Good preparation can protect crops
A recent bout of cold weather has the potential to damage Gilmer crops.
But setbacks like this one are a normal part of farming life.
“You can’t control the weather. You just have to be prepared,” University of Georgia Agriculture (UGA) Extension Gilmer County Agent Anna Woodward said.
On March 16, 17 and 18, the temperature dropped below freezing.
In a more average year, the temperature on these dates is about 42 degrees. What makes it even worse was the warm temperatures before this drop.
“It’s obviously not good,” Woodward said. “There’s definitely still potential for another freeze to happen, and the later on in the spring it gets, the more vigilant farmers need to be.”
While cold weather can be bad for plants, it’s also a matter of timing.
“The time to be worried is if you notice your plants having any sort of new growth,” she said.
Plants are either dormant or awake. When they are dormant, they hold sugars in their stem that help keep them from freezing.
This trait gives them a great deal of defense against cold temperatures.
But when the plant starts to wake up, it focuses its resources on growing. This switch leaves it vulnerable to frost.
“The inside of the plant gets damaged because that freeze causes tissues to expand,” Woodward said.
Recent cold temperatures hit when woody plants like peach trees, blackberry bushes and other plants with woody stems were starting to grow.
If bad weather is predicted, farmers and gardeners still have several options.
To protect crops from the cold, they can find ways to insulate them or stop frost from forming.
A few methods include covering plants with old blankets or plastic, spraying water on them every few hours to form a protective layer of ice, putting down mulch and blowing on them with fans to move air around.
Thankfully, “plants are pretty tough. Their goal is just like ours. It’s to live,” Woodward said.
As spring continues, we’ll eventually leave the frost behind. But it’s important to watch out until frost is far behind.
Anyone with specific concerns can contact the UGA Extension 706-635-4426.
“We’re here to help,” she said.