Cold comforts

We may be entering sunnier days, but the risk of a late frost means we should plan for cover, as Bob explains

- Bob Flowerdew

I RECKON most gardeners are well aware that we sometimes have late frosts and know how much damage these can do to so many of our crops. But some gardeners are overoptimistic, reckoning they’ll ‘get away with it’ most years. Thus, they may throw away a whole load of work by not taking care on just one frosty night.

For most of the UK, the most likely time late frosts occur and cause so much damage is mid- May. In frost pockets and further north, a hard frost can come in June, or even July. The biggest danger is when a late frost comes after a mild spring, as the plants will have become tender. If it’s a hard cold spring, plants are less developed and much tougher.

The next issue is how tender are our plants, anyway? Natives and hardy annuals are naturally adapted and so are little worry. It’s really spuds and those plants that we raise indoors and plant out – such as tomatoes, runner beans, and half-hardy bedding – that need special attention.