moving your plants indoors can help you get an early start on the growing season and can help protect tender new seedlings and heat-loving plants from the cold.
This method works for new seeds and seedlings as well as mature plants that are being grown in containers or have not yet been transplanted into the ground. Transplanting can shock and kill plants, so avoid digging them up and replanting them as much as possible. Once they are in the ground, leave them there unless you feel you have no other choice. Case in point: we transplanted our broccoli seedlings into the ground in May and lost one due to wireworms in our soil. To avoid losing the rest, I dug them up and planted them in containers until we had our pest problem under control. The remaining plants are looking great now! But normally I wouldn’t have risked digging them up again.
Changes in temperature can also shock plants and kill them, so make sure you harden plants off before bringing them outdoors for the first time. Hardening off simply means that you’re toughening them up to be able to withstand the elements outdoors. Bring them outside for a few hours each day to start and bring them back in at night when temperatures drop. This helps prepare them for life outdoors. After a few days you can bring them outside for good.
Likewise, if you’re bringing plants back indoors, beware of the temperature variation. Make sure you don’t put your plants that have become accustomed to outdoor temperatures in too warm of a location indoors as this could be too much for them to handle.
If possible, place plants in a south-facing window or under grow lights indoors so that their leaves get the light they need to grow. You can also help prepare them for life outdoors by gently brushing your hand over the top of seedlings. This helps mimic the motion of wind blowing over them, and helps train the stems of plants to grow strong to withstand the winds.
2. Build a Greenhouse/Hoop House
A greenhouse is a great way to protect plants from the cold and extend your growing season. In milder climates, it’s even possible to grow food year-round inside. The design and materials used in construction allow greenhouses to trap and store heat so that when temperatures drop, the greenhouse stays nice and warm.
Greenhouses can be used to start seedlings, grow heat-loving plants like tomatoes, peppers and basil, and to extend the growing season into the fall and even the winter. The downside is that they can be expensive to build and they are permanent structures, meaning you can’t move plants into a greenhouse if they are already planted in the ground. Enter the hoop house…
Hoop houses are often confused with greenhouses because they look similar and serve much the same purpose. Greenhouses tend to have a triangular, pointed roof, are built with heavy materials like metal and wooden frames and even glass, and sit on a solid foundation or are built as a permanent structure. Hoop houses, however, are rounded and dome-shaped, are built with lighter materials like PVC pipe and clear plastic covering, and can be moved easily and/or built right over top of your in-ground plants.
Hoop houses tend to be more affordable than greenhouses because the materials used to make them are less expensive, plus they are moveable, meaning you can place them over any section of your garden to protect your plants without having to move them or transplant them. The downside to a hoop house is that it’s just not quite as durable and strong and the design may collapse in winter under heavy snowfall, so it’s not as ideal for year-round growing.
For instructions on how to build a hoop house, check out the following article from Mother Earth News.
If you’re not so good with construction and DIY projects, you can purchase greenhouse and hoop house sets. Here is a simple greenhouse that also allows you to collect rainwater in the rain gutters to water your plants with. Or you can buy this hoop house kit for less than $50 to help protect your in-ground plants from the cold.
3. Use Cold Frames & Cloches
Another option for keeping plants warm and sheltered is the use of cold frames in the garden. Cold frames are essentially just mini greenhouses that you can place on top of individual or small clusters of plants to protect them. They typically have a slightly angled top cover that should be placed over top of plants facing south in order to maximize the heat and light from the sun, and some pre-built frames like this one have hinged tops so that they can be easily opened to let fresh air in and allow heat to escape in warmer weather.
Cloches are similar to cold frames, but on an even smaller scale. A cloche is simply a bell-shaped “jar” that can be placed over individual plants temporarily to help shelter them. Typically cloches are made of glass, but they can be plastic a well. Either material will work as long as they are clear to allow sunlight to enter.
