Austin-area farmers, fearing 'grim' freeze, scramble to harvest, protect crops

Austin's weather forecast is already wreaking havoc on local farms. 

"If what comes to pass happens, it’s going to be grim," says Erin Flynn, who co-owns Green Gate Farms in Austin and Bastrop with her husband, Skip Connett. "What we typically do to handle a freeze is water well, mulch and cover with row cover. If you can add heat, that’s great, but that's the most you can do."

With a weather forecast like the one we are facing, with temperatures dropping below freezing for five days and possibly heavy winter precipitation, farmers also are scrambling to harvest what they can before the extended cold weather sets in.

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"Farmers are going to be trying to get rid of everything they can this weekend," Flynn says.

Most of this weekend's farmers markets, including Green Gate's farmstand at 8310 Canoga Ave. in East Austin, are still scheduled to take place as planned, and shoppers will likely find even more wintertime produce than usual, such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, beets, broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard and bok choy. 

Becky Hume, who runs VRDNT Farm in Bastrop, calls the forecast "very concerning."

"We're doing everything we can to prepare," including using row cover and watering the crops, but even the hardiest winter vegetables can't withstand a multi-day freeze with temperatures lingering in the teens. 

A freeze versus farmers' spring crops

Hume says that the timing of the freeze comes at a difficult time for farmers because they've already heavily invested in spring crops. Some farmers still have those transplants in greenhouses, which means they can protect them a little better than if they are already in the field.

Hume and Flynn both use a CSA — or community-supported agriculture — program to sell produce directly to customers. "The CSA model is exponentially supportive for small farms," Hume says. "Families are all chipping in and paying me a little up front for my produce, and that helps me feel safer that if all my crops do get wiped out, there will be some capital available to replant."

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Flynn says that a deep freeze and several inches of snow won't hurt only what they sell but also what they donate. Green Gate makes regular donations to the Bastrop food pantry, which they won't be able to do if they lose the last of their winter crops or the start of their spring season is delayed. 

If you're a home gardener hoping to save some of your produce, harvest whatever vegetables you can, apply a new layer of mulch to help protect the plants and cover everything else with some kind of cover.  

Take some time to add extra mulch to the base of fruit trees, but newly planted trees might not survive, even if covered, Flynn says.