Extending the growing season

Kurt Jones County Extension Director Our cats are always in a big hurry to get outside in the mornings, but have become a bit more hesitant in the past couple of weeks as the nighttime temperatures have been falling.   Probably more important than our cats’ comfort, is protecting the vegetable garden plants during these periods of cooler weather. There are two types of frost that can affect our garden plants.   Advective frosts occur when a cold front comes through an area, causing temperatures to fall significantly below threshold levels.   Typically, our efforts to protect sensitive plants against advective frosts leave the gardener frustrated.   Last Saturday night (in Salida), we suffered from a radiation frost.   These frosts occur during calm, cool nights.   In mountain areas, our temperature inversions (cold air trapped in mountain valleys) can cause radiation frost damage to plants.   Frost protection is warranted in these scenarios, as temperatures tend to be just a few degre