Insulating crops during the winter is a key element in a productive harvest year round. A tip before we discuss blankets and covers is before the sun comes up, right after the frost settles, take a water hose, and spray off the frost before the sun rises. When the sun rises, and warms up the plant leaves the chlorophyll will expand and contract, rupturing the plant cells, and tissue. Spraying off the frost will allow the leaves to acclimate before the sun causes a drastic and extreme temperature difference on the surface of the leave. If this does not help, look into using covers and blankets to improve the heating efficiency for the crops.

Whether you're looking to start seeds early before the first frost, or keep them growing during the snow and ice during the winter months, frost blankets are the answer. Often people need to layer the blankets for extra protection when it rains, and snows. Keep your plants warm for planting, and growing. Dewitt's thermal blanket, DuPont Point bond Featherweight row and seed cover, Hot Kaps, and N-Sulate Frost-Winter Blanket.

The Dewitt thermal blanket utilizes white polypropylene as an insulator. This fiber allows water from rain or irrigation to access the plants while maintaining ambient temperatures around the plant's surface.  This economical ground cloth will also allow the plants to breathe, and not heat, or steam the plants when the sun rises.

The DuPont Point bond Feather Weight Row and Seed Bed Cover is great because it is reusable for multiple seasons because of its durability. This cover is for screening pest out and improving germination. The blanket also helps prevent frost from forming around the surface of the plant, insulating the plant with its own heat in freezing temperatures.

Hot Kaps are a popular item that mimics the old-fashioned glass cover tops, used in Holland for tulip production, similar to a cake cover. Hot Kaps are a paper and plastic item, originally created by German Commercial growers out of a wax paper. Dutch tulip growers would put glass covers over their tulips during winter production, and layer multiple frost blankets over them for added protection. The same method can be utilized with Hot Kaps by pairing a Dewitt, or DuPont cover over top of the Hot Kaps, making an extra layer of insulation can improve the growth rate because of the extra heat that the plant can utilize, where otherwise wouldn't be there because of the cold temperatures.

For the toughest protection available, use the N-Sulate Frost-Winter Blanket, which protects from the severe cold and freezing temperatures. Made from UV-treated fabric, they should last a long while, and are easy to install. You simply cover plants as you would cover yourself with a blanket, except you should make sure it is secure by tucking the edges under the plants, and utilize ground stakes, used primarily for irrigation, ground cover, and cloths, for extra retention against wind. I like to lay boards down against the edges of the cover to create better protect from the wind. Another choice for added layers of protection from frost and freeze is our top-quality, medium-weave burlap. Unlike the polyester and plastic covers, this burlap is biodegradable, and an economical choice for hundreds of uses around the home. Our Natural Burlap is ideal for soil erosion control, plant protection, windscreen, and tree wraps. For really cold days, place the burlap on your crops, then add another layer of polyester spun fiber, and for extra freezing temperatures, an added layer of greenhouse plastic, or even another ground cloth will provide additional protection from the cold.

Heat is vital to all plants. These covers protect against a varied array of earthly problems, severe temperatures, and can even improve germination of young plants in spring, and winter. Dewitt's thermal blanket, DuPont Point bond Featherweight row and seed cover, Hot Kaps, and N-Sulate Frost-Winter Blanket all can help with improving winter production, and should be on hand to help prevent any catastrophes during the growing season. You not only buy these for the winter, but spring and summer find their uses in dry weather where water retention is important.