Oh, the weather outside is frightful....but don't do what I did!

[bigbubbacain]

Ok, I knew yesterday that we had temps in the 30's coming for the next 2 nights, so I draped a 20' x 27' sheet over my raised bed. I didn't account for the wind and rain that would precede these low temps. I've spent most of the afternoon/evening removing plastic that was reduced to shreds by the wind. In lieu of the plastic, I have a reserve of very large pots that I decided to employ as cover for each individual plant. My fingers are still numb, and I'm just gonna hold my breath that I can make it through the next two nights and not lose any more plants. I just don't know anymore!

[Sherry_AK]

Now that's bad news! Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

[dustdevil]

Putting the large pots over them should help a lot. Even if they get nipped a bit, don't give up on them bouncing back.

[Suze]

I feel your pain! I wrapped all the tomato cages in row cover this afternoon, and it was a bit of an ordeal in all that wind, to put it mildly.

[b54red]

I put down some landscaping fabric this morning to help with the weeds only to find it all over the place this afternoon. They sure didn't supply enough pins to hold it down in the winds we are having. Still waiting to put tomatoes into the ground. Now I have plenty just large enough. They just changed the forecast here for lows in the low 40's for the next couple of days and after that warming up. I always wait ten days after that tree in the front yard leafs out and it usually pays off. We haven't had any frost but a couple of cool wet nights that I think are responsible for a couple of dying tomatoes that were out hardening off. The only other loses I've had is from plants being literally blown away.

[Mojo]

Feh! At this point they can fend for themselves! I was not about to go outside and try wrapping cages in plastic and making them MORE likely to be tipped over by wind gusts. (Shelly called me and suggested five-gallon buckets. For THAT many plants? Ha ha ha, it'd be cheaper to start over with Chef Jeff pots from the local nursery!)

The grand irony in this latest weather tantrum is that the plants that are most likely to be victimized are the ones that have been doing the best so far, e.g., big tall and leafy. The less-healthy ones (i.e., the ones I burnt during potting up) aren't as tall and are thus less vulnerable to the wind.

Even so, everyone is getting a dose of Tomato Thrive, Medina Soil Activator and a bit of dilute fish emulsion this week once things settle.

UPDATE: I went outside. It was nippy. But everyone looked for the most part OK. There was a bit of minor wind damage on a few, and I think some of the leggier plants are candidates for being replanted trench-style (I'm only two weeks in the ground), but otherwise things look acceptable.

[bigbubbacain]

I agree. It would be cheaper to start with the Chef Jeff's. The only ones of mine that will suffer the most are the cherry types because they were so tall when I planted them.

[rxkeith]

ok, i won't do it.

we had snow flurries yesterday. after really nice weather earlier in the week, we have returned to the reality of michigan weather in march. jekyll and hyde sums it up. my son and i played in the park thursday.


keith

[hornstrider]

bigbubbacain I also feel your cold, numb pain.......I too was out in my garden yesterday afternoon, and early evening fighting that cold blustery north wind.....I have sort of prepared for this as I wrapped my cages w/ plastic as soon as I planted my maters. I live in Hutto, Tex, and live on top of a small hill, and the wind is relentless year around because of the lack of trees for a windbreak......I have been saving bags of grass clippings, and leaves (from my daughter)........So this is what I did yesterday.........I filled up the cages w/ grass clippings a couple of inches above the top of the mater plant.......I believe it was just above freezing last night.........but tonight the sky will be clear, and I am afraid of a better chance of a freeze...............Here is where I need some help........like I said the cages are filled w/ grass clippings right now as I type this..........and tonight is another chance of freeze...........do I leave the grass clippings in the cages all day, or do I open up, and spread the clippings, and do it again late this afternoon...Please see link...........

http://www.psgtee.com/polor.html

[duajones]

I went ahead and covered my plants even though the low was forecast to be around 40. Woke up this morning to 35. May have not been necessary but better safe than sorry

[desertlzbn]

