The weather outside is frightful and if your plants are like mine, they may not be so delightful. In fact, my Chilean jasmine vine is looking like toast—and not in a good way. But I’ll repeat what I wrote last year: any plants lost in the garden this winter open opportunities for growing something new next season. It doesn’t mean, though, that I’m not doing what I can to protect my marginally hardy plants. You can, too, with a few simple steps:

Mulch your plants with a thick and fluffy coating. All those leaves you raked up should be shredded and piled on your tender tendrils. This will help winter vegetables keep producing (if you’re lucky) the cold season veggies, like carrots, kale, and sturdy greens.

Cold and wet is better than cold and dry. The Portland area’s recent scourge of record-dropping temperatures with clear blue skies was rough on gardeners. The cold keeps the plants from taking in moisture and without any rain, they’re more likely to die from lack of water than from the cold itself. It’s a bad combo. Watering plants before a deep freeze will help them more than hurt them.

Plants in pots? Bring them inside the garage, or bury them in the ground for the winter. Roots of potted plants are above ground and more susceptible to cold temperatures. Again, make sure they have some water.

If we are expecting really low temperatures, I’ve been known to throw sheets or an old blanket over delicate shrubs. This even includes wrapping some in Christmas lights and leaving them on day and night. They’re not longterm solutions, but they can work. If you’re using a cover, stick in a few bamboo supports to tent it to help with insulation and place less weight on the plant itself. Also, denser blankets will block light, so don’t leave them on for more than a few days.

Look on the bright side: colder winters mean overwintering pests may have just gotten their death wish. Same with some diseases. Snap goes the cold: snap goes some problems.

And what about folks with chickens? Don’t let their waddles freeze off. I’m not kidding. You need to watch waddles for frostbite, but generally, chickens will do fine in dropping temperatures, so long as you make sure they have plenty of scratch, and keep their water replenished frequently, and not frozen. You can rotate two waterers in and out of the house, or buy a heated base to set your water on.

Portland’s Urban Farm Store circulated a handy message to its mailing list during our recent freeze, and recommended some tips, including reuse of the brooder reflector and bulb that you may have used when you had chicks, and mounting it 3 feet above where the chickens are roosting. Also, insulate the coop and block drafts with a blanket: it’s most important to protect your chickens at night when they’re sleeping and not moving much. Just like us, chickens dry out during extreme cold, and a dab of Vaseline on their waddles helps prevent frostbite and protect moisture.

Chickens aren’t the only birds in the garden that could use some TLC when the weather gets so cold. If snow hits, food and bits under brush become difficult to access; keeping feeders full during such periods is nice for the birds and gives you something fantastic to watch out those windows to the winter wonderland. A white, snow-filled garden is much more delightful when it’s full of bird life.

Now where did I set that cup of cocoa and those seed catalogs? Ah, yes—seasonal gardening at its best.

LeAnn Locher is an OSU Extension Master Gardener and is hibernating this winter. Expect to see her Sassy Gardener column back regularly late winter, with plenty of spring ideas to keep you busy. In the meantime, stay in touch via her blog at lelonopo.com.