JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Freezing temperatures can be detrimental to plants and crops. It is suggested that people should bring their plants inside before the weather gets too cold. However, some plants and crops can't be moved.
Everything at Eartha's Farm & Market, near Moncrief Park in Jacksonville, is farm-to-table. When the weather is freezing, some of their produce can withstand the cold.
Farm Director Sarah Salvatore says they are growing in-season vegetables: cabbages, kale and collard greens. Salvatore suggests these crops can still grow in cold temperatures, as low as 30 degrees. She says the winter season is one of the more productive seasons in North Florida.
But, while some of the farm's sensitive plants could be covered in frost tarp, Salvatore says they thoroughly water the soil before cold temperatures arrive.
"Actually, watering your soil really thoroughly the day before, which sounds counterintuitive but, actually water holds heat better," Salvatore told First Coast News. "When it unthaws, it [the water] releases heat into the atmosphere, which allows the crops and soil to warm up slowly."
Salvatore says the purpose behind Eartha's Farm & Market is to address food insecurities on Jacksonville's Northside. The farm director says the Northside has "the worst health outcome in all of the city of Jacksonville."
"Our goal is to change eating habits, the education on how to change your eating habits, but then also provide it and make it accessible to people," Salvatore said.
First Coast News' weather team is expecting a round of sub-freezing temperatures this upcoming weekend. At least two freezes are likely in Jacksonville, with inland locations possibly experiencing a hard freeze on Sunday morning.