Water plants before a frost to lock more heat inside the soil. Be wary about over-watering your plant. Always check if the soil is moist before watering. If it is, then the plant doesn’t have to be watered. If the soil is moist and the plant is still withering, then it may be too cold. Try another method to protect it.
Row covers are available at garden stores, or from the internet. A regular sheet could work as well, but it may not trap as much heat as a row cover. Monitor your plants to make sure they aren’t wilting. Row covers keep heat in, but they still may not be enough for very cold temperatures.
This is only a short-term solution. Don’t leave your plants covered for more than a few days or they’ll die from lack of sunlight. Remove the mulch or straw when the weather warms up. If the weather doesn’t warm up, replace the straw with a row cover or move the plants to a warmer location.
Good places to store potted plants are windowsills, in corners, or on unused tables. Put a plate under the pots so the water doesn’t leak onto your furniture. If you have too many potted plants to bring inside or there is no room in your home, there are still many ways to keep them warm outside.
Spread the mulch out over all the soil in your garden to provide a sufficient protective layer. Mulch doesn’t need replacement very often. Placing a new layer down every 1 or 2 years protects your soil for all weather conditions and seasons.
Check your row cover model to see if it allows sunlight through. If it doesn’t, then remove the row cover for 4 hours every day so the plants still get enough sunlight. Some plants, especially vegetables, require more sunlight. If you grow vegetables, give them 4-6 hours of sunlight every day. Removing the row cover also allows helpful insects like bees to reach the plant.
For another option, water in the evening when the sun starts going down.
If you don’t want to fence in your entire property, then build a 6 ft (1. 8 m) fence that encompasses your whole garden area. Animals don’t fight as hard to get into areas if they don’t know food is there. Consider making your fence solid so animals can’t see through it. They may be less inclined to try and enter your property if they can’t see your garden.
Leave the top 1 foot (0. 30 m) of the fence unattached to the poles. That way, if an animal starts climbing the fence, it will fold over and the animal will fall off. Make sure the fence doesn’t have openings that are bigger than 1 inch (2. 5 cm), because small animals can squeeze through spaces any larger.
Combine this method with a surface fence as well. Burrowing animals could still come to the surface and walk into your garden without some kind of barrier.
If you aren’t sure whether an insect bites or not, use a pair of tweezers or a gardening shovel. Don’t try to remove bees or wasps by hand or you could get stung. Save the bugs in a jar and transfer them to another part of your property. Move them to other plants that you don’t mind them eating. If you don’t want them on your property at all, try transporting them to a local park.
Remember to take the cover off for 4 hours a day to let sunlight and helpful bugs get to the plants.
You could also try this outside. However, the garlic smell may dissipate outdoors and not work as well. There are also garlic repellent sprays that can keep bugs away. These should work better for outdoor use.
To speed the process, boil the water and pepper flakes in a pot for 15 minutes. Then let the mixture sit for 24 hours before using it. Other spices like black pepper, paprika, jalapenos, and cayenne will work as well. Anything spicy tends to keep insects away.
