I just bought 2 rolls of frost blankets at Lowe's, cost me about $70. I bought one last year to wrap around large planters. It worked well.

Some people put the little Christmas lights on their larger plants. We put a flood lamp on the ground near our crotons and then covered them with bedspreads, making sure to prop them up so that the spread wasn't touching the plant. That helped but we eventually lost one on the end.
Of course we are north of you and had like 11 nights of low temps.

Make an 'A' frame over your garden using 2X4's and 1X3 boards then cover it over with a roll of clear plastic on nights when there will be a frost. Pull the plastic off the 'A' frame in the morning when the sun's up. Putting an electric space heater that has a fan on it inside the 'A' frame tent will help on super cold nights.

Lou

Thank you both. I see the DuPont 12' x 10-1/2' Frost Blanket at lowes for $15.56. maybe a combination of the a-frame and the blanket will work.

Although I hope to be prepared as above some day, I went ahead and picked all my green tomatoes, put them in a bag with a banana, hope they ripen. Picked all the jalapeno's, too. News said in the 30's tonight and tomorrow night, summer veggie season is now officially over for me. I do have lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and collards out there, hope they survive OK, they did before.

I can't believe we are dealing with this so soon. Of course, our area was not originally in the freeze area, now I see it is. too bad, got the frost cloth but its in the back of my car, not on the plants. I will be so upset if I lose my Pipevine I have worked so hard to keep alive after losing it last winter and it being eaten down twice this summer by caterpillars (its a host plant). I moved cats to two other people's vines most all summer so I would get a good growth for the winter to help protect it. Plus the hummers are here and they need my Shrimp plant to nectar on.

covered the loaded tomato plants last night but we did not get a frost, it is bloody cold this morning though, 34 brrrrr.

It hit 32F with patchy light frost everywhere here and the cattle farmers pasture just over the fence line is covered white with frost as far as the eye can see.

Lou

Lou,

The lake tends to give us a little protection.....I will take what I can get.

We got down to 45 this morning.... I have loads of old sheets and bedspreads and beach-towels to cover stuff with, in Jan. when we did freeze here I covered with the sheets and then covered that with a large plastic-tarp.... but don't let the plastic touch the leaves it will burn thru'.... we complain here abt. this bit of chill, but I lived in Canada and believe me I would not trade ! sally

Gah! Just read that we'll be low as 32 here in North Port, (Sarasota county) overnight tonight (and not near water), with a windchill of 27! I brought in potted plants, but don't know whether to protect anything else or let them take their chances. No veggies but do have grapefruit hanging on a small tree and a few newly planted plants, including a Philodendron selloum, small key lime and Meyer's lemon trees, and a couple other small plants.
Marcia

no tricks, you either cover it, bring it in, heat it $$, or lose it......simple......:) i hate winter!

Dodged that bullet--got to 'only' 39 last night :-)
Marcia

I put the plants on my porch right up to the glass doors and then cover the outer parts of them. Figure I get plenty of heat loss thru the glass and might as well take advantage of it.

I'm going to rig up a bunch of low wattage Christmas lights to run all around the tomatoes and drape sheets over the cages to try to hold some of the warmth in and keep the frost out. Good luck to us all.

This global cooling is getting serious meanwhile the nutcases are gathered in Cancun as I type trying to figure out how to assess and collect a global tax to save the planet. Yeh, right.