SARASOTA, Fla. — Farmers at Jessica's Organic Farm in Sarasota picked up special blankets Monday that covered crops during last week's cold spell, luckily finding minimal damage along the way.

Andrew Hudson says he was especially worried because it’s peak season.

“I think we would have lost a quarter of our stuff if we hadn’t covered it. This saved a huge amount of money,” he said.

Hudson’s team worked around the clock to cover nearly two acres of crops, including lettuces, chard, and beets—all of which are especially vulnerable to freezing.

“It’s very stressful. We’ve lost half of our crops to cold before. Even though this one went well, it’s all hands on deck when it gets cold,” he said.

While the effort paid off for most of the farm, some crops did suffer damage, but for Hudson there's no time to worry about any losses.

“This is a La Niña year. More cold snaps are expected. We’re ready for the next one,” he said.

The blankets work, but they are time-consuming.

It took Hudson’s team 30 hours to cover—and later remove—the blankets from nearly two acres of crops.

It’s just one of the many ways local farmers are fighting to protect their harvests through unpredictable winter weather.