Garden Quilts, Row Covers, and Hoops for March and April Garden Madness – and protecting the Eager Gardener’s early plantings.
Many considered planting a vegetable garden in November unwise, although in most years this might not have been so foolish. Houston winters are typically mild and offer growing opportunities otherwise impossible – lettuce, cilantro, cole crops, dill, spinach, Swiss chard and beets grow best in the cooler season. They don’t grow in our humid summer heat. These vegetables mature as the days get shorter and cooler – but October plantings are recommended over November plantings.
Knowing the risks associated with the late-fall planting and potential for a winter freeze (I hadn’t seen one for several years) I purchased some super hoops and a garden quilt (frost blanket) from Gardeners Supply Company. I placed the hoops outside in the square-foot gardens for the “just-in-case” moment. Unfortunately those moments were far more frequent in the 2013-2014 winter than expected. Fortunately, because of my efforts with the Garden Quilt and hoops, in March I’m still harvesting from the November planting.
