Protecting Your Pots Through The Winter

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Can plant pots stay out all winter?

Some withstand winter weather just fine, metals like cast iron, zinc, copper, as well as wood or fiberglass pots shrug off the snow and cold, so you can fill them with greens and keep them on display. Concrete or cast stone can age a bit quicker if left out all year, although pots closer to your warm house tend to fare better - but concrete pots are so heavy, I can't imagine moving them every year.

Terracotta pots are notorious for cracking in winter, so it's smart to empty the soil out of those clay pots and stack them inside until spring. Glazing helps and some newer ceramic pots are stamped 'frost resistant' - but doesn't mean 'freeze-proof,' so it's safer not to risk it.

Modern plastic and foam planters should withstand freezing, although I've seen some crack from freeze/thaw cycles too, and since they tend to be lighterweight, it's often easier to just move them into a shed or garage with other fragile pots than to risk losing a planter you like to winter weather.