Cold snap in Southwest Florida keeps farmers on edge over frost risks

As a stretch of cold weather continues in Southwest Florida, growers in inland areas are keeping a close eye on their crops, knowing that frost can make or break a season.

At Roosters Produce, owner Trevor Baer says even one calm, cold night can pose a serious threat to crops like tomatoes. While temperatures didn’t drop as low as initially feared, Baer says the concern isn’t the number on the thermometer, it’s whether frost settles on the plants.

“If the frost gets on the tomato plants, it’ll kill the plant,” Baer said. “So you definitely get nervous.”

Growers across inland Southwest Florida prepared in different ways ahead of the cold. Some residents said they moved orchids indoors or covered plants overnight, while others ran irrigation to help protect roots and prevent frost from forming.  

Still, preparation often means long nights and early mornings. Baer says he was back in the fields before sunrise, checking conditions after one of the coldest nights so far this season.

“You lose a lot of your time, a lot of money,” Baer said. “But it’s also kind of a punch to the gut. You put all this time into it, and then you lose it with the frost.”

Shoppers at the farmers market said the cold was noticeable inland, even if the worst-case scenario didn’t materialize. Some said they kept checking the forecast overnight, relieved temperatures stayed just above freezing.

Growers say nights like these are a reminder that farming in Southwest Florida still comes with uncertainty, even in a subtropical climate. While conditions appear more favorable heading into the next night, Baer says farmers will continue monitoring weather patterns closely as the cold stretch continues.