Covering plants for frost advisory

In our zone 4 area a frost advisory is nothing to be taken lightly.

Covering plants for frost advisory is a necessary task in zone 4 gardening.

The other day, a week ago, a fellow stopped by to buy some tomato plants and said he was going to be planting them right away. When I questioned the decision he went on about the cycles of the moon and something about the timing of the new moon. I did not argue with him, sold him the plants and away he went.

Since that day we have had a hard freeze and several frosts. So much for the phase of the moon.
We always rely on the national weather forecast as our guide. It seems the scientists have come a long way from counting the rings on caterpillars.

We have found the best covers against frost for tender plants to be bed sheets or other fabric. The sheets can be bought for 25 cents each at rummage and garage sales. Sheets do not need to be weighted down like plastic. A big problem with using plastic is the tendency for heat to build up in the morning. Strong sunlight can raise the temperature under cover to the point where the plants are burned.