NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — With cooler temperatures on the way, now is the time to start thinking about protecting your plants from the cold.
Neil Anderson, general manager of Gardens of Babylon in downtown Nashville, shared several tips for getting your garden ready before the first freeze.
Bring tropical plants inside early
Anderson said any houseplants or tropical plant material kept outside should be brought in before temperatures drop below freezing — and ideally before they fall below 40 degrees.
Water your containers before and after a freeze
For potted plants that are hardy enough to stay outside, Anderson recommends watering the container before a freeze — and checking it again afterward.
"If you have potted containers for things that are hardy here, I would recommend before a freeze that you water the container, and then even after a freeze you check it for water, because plants will actually dehydrate themselves to protect them from a freeze, and if you don't add water after a freeze, that's when plants start to experience drought stress in the winter, specifically if they're in containers," Anderson said.
Cut back dormant plants
Anderson said plants like hostas and peonies are ready to go dormant and should be cut all the way back to soil level. Grasses and coneflowers, however, can be left until late winter or early spring — around February or March — before cutting them back.
Extend your vegetable garden season
For gardeners hoping to stretch their tomato harvest through Thanksgiving, Anderson said covering plants during cold snaps can help extend the season. He also noted that cool-season vegetables like kale, lettuce, and spinach can be grown throughout the winter if covered with frost cloth, plastic, or both.
Reflect on this year's garden
Anderson also encouraged gardeners to use the slower winter months as an opportunity to take notes on what worked and what didn't.
"Maybe even write down some notes about what you've learned, so when you go next year, you'll go into it prepared," Anderson said.
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