Protect plants from frost - how?

the two guides are probably for different plants. tender stuff in pots: bring it in or against a house wall. things in the ground: fleece or an old bedsheet over them at dusk, pegged so it reaches the ground and traps the warmth, off again in the morning so they don't cook under it. plastic sheet is the usual mistake - it touches the leaves and the leaf freezes to it. water the soil in the afternoon before a frost night, damp soil holds more heat than dry. and leave frost-damaged growth on until spring, it shelters what's underneath.