Frigid and frosty nights can harm your gardens and plants. This is how you can keep them safe.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - We had a little bit of frost out there this morning but tomorrow could be worse and blanket the area.
So, if your garden is not quite done or you have outdoor plants, today is the day to take action to protect them.
There's a reason for the term "killer frost" but the impact can be minimized and just a heads up - most things in your garden will be vulnerable tonight.
"Tomatoes, peppers, if you still have any zucchini or cucumbers, or anything like that, you would certainly be concerned with that," said Rob Shenot of Shenot Farms.
However, if you've got pumpkins on the property, Shenot says that the vines are likely going to die. The pumpkin itself should be OK, but don't be too concerned.
All that said, he did reiterate that today is the day to take action and cover your plants.
"Take some old sheets that are in the back of the linen closet or some old blankets, those work really well," he explained.
He added that your covering efforts don't need to be complicated.
"Just drape the thing over the top," he said. "If you want to set up a couple of sticks to hold it up, that's fine, too. It doesn't have to be complicated, just toss it over the top of them and it'll be fine."
Shenot cautioned, though, don't use plastic.
"If you have any foilage that's touching the plastic when that plastic freezes, your plant is going to freeze as well," he said.
For how long should you keep them covered? Shenot said that you should wait until the sun is shining on them in the morning.
Another thing to keep in mind - the further from the city, the bigger the risk.
"If, based on your topography, you're sitting down low in a valley, get the covers out because you don't want to chance it," he said.
Now, if you only have a few tomatoes left and they're starting to turn red, he said you can pick them and they will still ripen off of the vine.
Finally, with Halloween just around the corner, many people do have decorative pumpkins on their porches and in their yards. Overnight frost is a risk to those. If they become frosted, do not touch them. Your touch will create a blemish that will begin to rot. So, let them thaw naturally or you can cover them overnight.
