Hard freezes may come early in the Front Range, killing all but the hardiest plants in the vegetable garden. Although peas, cabbage, kale, parsnips and a few others may survive, planning to dispose of killed plants is a good idea.
Carol asks, 'A hard freeze is in my weather forecast. What are your recommendations about watering trees and shrubs in cold weather?' ...
After a couple of hard freezes, mound 6-12 inches of compost around the crown of the plant, to protect the roots and the graft union where the rose species you are growing is attached to a hardy root stock.
If yours is doing the same, you and I both need to be vigilant in harvesting like the wind before that first hard freeze hits.
Clean any remaining houseplants that you had brought outside for summer while they're still outside.
Spread it 3 to 4 inches thick if several hard freezes have occurred.
Use bulb fertilizer after leaves emerge from the ground. Fertilize a second time one month after the first application.
Pinch off fading flowers before they go to seed.
It is at this stage that they can be quite susceptible to a late hard freeze. If your plants haven't bloomed in years, this could be the problem.
What's a gardener to do when a hard freeze is just around the corner? With limited indoor space available for over-wintering container plants, Paul makes room for his tropical plants first.
Listen to the weather forecast because carrots can be left in the ground until the first hard freeze. Like potatoes, carrots will keep for extended periods of time.
Squash: Summer squash can be harvested but should be used within a few days.
In Zones 6 and 7, after the first hard freeze of autumn, pile a fluffy, insulating mulch, such as evergreen boughs or straw, over alstroemerias at least 4 in (10.2 cm) deep.
We have had winters here where it snows well and then starts to melt due to a string of warm days, then all at once we get a hard freeze.
I've grown to welcome the "clean sweep" of foliage and flowers achieved by autumn's first hard freeze.
Your property may need additional mulch this fall after a hard freeze to protect it from winter erosion. In general, making sure your property is well landscaped with healthy plants will help reduce erosion.
If you haven't had a hard freeze yet salvage some of those green tomatoes off your tomato vines for this tasty recipe.
Pumpkin Roll Recipe ...
It is hardy in zone 8-10 and will die back with the first hard freeze but return in spring getting larger each year. If you are growing it in a container it will be easy to maintain.
In cold-winter areas the last harvest should be six to eight weeks before the first hard freeze to give perennials time to harden off new growth.
The dormant time for plants is generally anytime between autumn's initial hard freeze and the point that new growth begins in spring. You can safely transplant at any time during the dormant phase as long as the soil is not frozen.
Usually should be picked after a light frost kills the vine but before the first hard freeze.
Cut stems 1 to 2 inches from the end of the fruit leaving stem in place to delay decay in storage.
Trees and shrubs can be fertilized every 3 to 5 years as needed in fall after a hard freeze, or in the spring before growth begins. For new plantings, wait a year before adding fertilizer.
If you have no plastic tunnel set up and no snow cover, protect your plants from a hard freeze by throwing a tarp over the bed temporarily. This also works during occasional ice storms.
Protect the shrubs from harsh, drying winter winds and hard freezes.
Growing Gardenias Indoors
1 ...
Hydrangea plants that freeze back to the ground may never bloom, so you might have to cut them back to the ground and provide a heavy mulch to the roots prior to any hard freezes if you want to stand a chance of flowers at all.
"Foliage plants will grow even in deep shade." Hardy water lilies bloom from early summer until a hard freeze. Tropicals, which won't flower till water temperatures consistently exceed 70 degrees, do well until a light frost.
Achillea will bloom in the first year. Once flowers begin, they will continue to do so until frost. As hardy perennials, they will survive light frosts. After a hard freeze, they will go dormant for the winter.
Raising Rarities ships plants twice a year: in April after the soil has thawed but before growth resumes, and in September and October after a hard freeze but before snow.
Camellias can be grown in most areas of the United States, though they do require winter protection in areas with hard freezes. Gardening camellia properly allows the shrub a long life and ensures that it produces many vibrant blooms each year.
Rain is plentiful all year, heaviest in summer and early fall. Lows range from 15 degrees F/-9 degrees C in the north to 27 degrees F/-3 degrees C in the south; arctic air brings periodic hard freezes.
Seeds can also be direct sown outdoors after the danger of a hard freeze has passed.
Do not remove mulch until after the last hard freeze. Garden strawberries need to be picked every day as they ripen -become fully colored and are slightly soft. Overripe berries will simply rot on the vine.
 See also: Freeze, Plant, Soil, Water, Spring
  
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