The extent of possible damage done by night frosts will be clearer in the next couple of weeks, though some market gardeners are saying that their produce escaped any serious harm.

Jenny Kulbok, overseer of the Jussi farm in Metsavere, Pärnu County, suspects that last week's night frosts damaged 10 hectares-worth of blackcurrant plants.

"You can't see it right away on the blackcurrants, as the blossoms are still closed, but it will become clear in about two weeks whether the buds were harmed or not. Fortunately, the summer flowers weren't affected, but our tomato greenhouse is the oldest building and with just a single layer of plastic, but luckily my husband came and managed to save it during the night," Kulbok said.

Merike Lepik, head of Neeva aiandi nursery, also in Pärnu County, meanwhile, said that the night frost had an effect, though not a major one.

"It pinched some fresh leaves a little, but we covered our plants nicely and brought many of them indoors to the warm. In general, if you water them properly and give them fertilizer, they can recover well," Lepik said.

Heli Viedehof, who manages the Tamme talu herb garden center, said plants were well protected from the cold.

"We always take precautions in advance to make sure the plants are covered for these cold nights, and we actually start preparing earlier as well," she said.

Springtime work is already underway for home gardeners visiting the garden center too.

One, Janno, said: "I've managed to prune the fruit trees, rake, clean up — simple tasks like that. Now I'm buying seedlings, fruit trees, and expanding my conifer collection."

"I've cleaned up the garden beds, done the so-called spring garden care, and definitely worked a lot on the lawn — I've already mowed it too," another, Liina, added.

Gardening experts say that those who haven't yet pruned their fruit trees are already too late to do so, but there is time for all the other normal spring work.

Lepik said: "As soon as the weather warms up again, it's time to start fertilizing the plants. If anyone still hasn't uncovered their roses, now is the last chance to do that and also prune them back."

Viedehof added that now is a good time to sow dill and parsley, and to plant cabbages. "You can still sow practically all plants. No gardener is too late for anything yet — so better not to rush," she said.

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