Chicago weather: Frost possible across McHenry County, Wisconsin
Horticulturist offers tips on how to protect plants from frost
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Parts of the Chicago area could see their first frost of the season tonight as October gets off to a chilly start.
The National Weather Service issued a Frost Advisory for McHenry County and southern Wisconsin for 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday.
RELATED: ABC7 AccuWeather Forecast
Frost is certainly possible across other parts of the Chicago area as well, ABC7 meteorologist Tracy Butler said. Frost is also possible Friday night and Saturday.
Chalet Garden and Nursery Center horticulturist Jennifer Brennan joined ABC7 live Thursday morning to share tips for protecting your outdoor plants from frost.
"You can protect your plants by just putting stakes up around the beds and throwing a sheet over the top," Brennan said. "You want to anchor the edges down, the corners down, with rocks or old shoes or something just so it's going to trap the warm soil temperature up around the plants."
Brennan said that method works well up until a hard freeze. She added that gardeners should take special care to protect flowering plants, especially subtropical ones that are more sensitive to cold temperatures, like begonias and impatiens.
If you're moving plants indoors, Brennan also encourages gardeners to use an insecticide to kill any bugs living on the plant or in the soil.
The average date of the first frost in the Chicago area is usually not until around October 15, Brennan said.
