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Post by grunt on May 22, 2010 19:15:49 GMT -5
I'll say it again, frost is a four letter word. I'm not actually sure we got a true frost or not, as my thermometer registered 0.5C as a low (33F), but some of my squash, melons, beans, and a couple of tomatoes got a little too cool overnight. I'll have to wait a day or two to see what I have actually lost, and what was just damaged, but it's a bit disconcerting, coming more than two weeks later than any frost I've seen here in the last 8 years.  A few tomatoes definitely bit the dust.  These squash got hit worse than the melons in the next hoop house. I don't think the growing tips were damaged on most of them, so they may just be set back.  Most of my bean teepee plantings look like this. Again, I don't think the growing tips were hurt on most. I'll know just what I've lost in a couple more days. The few cowpeas I have planted, and a couple of runner beans seemed to shrug it off. I guess it just doesn't pay to get impatient in the spring = duh. |
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Post by ottawagardener on May 23, 2010 8:20:45 GMT -5
Aarg! Good to know about the cowpeas and runner beans. A couple years back when I accidentally tried this experiment, I was interested in the relatively hardiness to 'near' frost. Like you, I'm not sure if we had frost or just something really close to it. The peppers were limp in the morning but had recovered by the afternoon. The tomatoes look okay but then later were singed white in places and the physalias shrugged it off. It make sense to me that your runner beans weren't affected as I know they are a perennial in really mild areas so maybe it takes a true frost or a couple frosts to kill them to the ground.
Wishing you and your plants warm, recovering thoughts!
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Post by bluelacedredhead on May 23, 2010 8:40:38 GMT -5
Dan, sorry to see that you had damage to your plants.  Late frosts are so depressing. I hope losses were minimal. |
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Post by bunkie on May 23, 2010 16:10:19 GMT -5
oh man dan, so sorry to hear and see those babies hit. we have had hard frosts (28F) the last three nights too, and this is a couple weeks past our usual last frost date. i have been covering our plants outside with cloth and reemay. so far just tips of the broad beans were hit. also a flat of zinnias looks a little brown on top. the toms, squash, etc... are in the cold greenhouse and managed fine...cukes just a tad wimpy.
last night just before i covered everything, we had a wicked thunderstorm with SNOW, then rain. poor plants. i put soaking wet blankets on them...luckily they did ok.
sending your seedlings some 'healing' vibes!
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on May 23, 2010 17:52:44 GMT -5
some of my squash, melons, beans, and a couple of tomatoes got a little too cool overnight. ... two weeks later than any frost I've seen here in the last 8 years. I'm still waiting for my average last frost date... Regards, Joseph |
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Post by ottawagardener on May 23, 2010 19:30:14 GMT -5
Do tell Joseph. When is your average last frost? Ours is supposed to be around the end of the first week of May but I've seen frost as late as the first week of June. I'd say that most of the time, in the city, I can set out frost tender plants around mid-May. This year has been an anomoly in reverse with warm, dry weather.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on May 23, 2010 20:09:07 GMT -5
Do tell Joseph. When is your average last frost? Decoration day is usually safe for me. That's the last week of May. I often plant an earlier crop of tender things like cucumbers 2-3 weeks sooner just in case the frost ends earlier then I have a head-start. I don't mind putting seeds in the ground early, but I am very hesitant to set out things that I have started in pots since I have so much labor invested in them. It's looking like tonight will be my last frost this year. Then the 10 day forecast is for temperatures at night in the 40s. So in the next few days I intend to plant about 300 tomato plants, and 300 peppers, and 200 other assorted transplants. This year I am trying some new season extenders... I planted cantaloupe, cucumbers, and assorted summer squash in pots about 3 weeks ago. I'm hoping they will get me an earlier crop. I am also growing potatoes from true botanical seed. (Courtesy of Tom Wagner and GRIN.) Can you believe that the cabbage yellows are already flying around? I have floating row covers for them this year.... Time to put them on. I am already harvesting onions, lettuce, spearmint, and spinach. Regards, Joseph |
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Post by wildseed57 on May 25, 2010 12:40:10 GMT -5
Dan I'm sorry to hear of your woes, I hope that some of you frost damaged plants make it and that it doesn't effect your total amount of your needed crops.
I had all kinds of damage I lost some do to the fact that I set them out to early and although the day temps were ok the night temps were unstable and would drop into the low 40F.'s and upper 30F.'s. Then came the Hail from a close tornado I lost most of my cucumbers that in pots along with all my lettuce that I had planted. Then I almost lost all my sweet peppers, for the same darn reason, I ended up with just bearly enough and I decided to buy a few insted of starting over.
Its past for any frost now and the temps took a big jump into the upper 80F. mark, so I have been busy planting every thing I have.
George
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Post by grunt on May 25, 2010 15:20:49 GMT -5
It looks like I'll end up direct sowing a lot of beans, just to have something growing on the teepees. It won't be the varieties I originally planted as I have no more seed for most of them, but I should still get to harvest at least part of the new plantings. I didn't lose any melon varieties, although I did lose a couple of plants. Squash are a different story = I lost about 80% of the varieties I had started. I will try direct sowing replacements of those that I have enough seed to do so and still have some left, and hope to get at least one fruit from each. Those that I don't have enough for two plantings of, will have to wait until next year = I don't want to risk not getting anything in return if I don't have more seed. I have a feeling that some sort of greenhouse is going to get built here this summer, and plantouts are going to be little more cautious in the future. I hate wasting the labor, and having the dream harvest stolen.
Cheers
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Post by wildseed57 on May 28, 2010 20:44:04 GMT -5
For us in Missouri we are getting more summer like temps, I spent a good part of last weekend and two days this week building and filling raised beds and then quickly getting them planted and fenced in to protect them from my sister's dog from digging them up. I'm not as worried about loosing what i had to bad weather. some of the beds will be set up to hold poly tunnels for cabbage and other cold crops that will then be used for protecting salad and cooking greens in the spring along with protecting seedlings that need a early start. We have a storage and woork shot that part of it will become a haven for starting my seeds and keeping them safe till planting time.
George W.
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