Since I get asked a lot about my various methods for protecting plants from frost – and get plenty of questions on my zone-pushing strategies – I figured it was time to make a video.
Obviously, if you live further north and are suffering through brutal sub-zero temperatures, some of these tips may not help you; however, they might spark some ideas on how you can grow plants outside their natural range without dragging pots in and out of your house all the time.
Thermal mass is your best friend – don’t waste the rocks, hills, walls, ponds or other features around your property that might give you a few degrees extra on freezing nights. Also don’t forget about trees and bushes: hardier species can provide cover for your less-hardy fruits and nuts, provided you place things properly. I like to balance sun exposure needs with the protection of canopy during the winter. Believe it or not, a tree covered with bare limbs still gives a decent amount of protection to the plants beneath it. For instance, you can’t grow pineapples here…. technically. Yet by the trunk of a tree, they’ll live even on nights that reach down into the teens. A tree trunk is basically a column of water inside a structure of cellulose. (Isn’t that weird? Trees are made of sugar!) Use that thermal mass to your advantage.
Good luck.
SOURCE : theprepperproject.com