While Iowans have basked in summer-like weather for most of this fall, forecasts predict a possible freeze this week.
Some parts of the state may have already experienced a light frost, but a freeze — when temperatures dip below 32 degrees — is more damaging to plants.
In 2023, parts of Iowa escaped a killing freeze until the end of October, and the same might be true this year, as forecasts are on the borderline regarding exactly how cold it will be Monday and Tuesday nights — Oct. 14 and Oct. 15, 2024. Warmer temperatures are expected to return later in the week.
With that in mind, gardeners who would like to safeguard their tender plants, such as tomatoes and peppers, or less hardy flowers, can cover them with a light sheet overnight when temperatures are expected to fall below 32 degrees, and remove it during the day.
For a more sure bet, harvest the last of those crops, along with cucumbers and melons that are susceptible to cold temperatures. Green tomatoes can be harvested and allowed to ripen over time indoors.
Tender perennials that are not cold-hardy in Iowa, such as cannas, need to be dug and stored indoors during the winter. Dig the canna rhizomes shortly after a hard, or killing freeze, allow to dry for a day or two and store in a box or mesh bag in a cool, dry location, such as a basement.
Vegetables such as kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and cabbage are cold-hardy and can withstand a frost, and last later into the season in Iowa.
The state experienced an anomaly this year with an Iowa gardening mainstay. Learn why lilacs were blooming out of season.
living in Iowa doesn’t make much sense to have some cacti but I’ll definitely have to pull them in