Vegetable and Fruit Gardening in SW Florida: What to do for Frost Protection

What to do for Frost Protection

We made it with no damage! THREE TIMES.

Here is what we do:

Learn your "number". We thought our temperature number was 32º when we first moved here but after missed coverage we have slowly adjusted it to 45º. This means when the weather person says 45º in Lehigh, we cover up.
Limit what we grow in beds that is frost tender in the winter and put tender plants in pots that we can move
Water thoroughly the morning before the frost
Harvest early (we removed green beans plants plus tomatoes and peppers that were starting to blush)
Move potted tender plants close to the house, preferably South facing because the house radiates heat and the sun warms South facing areas first
Cover tender plants with inverted buckets or pots
Cover tender plants with cloth, sheets, blankets, or towels. The goal is to create a TENT that touches the warm ground and seals in the soil's heat. Use clothes pins to help keep things in place on tomato cages and to keep the flaps together. Best when fabric does NOT touch the plant but we can't always do that.
Run drip irrigation all night long (this has really saved us)

Here is what NOT to do:

Do not cover with plastic. It does not help at all.
Do not just cover the top of a plant. See photo above. (So many people use a plastic grocery bag and tie it to the stem/of the plant. Do not do this.

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