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Fall Gardening Tips Amid Cold Minnesota Weather

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Saturday and Sunday have seen unseasonably cold temperatures -- about 20 degrees below average.

With that cold weather, gardeners have questions about how hearty their fall plants actually are. Fall mums love cold weather.

"They actually can take a light frost. Most of everything out here can take a light frost. It's when it gets below low 30s, especially at night -- like 28, 29 -- that you just want to cover them up," Carlie Volbrechd, the annuals and perennials manager at Gertens, said. "It's really the nighttime temperatures that we are worried about, and if it drops to high 20s for a couple of hours, at like 5 or 6 in the morning, usually most things, most of the fall annuals can take that. It's just the prolonged [twenties they would need to be covered]."

The other fall activity gardeners try to get in before the winter frost is clearing those perennials.

Nora Cruden said she's feeling a little behind on that chore, since our nice fall days have been so rare.

"Cutting back on the perennials and things, that I'm behind on this year because when it's nice out lately you've rather do other things like go for a walk rather than garden," Cruden said.

However, Volbrechd said you don't necessarily need to do that before winter. It would be just as good to do that in the spring.

The takeaway: Don't feel too rushed, or behind, since it looks like the next week looks favorable for gardeners.

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