Owings Mills, Reisterstown Under Freeze Warning

By JAIMIE CURA (Patch Staff)

For some areas in Maryland, temperatures are slated to drop below freezing, and the National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning, in effect from 2 to 9 a.m. Friday. Owings Mills and Reisterstown are included in the warning area.

Temperatures will be in the lower 30s Friday morning, and unprotected or sensitive vegetation will be killed as a result, according to the weather service.

The freeze warning is in effect for northern Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick and northwest Harford counties. The weather service reports that frost and freeze conditions may continueFriday night through mid-Saturday morning.

Here are some tips on how to protect plants from frost damage, from The Gardening Know How website.

• Cover your plants and flowers with old blankets, sheets or burlap sacks. Drape the covering loosely and secure it with stakes, rocks or bricks.
• Remove the covers once the sun comes out the following morning; otherwise, the plants may suffocate.
• Water your plants a day or two before the frost is expected. Wet soil holds more heat than dry soil. Don’t saturate the plants while the temperatures are extremely low, otherwise frost heave occurs. Light watering in the evening hours, before temperatures drop, will help raise humidity levels and reduce frost damage.
• Mulch helps lock in moisture and holds in heat when the temperatures drop.
• Raised beds also help protect plants against frost damage.

Do you have any tried and true methods? Share them in the comments!