The plastic cups that I used overtop of my cucumber seedlings act as mini cloches, like miniature greenhouses for each individual seedling. The cups work great in my case because my seedlings are still small enough to fit underneath, but any bigger and I would need a bigger cloche or cold frame. You could use a larger jar such as a quart-sized Mason Jar, vase or even cut a plastic bottle or milk jug in half and use that to cover plants. You can also purchase packs of plastic cloches like these ones, or if you want to be really fancy, you can go for a nice glass cloche like this one, which can also be used as a terrarium cover or as a decor piece when not in use in the garden.
Luckily there are things you can do to protect your plants from the cold and ensure a successful growing season despite the crazy, unpredictable weather. The more resourceful you are, the more options and designs you will probably come up with, and it’s very possible to work with materials you can probably find around your home and homestead. Or you can easily purchase what you need and rest easy knowing it is a sound investment in your garden and, in the end, in ensuring your food supply.
If you have any other tips or methods you use for protecting your plants from the wind, rain and cold, please let me know by commenting below! Stay warm and protect those seedlings!
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It’s easy to romanticize homesteading, but the truth is that those homegrown vegetables, those freshly laid eggs, that loaf of bread rising on the counter, and that pantry full of home-canned food takes time, effort and dedication. It doesn’t “just happen” overnight!
But if you work on learning one new skill at a time and gain confidence in it before moving onto the next, one day you’ll be looking back and marvelling at how far you’ve come.
That’s where I’m at now. Life today looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago, when our homesteading and self-reliance journey was just beginning.
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While there’s always more we want to learn and do, as I look around me right now, I’m so grateful that we took those first steps, especially considering what’s happened in the world over the past few years!
If you’re also feeling the urgency to take the first (or next) steps toward a more self-reliant life, this is your final reminder that today is the last day to join The Society of Self-Reliance and start levelling up your homesteading and self-sufficiency skills so that you’ve got what it takes to:
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If you’ve been feeling called to level up your self-reliance skills (because let’s be honest, we’re in for a wild ride these next few years with everything going on in the world), now is the time to heed that call.
Link in profile to enroll before midnight tonight, or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/society
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There are so many reasons to grow your own food at home:
💰 Saves you money at the grocery store
🍴 Healthier than conventionally grown food
🔑 increases your overall food security
🫙 Gives you an abundance to preserve and share
But perhaps the number one reason is because it just tastes better!
Not only does food taste better when it’s freshly picked or allowed to ripen on the vine, there’s something about putting in the work to grow something from a tiny seed and then getting to see it on your dinner plate that just makes it so much more satisfying than anything you’ll ever buy from the store.
Plus, having to wait all year for fresh tomatoes or strawberries or zucchinis to be in season makes that short period when they’re available just that much more exciting!
With the world spinning out of control and food prices continuing to rise, it’s no wonder more people are taking an interest in learning to grow their own food at home. But that also means changing our relationship with food and learning to appreciate the work that goes into producing it and the natural seasonality of organically grown fruits and vegetables.
(It also means learning to preserve it so you can make the most of it and enjoy homegrown food all year long).
In my online membership program, The Society of Self-Reliance, you’ll learn how to grow your own food, from seed to harvest, as well as how to preserve it so you can enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor all year long!
You’ll also learn how to grow and craft your own herbal medicine, detox your home, become your own handyman, and so much more (because self-reliance is about more than just the food that we eat… But that’s a pretty good place to start!)
The doors to the Society are now open for a limited time only. Click the link in my profile or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
#foodsecurity #homegrownfood #homesteading #selfreliance #selfsufficiency #homegrownfoodjusttastesbetter
If you’ve been watching events unfold over the past few years and you’re feeling called to start “cutting ties” with the system and begin reclaiming your independence, The Society of Self-Reliance was made for you!
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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn inside the Society:
🌱 Food Security and Self-Sufficiency: Learn the art of growing and preserving your own food, ensuring you and your loved ones have access to nutritious meals year-round.
