Page 34 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2023

Spring Frost
RON NUTTALL
When to expect your First Frost Free Day as spring quickly approaches?
It is an important day for a grower and
a sign that spring has started. Each year
it can vary by as much as a week. It will
be the last night that you can expect temperatures to fall below Zero and be cold enough to do considerable damage.
The average First Free Frost Day in Nottingham is between the 1st and 10th
May, determined by past records and a consensus of many years’ experience.
Even so, be cautious and avoid disasters! Experienced gardeners observed that a frosty night is still a possibility until after the last full moon in May!!
A long hard winter frost may be beneficial for killing pests and diseases, but a short period of spring frost can be more damaging during the last half of April or even the whole month of May!
At risk will be all the vegetable plants intended for an earlier harvest whilst shop prices are still high.
Greens like broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower and beets started indoors from seed, and ready to be moved from the heated green house into a covered cold- frame prior to planting on or about May Day.
Damage-limitation –
be ready with your planning
When warned by the local city weather
Frost damage on Kiwi fruit
forecast that night a temperature of +4 degrees is expected, the night temperature in a rural allotment will surely dip to zero or freezing point—and damage the seedlings
The use of a sheet of newspaper against frost damage is no longer fitting.
• A variety of cloches are now available and are the regular gardener’s best friend to protect half-hardy plants. They keep the rain off and late frost away.
• Currently the best practice is a layer of reusable crop-insulation fleece. If appropriate double thickness, tucked- in at the edges and raised off the plants.
Protect the crowns of susceptible herbaceous plants from a late frost When the leaves have died down on rhubarb and asparagus, generously spread a covering of mulch along the rows but not
in direct contact with the growing points, this will give some frost protection and fleece will give additional protection all held together in position by a securing piece of netting.
The 3rd week of April is plum blossom time. Fruit trees growing in a frost pocket are at risk of a calamity
Cold air can be held trapped behind an obstruction like a thick hedge. Making a wide gap in the hedge and clearing the bottom foot lets the cold air drain away, protecting the susceptible plum tree blossom and flowers on the fruit bushes.
We will continue to harvest decent crops as part of our undertaking to adapt to climate change. Practical understanding of the First Frost Free date will enable earlier establishment and vigorous spring growth. (See the article on Sowing times in the UK for further information – Ed)
Frost protection of vines with wood chips
Frost damage protection with straw
34 Simply Vegetables
Broad Beans planted in cold frame to beat the wet and frost