How to Care for Berry Plants in Cold Weather in Georgia

Pull the weakest strawberry plants, as well as the daughter plants and runners that haven’t established yet, from the ground a few weeks before the first frost of the season, until you have five to seven healthy plants per square foot.

Cultivate the soil around strawberry plants to a depth of 1/2 to 1 inch, using a garden hoe for the task. Spread 4 inches of loose, non-compacting mulch, such as bark chips, over the strawberry plants when the temperature drops to between 20 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or when the ground freezes to a depth of 1/2-inch. Remove the mulch when the threat of frost passes in spring.

Drape the loose end of a roll of black, 3.5-mil-thick0polyethylene over large plants, shrubs or vines when the threat of frost emerges in winter. You find black polyethylene at home and garden stores in rolls ranging in size from 3 feet by 25 feet to 20 feet by 100 feet.

Cut the sheeting so it’s large enough to cover the plants, shrubs or vines and still touch the ground by a few inches, using a utility knife for the job.

Position rocks, bricks, firewood or other heavy objects on the edges of the sheeting to anchor it to the ground. Cover every portion of the plastic that touches the ground to retain as much heat as possible around the plant under the sheet.

Position cardboard boxes over plants or shrubs small enough to fit inside them, with the flaps opened outward and lying flat on the ground, when the danger of frost arises in winter. Place rocks or other heavy objects on the flaps to secure the box to the ground.

Insert four wood stakes about 1 foot taller than the berry shrub in the ground on all four sides of the plant, about 1 foot out from the spread, before the first hard frost of the season. If protecting a row of shrubs, insert one stake at the each of the four corners of the row. Insert the stakes 1 foot in the ground.

Staple the loose end of a roll of spun-bonded, semi-permeable, polyethylene or polyolefin material to one of the stakes, using a staple gun for the task, to use as a windbreak. Staple the material at 1-inch intervals. You can use old bed sheets for single plants.

Staple the material at each the stakes at 1-inch intervals, pulling it taut as you go, until all sides of the shrub or row of shrubs are surrounded by the windbreak material. Remove the windbreak when the threat of frost passes in spring.

Water the soil around evergreen berry plants to a depth of 6 to 8 inches just before a long period of cold or strong winds.