🌿 Natural Living and Herbal Medicine Mastery: Discover the secrets to creating a low-tox home and and to growing, making and using herbal remedies to support your family’s health, naturally.
🔨 Essential Life Skills: Learn essential life skills like time management, effective goal setting and practical DIY skills to become more self-sufficient.
As a member, you’ll enjoy:
📚 Monthly Video Lessons: Gain access to our ever-growing library of video lessons, with fresh content added each month.
📞 Live Group Coaching Calls: Participate in our monthly live group coaching calls, where we deep dive into a different self-reliance topic every month, and do live demonstrations and Q&A’s.
🏡 Private Community: Join our private community forum where you can ask questions, share your progress, and connect with like-minded individuals.
I only open the doors to The Society once or twice each year, but right now, for one week only, you can become a member for just $20/month (or $200/year).
In today’s world, self-reliance is no longer a luxury, a “cute hobby,” it’s a necessity. Join us inside The Society of Self-Reliance and empower yourself with the skills you need to thrive in the new world!
Link in profile or visit thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
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Got out for an early morning harvest today. Been up since 3am, contemplating life, the future and the past, the order of things…
There is a rumbling right now, not just in North America, but around the world. Many of us can feel it, and know we are on the precipice of something big.
I’d been hearing about this new song that’s become an overnight viral sensation, written by an (until now) unknown singer named Oliver Anthony. His new song Rich Men North of Richmond has had 14 million views on YouTube in the past week alone, so I decided to check it out.
I also saw a clip of him playing a Farmers Market last week, and anything that has to do with Farmers Markets always has my attention;)
I can’t tell you how many tears I’ve already cried listening to that song. If you’ve heard it already, you probably know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, I highly recommend giving it a listen. All I can say is it’s been a while since a song resonated so deeply with me, and in this strange new world, I know I’m not the only one.
One of the lines in Anthony’s song is “Livin’ in the new world, with an old soul,” and that’s something I think so many of us in the homesteading community can relate to.
Trying to cling to better days; To a simpler time; To the old ways, all while doing our best to get by in the new world.
The world has changed drastically in the last few years especially, and it’s set to change in immense ways over the next few years. Today I’m feeling thankful for people like @oliver_anthony_music_ who give a voice to what so many are feeling right now.
Know that if you’re feeling it too, you’re far from alone. And while the future may feel uncertain and even a little scary, remember that if we stand united, we the people are a force to be reckoned with.
(Continued in comments…)
Another garlic harvest in the books!
Garlic is easily one of my favourite crops to grow. It’s pretty much a “set if and forget it” crop. We plant in the fall and leave it to overwinter, fertilize a couple times in the spring, start watering only once the ground starts to dry out, and then harvest in the summer. We can even plant a fall succession crop after our garlic if we want so it really makes great use of garden space all year round.
Over the years we’ve managed to become completely self-sufficient with garlic. We now grow enough to eat all year (and then some!), plus we save our own seed garlic and usually have extra to sell or give away. And around here fresh, organic garlic ain’t cheap, so it’s a good cash crop for anyone who’s serious about selling it.
It took me a few years to really get the hang of garlic, but it’s one crop I’m now very confident with (knock on wood, because it’s always when we make statements like this that next year’s crop fails! Lol.)
A while back I compiled a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting and using garlic both as an edible and medicinal crop. This is usually only available as part of a paid bundle (or in the fall 2022 issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine if you’re a subscriber;), but for a limited time I’m offering it for free, no strings attached!
Plus you’ll also get access to my step-by-step video lesson on planting garlic so you can set yourself up for success with your garlic crop this year.
Comment “Garlic” below or head to thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-guide to get your free copy!
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Going through photos and videos from our trip to the @modernhomesteadingconference and the vast majority are of our daughter having the time of her life!
