Jamie’s Little Allotment: Gayton based gardener explains which plants do and do not thrive in frosty temperatures

In his weekly column, Gayton gardener Jamie Marsh discusses which plants do and do not thrive during a winter frost…

After all the talk last week about how mild it’s been and not having any rain for weeks, good old Mother Nature has really shown her true colours over the last few days.

The lovely, almost t-shirt temperatures have plummeted like a rock, and as for it being exceptionally dry for the middle of November, the heavens have opened several times.

To top it off we’ve even had a couple of dustings of snow, which looked beautiful, until the rain washed it all away.

What we hadn’t had up until this week, but was expecting it a little earlier maybe, was a good hard frost.

We had a bit of a light ground frost a few weeks ago, where the tips of the grass got caught but in gardening terms, that didn’t count.

As gardeners we don’t mind a good frost for several reasons. Firstly it’s said that a good frost will kill off any bugs and diseases in the garden, but I’ve had a good read up on the internet, and can’t find anything that backs that information up. It sounds feasible, and my dad used to say it, so it must be true.

It sounds a bit strange I know, but in the veg patch, we are desperately waiting for a frost to sweeten some of the produce up.

Kales, carrots, broccoli and of course two of our Christmas dinner favourites, Brussels sprouts and parsnips really do need a few good frosts to bring out the delicious potentials.

The list I’ve written above, especially the sprouts and parsnips, go through a physical change when we get a good frost.

The low winter temperatures cause a reaction in the vegetables to stop the frost from damaging them. They change some of their starch into sugars to protect from freezing - making their own antifreeze which in turn makes them taste so much sweeter.

One more good thing about frost is it helps plants start to decay.

When all your annuals and of course the perennials are finished, the frost will help break down the fibres and push on the composting process.This in turn will give the soil a much needed organic material boost ready for the spring.

One plant which will not take even the slightest touch of frost are dahlias.

You will know just about instantly if your prize “cafe au lait” has been visited by Jack Frost because it will be drooped and the leaves will start to blacken.

That is the dahlia’s season over. But just because the leaves, flowers and stems have all given up, don’t forget there’s a lovely plump nutrient-filled tuber underground still alive and kicking, well for now anyway.

The tubers also don’t like the frost, in fact they hate it just as much as the leaves and flowers, and if they get frosted, that’s it for the plant, certain death.

We have to be quite vigilant if we want to keep our tubers going for next year, you might be lucky enough in your garden that they come back year after year without a care in the world. In my experience, it really doesn’t take much to lose your prize dahlias, so there’s a couple of things we can do.

I would say the majority of dahlia growers will lift the tubers for the winter.

It’s quite an easy process, push your fork in the soil quite a distance from the plant, so as not to damage the tubers and prize it out.

When it’s free from the ground, remove as much soil as possible. Cut the stems down to two to three inches long and store upside down in a garage or frost-free shed for a few days. This will let any excess moisture drain out.

Once it’s drained, you’ll need something to store it in. A box or bucket will do fine. I fill my box with wood shavings. You can also use straw or shredded-up newspaper, even dry compost will work.

Nestle the tuber in, ready for a comfy dry winter, and don’t forget to label it, so you know what it is next year.

If you think all that is a bit of a faff you can leave them in the ground and mulch on top of them.

Cut the stems as before, then add a deep layer of mulch right on top of the plant. Compost is good for this or again straw, or leaf mould, anything organic which will insulate the dahlia from the harsh winter temperatures.

That’s it, fingers crossed it will spring back to life next year.

Please feel free to email be if you have any questions on Jamieslittleallotment@gmail.com and you can follow me on Instagram at @jamies_little_allotment.