You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I am very confused about the protection from frost heave. I have read that it is good to wait to mulch until after a good freeze. How hard a freeze? Is it ok to wait as long as temperatures don't get too warm after the frosts? Once there is a frost what temperatures are dangerous? I live in zone 4.
The key is to keep a steady temperature around the base/roots of a plant during freezing weather. If you mulch too soon after the first frost, you risk having a warm snap follow which will stimulate the already-warm plant to start growing again. Here in Zone 6, I usually mulch after about 10 days of consistently cold/frosty weather. If that happens early in the fall, I wait because most likely there'll be another warm spell.
Do some research for your area, or ask a nursery about the best way to handle your particular climate.
