Extend the growing season with winter plant protection

Gardening can be challenging. Just when the garden finally provides a bounty for the table, an early frost strikes, ending all your hard work. But with the right choice of crops and a little know-how, you can protect your plants and extend your growing season well into the winter.

• Warm-weather vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers don't stand a stance once frost arrives. There are, however, many hardy crops that will tolerate frost or a light freeze.
• Root vegetables like carrots, beets, and turnips all fare well underground, and tough cole crops like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale actually become sweeter after a frost or two.
• Leafy greens like spinach and arugula all do well in cooler temperatures, as long as they are protected.

• The easiest, least expensive plant protection is a good layer of straw mulch. Each hollow stem of straw acts as insulation that keeps the soil and tender plants from freezing.
• Buy a bale or two and spread a 10- to 15-centimetre layer of straw over the ground around crops you want to protect.
• Pin the mulch down by covering it with bird netting and staking the corners. This method works best for root vegetables and low-growing greens like spinach.

• To protect taller plants like kale and Brussels sprouts, you can build a plastic tunnel over your garden bed. To make the frame, purchase three- to four-metre lengths of 2.5-cm PVC pipes.
• Before the ground freezes, sink one end of the pipe into the soil on the far end of your garden bed, then bend it into a semi circle and sink the other end on the opposite side of your bed to create a tall hoop over your planting area.
• Continue adding hoops the length of your bed, placing a new pipe every metre until you reach the end of the row.
• Cover the hoops with thick, clear plastic sheeting and secure to the pipes with large binder clips.
• The plastic tunnel functions like an inexpensive greenhouse, keeping your plants alive for several months after frost.

• For a more heavy-duty miniature greenhouse, gardeners who are handy with tools may wish to construct a sturdy cold frame. To do this, build a large box of wood to cover an area of your garden bed.
• The side of the box facing south should be lower than the side of the box facing north, and the east and west sides of the box should slant. This will allow the lids of the box to sit on an angle facing the low, winter sun.
• The lids of the boxes can be made from recycled storm windows, or, you can do it yourself and fashion a frame and attach a length of Plexiglass to it.
• Cold frames provide the most warmth; you will need a block of wood to prop the lids open on warmer days so you don't burn tender plants.