At what low temperature do you make efforts to protect outside faucets, etc?

During a “hard freeze” which is defined as any time the temperature drops below 28 for more than 2 hours.

In the south, at 40. The effort it takes to put an insulated protector on the backflow valve and hose bibs is nil.

Knowing that I will need to do it at some point I winterize when the first front comes. I am in Houma so I don't get a full blast but it is a good starting point. For me I just have to make sure a couple faucets and pipes are wrapped. Then I just move the plants in when needed.

To the OP, I believe it depends on your setup. If you're in a brick home, I'd say just wrap a towel around the outside faucet and you'd be good probably down to the upper teens. Lower than that and you'd need to take more thorough precautions. If you're in a home raised above the ground at all, then I'd say maybe low-mid 20's is the danger zone.

I'm in a brick home and have never had problems with faucets freezing - including my self-made debacle on the OT a few years ago . Coldest my home has experienced is a couple episodes of single digits over the years and many prolonged below freezing periods.

I don't understand why they don't just use freeze proof hardware like they do everywhere farther north. I don't do anything besides drain and disconnect the hose, and we'll have days at a time under freezing. This same question gets asked every year, so the point that the right hardware just isn't needed farther south must not be right.

It's not just how cold but it's how long, and how cold has it been.

A single night or 2 like right now where it dips into the 20s, no big deal. If you get consecutive days where's it below freezing and mid day temps are in the 30s, then you should prepare.

Don't forget to unhook and drain your garden timers.

I cover mine with the plastic/styrofoam cones when it will drop below the 20s for several days straight.