BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The season is changing and temperatures are getting chilly.
The Treasure Valley could see the first freeze of the year this Wednesday.
I talked with an expert about how to protect your garden against damaging frost.
The Co-CEO of Zamsows says if you take the steps to protect your plants right now, it will extend the season a few more weeks, so you can still enjoy your garden a little bit longer.
"When it's predicted there is going to be a frost, the night before on things like your tomato plant, peppers, that kind of stuff that is in the garden, you should pull a sheet over the top, we are worried about the top surfaces, the frost settles down," Jos Zamzow, Co-CEO of Zamzows said.
Zamzow says you can cover your plants with either a bed sheet or a material called 'Floating Row Cover.' He says if you know there is a chance of frost, cover your plants before you go to bed.
"Then In the morning you need to take those covers off as it starts to warm up in the day, you don't want to leave them covered all day," Zamzow said.
Zamzow says plants like peas and onions can survive exposure to frost, but some plants will be completely ruined if exposed.
"Things like tomatoes, and peppers or some of your beautiful annual flowers, they're done it they get the slight bit of freeze. So for those, we are trying to prevent it altogether. Pull in any hanging baskets so they are under the cover or if you have planted pots, cover them with row cover," Zamzow said.
You can even run the sprinkler on top of the plants for a short period of time to minimize the damage from the frost.
" If the pending frost is only going to be 30 or 31 degrees, sometimes just a sprinkler put out, and you don't even have to run it all night you can turn it on at like 4:00 in the morning, and just that moisture over the top will provide a degree or two," Zamzow said.
Another tip? If a hard freeze is coming and you don't have time to cover your plants, Zamzow recommends you pick all of the tomatoes and peppers now, even the ones that are still green.
He says you can place them in a dark room on a piece of paper and they will gradually ripen over the next few weeks.
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