Groundhog day has come and gone and the headlines read this year read:

“Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Early Spring”

If you are growing outside in a hydroponic Tower Garden and looking to get a jump start on the season you can start earlier when the warmer days begin to arrive and use a Tower Garden Weather Protection Blanket in the case of an overnight cold-snap and protect your plants.

Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 11:50 p.m. EDT, is the Vernal Equinox — this is the moment in the Northern Hemisphere when the Sun crosses the equator and the days and nights are equal in hours and is considered as our first day of Spring. Here in the Southeast (zone 7b) we can begin to plant out as early as March 20th. Our official frost free date is April 12th meaning with proper measures, you can get a 2-3 week jump start on the growing season. Add that to an extended 2-3 weeks in the fall and you have enough time to grow another crop of greens which typically take 4-6 weeks (depending on variety.) It pays to be prepared and with the proper tools and know how, you can enjoy a longer growing season outdoors. Here’s how we do it…

Protecting the Leaves of Tender Young Plants from an Unexpected Overnight Freeze:

The Tower Garden Weather Protection Blanket is made with metalized HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) making it light weight and flexible to cover your entire Tower Garden. It can also be used to cover other budding plants and bushes you wish to protect. It will work to protect your plants on nights where temperatures drop as low as 28 F.  They cost (as of 2020) $44 and price includes shipping. Tower Garden by JuicePlus+ ships quick — here in Atlanta, GA, we get orders from JuicePlus+ within 2-3 days of ordering.

The Weather Protection Blankets will also extend your fall crops as well, so they’re an excellent investment. When finished with ours, we simply fold and roll them up, much like you would a sleeping bag and store on the shelf until needed again.

Water Temperature:

Also, if you’re starting early outdoors, be sure to use a water heater in your reservoir until temps outside can maintain 72ºF on their own. We use this water heater (200w size) in our outdoor Tower Gardens.

Water Pump:

Be sure to also keep your pump timer at 15 min on and 30 min off during the day and continuous through the night if there is a freeze warning. (If there is no freeze warning, you can do 15 min on and 45 min off at night.)

Are you ready for the early spring?

Happy Planning!

—Erin