Cold weather and wilting veg

[Kinkdom]

Hi all,

This is perhaps a very basic question (my first year), but with the recent cold weather over the last week I have noticed alot of the veg I have sown early for overwintering are really wilting. A week ago they look fantastic and strong.

The affected are dwarf peas, broadbeans, carrots and cabbages - all grown in containers. Should I be doing something to protect them? Should I have done it sooner? I do have fleece available.

Many thanks.

[amandaandherveg]

Where are they Kinkdom? GH, PT, outside?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Short answer yes you should have protected them.

Containers are more vunerable to frost because the plants are usually above ground and the roots can freeze quite easily.

Potty

[Nicos]

No harm in fleecing them now. And wrap paper/bubblewrap round the containers.
You might be lucky enough to save them

Some of them are hardier than others

[scarletrunner]

Have given up sowing over wintering veg,to many losses and not much gained in harvesting times to that of spring sowings,but good luck as some of them may pick up!

[Prince of Durham]

Got down to minus 8 on my max/min thermometer in the greenhouse last night, soooo, take off another two or three degrees for being behind glass and I'd say you could wrap them in fire and they would suffer. Have to agree with above, unless you have a semi-pro set up or your own coal mine, I wouldn't try too hard for winter veg.
Best of luck.

[Two_Sheds]

veg I have sown early for overwintering ... dwarf peas, broadbeans, carrots and cabbages

When did you sow them?

Carrots are not a cold weather crop: they should be sown in warm soil ( mature ones eg. Autumn King, can SURVIVE in cold soil, but they don't grow).

[horticultural_hobbit]

Baby chillies keeled over. My own fault; window sill not warm or light enough.

[djhs196]

I'd give them what protection that you can, even now.

Something to also be aware of is that it's often the defrosting rather than freezing that often damages the plant tissues - so if they have been hammered, don't be too keen to get them thawed out in a hurry before the next freeze. A slower defrost is better.

They used to plant a lot of winter veg on north slopes so they didn't go from freezing temperatures overnight to a sudden sunny day at dawn, but defrosted rather more slowly.

Good luck!

[Feral007]

Yes, we were told that it's the defrosting not the freezing that causes the plant cells to be damaged. Fast defrosting that it. They recommended if your plants got frosted that you got up before the sun hit them and watered them, as the cold water would start them thawing, but slowly. Unfortunately, when the ground is really frosty then the hose is usually frozen solid as well.

As your plants are in containers you can move them, so if you look at which way the frost goes, it flows downhill, then you could put them behind something that will cause the frost to go around them. We tried it with tomatoes last year, we put a double hay bale corner on the top edge of the garden bed, and when the frost flowed down the slope it went around the haybale V and the tomatoes didn't get frozen. Worth a try. And you don't have to use hay bales. You're just looking at something that won't increase the cold or transmit it (like glass might) and put it up. Covering them is good too. But I'm often caught out with an unexpected frost, so that doesn't work as well for me as the corner option whiich stays there till you're pretty sure it's safe.