GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) -Local farms and nurseries are taking the necessary steps to protect their spring crops as the National Weather Service has issued a frost advisory from 1:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. Thursday for portions of eastern North Carolina.

They say the extremely low temperatures could kill vegetation and other plants like strawberries.

The owner of a strawberry farm in the east says he plans to cover the plants Wednesday night to protect them from freezing.

He also says typically in about a month from now people will be picking strawberries from the field.

Emme Wainright of Little’s Nursery in Greenville says it’s important to take the warning seriously. “There really is nothing that you can do after frost hits them like that besides clip them back and hope that they will recover but majority of the time they don’t.”

If you have plants outside you are encouraged to cover them up or bring them inside.