What survived the hard freeze

Fall sunrise

Saturday, November 15, 2025

Last week we had 2 nights in a row in the mid 20's.  Anything thing below 28 F is considered a hard freeze.  So what survived in the garden and what's next for continued harvests through winter.  

The first hard freezes of the fall killed the edibles and ornamentals that hail from tropical regions like Yard Long beans, eggplant, basil, Malabar spinach, sweet potatoes, zinnias, celosias, amaranths, heat tolerant lettuce, potted tomatoes and peppers, Jerusalem artichokes, red roselle hibiscus, squash, American groundnut, okra, tarragon.

What's still green in the garden beds are marigolds, Sweet William, petunias, lavender, mums, day lilies, lemon balm, chives, onions, cold tolerant lettuce, kale, chard, parsley, celery, carrots, chicory, mustard greens, artichoke plants, wolf berry bush, Aronia bush, strawberry plants, blackberry and raspberry bushes, most of the Mediterranean herbs like sage, marjoram, thyme, oregano, rosemary.

To maximize the winter harvests, I got out my portable green house covers for my potted greens and snow peas.  The best place to locate your plants and greenhouse is close to a wall and on the south side of the house in full sun.  Putting the greenhouse against the house or other structure will help keep the temperatures warmer for your plants.  I also use gallon jugs of water that I put around the pots inside the cover to help moderate the temperatures.  Spray painting the jugs protects the plastic from sun degradation.  Extend the season with protection for plants  

My winter pots and Earthboxes contain kale, celery, French dandelion, lettuce, sorrel, sprouting broccoli, parsley, chard and arugula.  I should be able to have fresh greens and snow peas all winter long using these.

Portable greenhouse

The biggest risk with a greenhouse?  Overheating!  The sun’s rays are quite hot on a cloudless day.  I open the vent on my greenhouses when it is sunny and in the 30’s.  I will unzip the front door flap when it gets into the 40’s.   In the 50’s, the cold crops really don’t need any protection.  

The crops that do well in early spring are the ones that do well over the winter in a greenhouse.  Cold crops I like to grow under cover are arugula, broccoli, cabbage, celery, chard, cilantro, corn salad, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, parsley, peas, sorrel, spinach, parsley, cultivated dandelions.  Cold season crops for your edible garden