Originally Posted by hornstrider

bigbubbacain I also feel your cold, numb pain.......I too was out in my garden yesterday afternoon, and early evening fighting that cold blustery north wind.....I have sort of prepared for this as I wrapped my cages w/ plastic as soon as I planted my maters. I live in Hutto, Tex, and live on top of a small hill, and the wind is relentless year around because of the lack of trees for a windbreak......I have been saving bags of grass clippings, and leaves (from my daughter)........So this is what I did yesterday.........I filled up the cages w/ grass clippings a couple of inches above the top of the mater plant.......I believe it was just above freezing last night.........but tonight the sky will be clear, and I am afraid of a better chance of a freeze...............Here is where I need some help........like I said the cages are filled w/ grass clippings right now as I type this..........and tonight is another chance of freeze...........do I leave the grass clippings in the cages all day, or do I open up, and spread the clippings, and do it again late this afternoon...Please see link...........

http://www.psgtee.com/polor.html

If it were me, I would take and cut out circles and put over the top of the cages too, use clothes pins to secure. You don't want the dew to come down and settle on the leave and them get frost. I successfully over wintered 5 tomato plants that way. I also had a clamp light in each plant which may not be feasible if you have lots of plants, but I have heard Christmas lights work (the big bulb kind) too.

[bigbubbacain]

Originally Posted by Mojo

Even so, everyone is getting a dose of Tomato Thrive, Medina Soil Activator and a bit of dilute fish emulsion this week once things settle.

Where is Tomato Thrive sold in Houston?

[bigbubbacain]

Originally Posted by hornstrider

bigbubbacain I also feel your cold, numb pain.......I too was out in my garden yesterday afternoon, and early evening fighting that cold blustery north wind.....I have sort of prepared for this as I wrapped my cages w/ plastic as soon as I planted my maters. I live in Hutto, Tex, and live on top of a small hill, and the wind is relentless year around because of the lack of trees for a windbreak......I have been saving bags of grass clippings, and leaves (from my daughter)........So this is what I did yesterday.........I filled up the cages w/ grass clippings a couple of inches above the top of the mater plant.......I believe it was just above freezing last night.........but tonight the sky will be clear, and I am afraid of a better chance of a freeze...............Here is where I need some help........like I said the cages are filled w/ grass clippings right now as I type this..........and tonight is another chance of freeze...........do I leave the grass clippings in the cages all day, or do I open up, and spread the clippings, and do it again late this afternoon...Please see link...........

http://www.psgtee.com/polor.html

Hornstrider, that looks good. A buddy of mine in Kentucky does the same thing. Says it works well. Tell me about those irrigations hoses of yours. Where did you get them? What brand?

[TomatoDon]

I learned my lesson years ago. Now I wait till our last frost date and only if I have a good TEN DAY forecast do I set anything out.

My father was a cotton farmer and always said he planted late but he never planted twice.

[hornstrider]

Hornstrider, that looks good. A buddy of mine in Kentucky does the same thing. Says it works well. Tell me about those irrigations hoses of yours. Where did you get them? What brand?

They are soaker hoses. Best soaker hoses I have ever used. They are flat, and have a cloth outer wrapping, and the water drips out rather spraying out. They are different than the soaker hoses made out of old tires. These work more like drip irrigation hoses. ( I have those also, but I like this set up much better). I purchased them at Home Depot (In Hutto) for $8.95 for a 25 foot hose.

If it were me, I would take and cut out circles and put over the top of the cages too, use clothes pins to secure. You don't want the dew to come down and settle on the leave and them get frost. I successfully over wintered 5 tomato plants that way. I also had a clamp light in each plant which may not be feasible if you have lots of plants, but I have heard Christmas lights work (the big bulb kind) too.

I just finished pulling up all of my mater cages, and spreading out the mulch , and setting the mater cages back up. For tonight I plan to bring home a box of t-shirt mis-prints (I am in the t-shirt screen printing business), and stuff t-shirts around the mater plants since I now have a thick layer of mulch under each mater plant. I have over 30 mater plants in the ground, and light are out of the question, but thank you for the advice.