Even if I personally got nothing else out of this gathering (which I most certainly did), watching her discover her own love of this lifestyle outside of what we do at home made my heart grow three sizes!
Homesteading is about so much more than homegrown food and self-reliance. It’s about passing on invaluable skills and an understanding of and respect for our connection to the land that provides for us to the next generation.
Being around so many other kids and families who are also pursuing a homesteading lifestyle helped show our little one that this is a movement that is so much bigger and greater than what our own family does on our little plot of land. This is a lifestyle worth pursuing, with a community unlike any other.
Glad to be back home and more excited than ever to involve my kids in everything we’re doing. But also, I think I speak for my whole family when I say we can’t wait to go back someday!
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If you’re simply looking for ways to save a little extra cash this summer and live well for less, here are 12 tried and tested frugal living tips for summer that you can use to save money this season without sacrificing a thing.
Head over using the link in my bio!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/12-frugal-living-tips-summer/
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A brand new issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine just dropped!
In this issue:
🌱 How to forage and use five common edible and medicinal weeds
🏠 A sustainable, affordable alternative to traditional homes, greenhouses and more
👨👩👧👦 Tips for managing a homestead while raising a family (big or small!)
🫙 What to focus on when preserving food for true food security
🌹 How to grow and arrange your own cut flowers at home
🍓 The many ways to preserve summer berries (including 5 delicious recipes!)
💇How to make your own all-natural herbal hair care products at home
🧑🌾 Why “community sufficiency” is the new self-sufficiency
And more!
Visit modernhomesteadingmagazine.com (or click the link in my bio) to subscribe or login to the library and read the latest issue.
Plus, be sure to check out all of our past issues as well! There’s a wealth of information in our library on everything from farming and gardening to cooking and canning to herbal medicine, natural living and so much more!
*** This will be the last quarterly issue! ***
This little magazine has grown so much over the past 4 years and 32 issues, and now it’s time for another exciting evolution.
I’m excited to announce that we will be moving to an even more robust annual publication with the intention of offering the first ever print edition this fall if there is enough demand.
I’m also excited to announce the brand new Modern Homesteading Magazine blog, which is currently under construction and will be launching soon. While we will still be maintaining digital subscriptions, the blog will be accessible to all, free of charge, so that more people might benefit from the empowering and increasingly important information that we cover in each issue.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this issue happen! @homesteadingfamily @oatsandhoneyhomestead @omnivore.culture @thetaylor.leigh @doeraydesign (and more who don’t have IG pages;)
And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has subscribed over the years. Modern Homesteading Magazine would never have become what it is today without each and every one of you.
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If you’ve ever grown your own garlic, you might have noticed the spiral-shaped shoots that suddenly pop up in the centre of the stem, usually about a month or so before the garlic bulbs themselves are ready to be harvested.
These are garlic scapes, and believe it or not- they make delicious pesto! Get the recipe through the link in my bio- https://thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-scape-pesto/
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Get the recipe through the link in my bio.
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/chive-blossom-vinaigrette/
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Whether you live in the city and grow a few herbs on your balcony, have a few backyard chickens in the suburbs or live in the country and have a larder full of enough home-canned food to survive the apocalypse, if living a more homemade, homegrown, self-sufficient lifestyle is important to you, Modern Homesteading Magazine was made for you!
Read it today through the link in my bio!
https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com/
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This radish top pesto recipe makes good use of the edible radish greens that often get discarded once they’re separated from the root. The end result is a peppery, slightly spicy twist on a classic pesto recipe.
A perfect condiment for all your summer snacking!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/radish-top-pesto-recipe/
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I would like to add a hoopcover for my raised beds for next year…
Me too! That would be a lot easier than using plastic cups! But hey, homesteaders make do, right? We have a greenhouse too but have a major weed invasion in there. We’re going to try growing some plants in there despite the weeds and see how they do. We’ve got horse tail which is pretty impossible to control.