Greenhouse vs. Frost Cover: Which Is Better for Extending Your Growing Season?

Winter is often referred to as the fallow season – a time when motivation dwindles to the negatives and fields lay barren. While often peddled as a season of cheery Christmas lights and banal platitudes that celebrate the sanctity of life, the reality is often far crueler, and for many, winter was a season filled with death, one that the Old Russian poets were well acquainted with. 

Fortunately, modern advancements means that your crops are no longer decimated by blight and famine. For gardeners living in extreme climates, frost covers and greenhouses may be the difference between life and death for their plants. Both are designed to shield your plants from the elements and buy you precious weeks (or even months) of extra growing time, but they operate on different scales. Below is a guide on choosing which is the best fit for your garden.

1. The Frost Cover 

Frost covers range from lightweight floating row covers to burlap and heavy-duty blankets, though many gravitate towards the less bulky ones, like this durable Vego frost cover. They work by trapping the heat radiating from the soil and blocking cold winds, typically buying you a 3-to-8-degree Fahrenheit buffer against unexpected temperature drops. Along with raised beds, frost covers along you to broaden the amount of vegetables you can grow. 

Best for: Gardeners looking for low-cost, targeted protection for garden beds during sudden spring or fall freezes.

Pros:

• Inexpensive and Accessible: You can protect an entire raised bed for the cost of a few cups of coffee using spun-bond polyester or repurposed bedsheets.

• Easy to Deploy & Store: They are accessible to gardeners who find themselves derailed by the daunting DIY work process. Put them up when a frost warning hits, and fold them away when the sun comes out.

• Gentle on Plants: Lightweight floating row covers allow rain and sunlight to filter through, meaning your plants still get the essential elements of life. 

Cons:

• Limited Protection: A frost cover won’t save your warm-season crops when a winter freeze mires them in merciless, subzero conditions. 

• Manual Labor: You have to constantly monitor the weather, putting covers on at night and taking them off during the day so plants don’t overheat or miss out on pollination.

• Still Have to Deal with Cold Weather: While they shelter your plants, you’re still left out in the cold when tending to your crops.

2. The Greenhouse 

A greenhouse is for those that seek to live a charmed life, though they are utilitarian at heart. Greenhouses act as thermal batteries, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it slowly overnight. With supplemental heating, a greenhouse can even defy winter altogether. 

Best for: Dedicated hobbyists, homesteaders, and gardeners who want to start seeds in January, grow tropicals, or harvest fresh greens through a snowy December.

Pros:

• Maximum Season Extension: Depending on your setup, you can easily stretch your growing season to a year-round adventure.

• Comfortable Working Space: Step inside, and you’re sheltered from wind, rain, and snow. You can pot seedlings, organize tools, and tend plants in absolute comfort.

• Aesthetic Appearance: The new line of greenhouses, featuring Victorian and Pavilion versions, is an ode to a time when fragile plants that would have perished under cruel conditions were preserved beneath crystalline panes of glass. Now, this elegance is distilled into a fine craftsmanship that combines both the beauty of the last years of the 19th century with modern engineering. 

Cons:

• High Upfront Cost: From materials and foundations to potential ventilation and heating systems, greenhouses can cost thousands of dollars. 

• Space and Permitting: They take up permanent yard space and may require local building permits or HOA approval depending on their size.

• Active Management Required: Greenhouses can transform into solar ovens on sunny winter days, meaning you must manage ventilation and watering meticulously to avoid cooking your plants. Fortunately, Vego greenhouses feature multiple built-in roof vents and adjustable windows that prevent overheating. 

Quick Comparison

Which One Should You Choose?

The right choice ultimately boils down to your goals, your budget, and your climate.

• Go with a Frost Cover if: You just want to get a two-week head start on your spring lettuce, protect your tomato plants from a rogue late-spring frost, or keep autumn greens alive through early light freezes without splurging. 

• Go with a Greenhouse if: You dream of starting your entire garden from seed in late winter, want to grow exotic or frost-sensitive plants year-round, and view gardening as a devoted passion rather than a casual seasonal hobby.