How to Warm Soil and Protect Seedlings from Frost

Reader Contribution by Rebecca Martin
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Spring is without a doubt the most exciting time of year for us gardeners. It’s the time to get sowing in earnest! But before you so much as tear open a seed packet, you’ll need to make sure your soil is warm enough and that late frosts won’t hamper your efforts. Follow this advice to triumph over the temperature swings of spring and get your fingers dirty early.

Use raised beds. Sometimes soil needs help to become warm enough for sowing in spring. Because raised beds warm up quickly, they’re ideal for the earliest sowings.

Use covers to warm your soil. Cover soil with black plastic or row covers at least one week before sowing, or protect individual plants with squares of plastic cut to size. Soil temperatures beneath will rise by a couple of degrees.

Make plastic bottle cloches. Cut a bottle in half, then place each half over a seedling. Leave the lid off the top half on sunny days, and cut a hole in the base of the bottom half for ventilation.

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