Well it finally has come... the hard freeze we've all been dreading. For our Florida climate freezes are not unusual at all, but we are expecting a hard freeze for the next five nights. I can hear my tomatoes crying already, and I have to say in my defense I was told by some joker at a certain plant store that I still had time to harvest a few tomatoes, poor things they never stood a chance.I suppose it was delusional of me to think you can harvest a few extra tomatoes and eggplants in fall. Oh well, they were nice while they lasted.

I figured I should take this as an opportunity to remind those how properly cover your cold sensitive plants. Some people just cover the plant, that's it, well I have news for all of you, you have to cover the plant to the ground! The ground is the only source of heat so it would only make sense to take advantage of that. I have seen some folks put Christmas lights to keep the plants warm but I have always felt dubious about the idea of putting light bulbs under sheets. The best way to keep plants safe from the cold is by covering them with a thick blanket, better yet a tarp in a tepee like formation, creating a small greenhouse environment. With that being said, I have to say, use caution not to flatten the plants, the last thing you want to do is crush them. It has just occurred to me that most of you, if anyone cares to read this, that most of the country has experienced freezes already. Well I hope maybe you can put some of this information to use next year.