help! it's going to snow!

[COgirl19]

CO weather is really starting to tick me off. After weeks of warmer weather I finally thought it was safe to put my transplants in the ground. Now the forecast is calling for ACCUMULATING snow on Tuesday night! It is going to warm right back up but some of my plants are pretty fragile right now. Any ideas on what to do? I know covering them would help but how? a plastic tarp? upside down buckets? (it would take a LOT of buckets).

[lunarlady]

Oh dear! You fell for that lovely weather this weekend. I almost did then checked the five day forcast and held off.

Yes, cover, cover, cover! Any cover is a good cover, but you need to make sure the plants don't get squished. Use stakes to support sheets, tarps, or blankets thrown over the plants. It actually doesn't take much to protect them. The trick is covering them without crushing them. I prefer blankets/sheets because if you forget (or have to go to work) and the sun comes out you don't end up baking the plants, which is a possiblity with plastic in the CO sun. Remember that you need to weight the edges of the sheets/blankets in case we get the wind that sometimes roars in ahead of the storms. Upside down pots/buckets/tupperwear can work too, but you need a rock or something on the top of each for the wind, and sun can be an issue there too. Good luck and here's hoping your little starts survive Tues/Wed (it is supposed to warm up for good starting Thursday)