Experts advise protecting plants as Oklahoma prepares for the first frost

STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA (KOKH) – Some parts of Oklahoma may experience the first frost of the season Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, which could impact plants and crops.

The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for parts of Oklahoma early Wednesday morning.

Freezing temperatures are expected, which could kill or damage some crops and plants.

“The broccoli, lettuce and other things could have frost damage like you can see when the refrigerator is too cold in one spot and the crops get a soft, mushy feel,” Oklahoma State University graduate research assistant Sam Pratt said: “They only worsen the quality of the crop.”

Cool-weather crops like carrots and romaine lettuce will not be as badly affected by a freeze as warm-weather crops like tomatoes and okra, which will most likely face their last harvest of the season due to cooler weather.

OSU experts told Fox 25 they plan to leave their cool-weather crops open overnight, but as temperatures continue to drop, they will do everything they can to keep them warm.

“When it gets below freezing for four hours or more, we typically cover them, around the end of November,” Pratt said. And then we use a plastic with holes for ventilation so it can breathe while still retaining heat for the plants so they don’t get too cold.”

They say people who grow crops or plants at home should also make an effort to keep them warm when temperatures drop.

“You can get creative with it, you can use things like trash bags or cardboard boxes or even sheets and things like that to cover these plants, or you can move them closer to your home and cover the residual heat from your home. “The house can kind of warm up these plants and keep them alive past the frost,” said Sam Buie, a student at Oklahoma State University.