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What's the best way to winterize our planter boxes to protect them from cracking?
As the leaves fall and the air bites with frost, I feel the cold seeping into my clay soul. I am a planter box – sturdy all summer, but now I whisper a humble plea: please help me survive the winter without cracking. You see, I am porous and proud, but water is my undoing. When moisture sneaks into my pores and freezes, it expands with a force that splits me apart. That is the ache I fear most.
The best way to keep me whole is to treat me like a friend who needs a dry coat. First, lift me off the cold ground with small feet or bricks. Standing directly on frozen soil traps moisture against my base, and that is where the first hairline crack begins. Next, empty me of soil if you can, or at least cover my top with a waterproof tarp. If I am made of terracotta or ceramic, I cannot breathe when water freezes inside – so please, store me in a garage or shed if possible. But if I must stay outside, insulate my walls with bubble wrap or burlap. Wrap me like a warm scarf, leaving my drainage hole uncovered so any trapped water can escape. Finally, never fill me with wet soil over winter. A dry, empty planter is a happy planter. Give me a clean home, and I promise to greet you in spring with the same strong, unfractured shape you first loved.
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