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Protecting Tender Plants
On this page find how to use row covers to aid the early growth of young and tender vegetable plants, including:
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- How row covers, hot caps, and other coverings work.
- Row covers and frost protection materials.
- A step-by-step demonstration of how to install row covers to protect vegetable seedlings.
- Protecting young vegetables from cold snaps and frost.
Row Covers
Use row covers to warm garden soil and protect tender seedlings or vegetable plants from frost. Row covers are made from materials that are either waterproof or allow moisture to pass through them.
Row covers may be either tunnels or caps like mini-greenhouses or floating blankets of breathable fabric held by supports over the plants. Install row covers over your tender vegetable transplants, but avoid direct contact between the covers and any plant foliage.
Other Care Measures
Two other early-care measures that help prevent cold from damaging tender young vegetable starts are:
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- Watering before a cold snap.
- Applying foliar fertilizer at time of planting to help plants grow vigorously and maintain good health.
Both practices assist young plants’ survival during the early period following planting and before they become fully established.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
Row covers help keep garden soil warm. They protect tender seedlings or vegetable plants from frost by insulating them from direct contact with cold air. To install a row cover in your vegetable garden, gather the materials shown and follow these simple steps:
Using Row Covers
After the bed is seeded, install the preformed row cover sections over the furrow, setting its anchors deep into the soil.
For early-season plantings, install end sections made of row cover material to create a mini greenhouse for your plants.
After the seed sprouts, allow it to grow in the warmth under the protective row cover. Whenever temperatures climb, remove the end sections to ventilate and cool the plants.
Mulching
When a cold snap is likely, add organic mulch such as weed-free straw, piling it halfway or more up the side of your row covers, hot caps, or other frost-protecting covers.
It gives young and tender plants added insulation to keep cold outdoor air from reaching their tender foliage as temperatures dip.
For additional information on frost protection for vegetables in spring and autumn, see Coverings and Frost Protection and Frost Protection.
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