Description
Frost risk is an important fact of life for agriculture. Freezing temperatures restrict the length of the growing season and are responsible for reductions in yield and quality of agricultural crops. Sensitive crops can suffer serious damage at temperatures above freezing as well. In either case, the minimum temperature is critical. Of all the weather factors affecting agriculture, minimum temperature is among the most variable from place to place. Adjacent fields and garden sites can have very different frost-free periods, and are therefore suited to different uses. Risk can be reduced by careful management of the land and effective reaction to forecasts. Late spring and early fall frosts usually involve minimum temperatures just slightly below freezing, It is in these situations that preventive measures can be most effective. By successfully averting a single freezing situation, the growing season may be extended by weeks.