dad-gumit to hail

PaulF · May 22, 2011

A fast moving thunderstorm ripped through my little village tonight. I was watching the Cubs when the satellite went into search mode and that told me it was going to do something. It did, alright. First came a drizzle of rain, then it rained a little harder. The rain let up for a second or two and we were belted with pea sized hail. All of a sudden the wind came in from the south and the golf ball sized white ice was smashing against the windows. Only had one break. That let up and the marble sized hail started to fall in earnest. For about ten minutes we watched the yard get covered as if it were winter again. Then the golf ball sized crap started in again. The picture on the TV came back and I knew it was just about over. In forty minutes we got almost an inch of precipitation not including the hail.

I didn't even want to check on the tomatoes and peppers, but forced myself. Out of 24 tomato plants, only four were completely gone. A couple were beaten up. Safe in the garage there are spares, but most likely not of the lost plants. Of twelve peppers, four were still above the mud. I will have to replace several types.

For the first time in my gardening history, hail has taken its toll. One year out of forty is not too bad; I lucked out. Not wiped out at least.

How's Lincoln, Piegirl?

barefootgardener · May 22, 2011

Paul, sorry to hear your plants got beat up. Hail and heavy rains can be quite damaging to gardens..We never know when it will sneak up on us..Good to hear most of your tomatoes survived and you have some backups...As for the peppers, that sucks!

Last Saturday I planted around 50 tomato plants in outdoor garden..Then the forecast called for a heavy freeze Monday..I double covered everything, but the strong winds we had blew some covers off in the evening..It got down to 27 degrees..Lost some good tomatoes..But had plenty more I kept back in coldframe in GH..Thank goodness. Everything planted in GH survived..And cold weather crops planted out in garden survived..No peppers are planted outside yet!

rwsacto · May 22, 2011

Paul,

I feel your pain-and so do my maters!

This is the garden last week in sunny California. It hit so fast I could only watch (and take a picture)

It's a hail of thing for this to happen.

Rick

huntoften · May 22, 2011

Glad your losses were minimal!

We dodged a bad storm last night...no hail, but high winds. I don't think I lost anything...knock on wood!

Between hail and frost...I'm not sure which I hate worse! lol

brokenbar · May 22, 2011

Oh Paul...I weep for you!

We all work so hard and have so much enthusiasm each year (I oft times wonder just where in the hail we find it???)

I imagine that your growing season was much like Wyoming so you have a very small window of a growing season and a setback to plants can just be devastating.

I had a method for dealing with MOTHER NATURE THE HAG...I would stand in my garden, shaking my fist in the air and using every foul, filthy cuss word I know

(and let me tell you...growing up on a ranch with 17 boy cousins and me, the only girl, I know quite a few!) I would verbally abuse her for as long as my anger and my voice lasted! Did not change things but REALLY made me feel better!

I just feel so darn bad for everyone on this forum who has suffered at the hand of THE HAG so far this year...

BigBrownDogHouse · May 22, 2011

Sorry to hear you were watching the cubs!

PaulF · May 22, 2011

When the game came back on, the Cubs were beating up on the other sox. I can't stand "he gone".

b54red · May 22, 2011

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. Glad you didn't lose more. We had some hail damage early this spring and thankfully the hail wasn't quite golf ball size so I only lost a couple of tomatoes because I only had a few out at that time. About 30 years ago we had larger than golf ball hail and it lasted for over 30 minutes and when it was over it looked like someone had taken a shotgun to everything in my garden and my fruit trees had only a few leaves left and no fruit. I hope I never see hail like that again. You better have someone check out your roof.

Dewayne mater · May 22, 2011

Sorry about that! I have been there and done that this year. This anecdote might be worth considering. I believe that since my tomatoes got beat to high holy H with hail, they have been much more suceptible to disease and bugs. I think it is nature's way to taking down the wounded. They didn't count on my crazy efforts against nature though! I think I've saved all but one plant which I don't think is going to die, it just isn't going to produce, so I'm gonna pull it soon.

I would hit your plants very soon and very heavily with some seaweed or kelp juice (I used maxicrop) as I think this has some healing powers. (just my observation, no science behind it). Then in a couple of days hit em with Neem as that is good for bugs and disease. Then a couple days after that, depending on what you see consider rolling out more disease prevention (actinovate, excel G, etc) or something for bugs. Then a couple days later, back to the maxicrop.

I think that is about all you can do to provide max supportive care, then see what happens. Good luck!

May 22, 2011	#1
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	dad-gumit to hail A fast moving thunderstorm ripped through my little village tonight. I was watching the Cubs when the satellite went into search mode and that told me it was going to do something. It did, alright. First came a drizzle of rain, then it rained a little harder. The rain let up for a second or two and we were belted with pea sized hail. All of a sudden the wind came in from the south and the golf ball sized white ice was smashing against the windows. Only had one break. That let up and the marble sized hail started to fall in earnest. For about ten minutes we watched the yard get covered as if it were winter again. Then the golf ball sized crap started in again. The picture on the TV came back and I knew it was just about over. In forty minutes we got almost an inch of precipitation not including the hail. I didn't even want to check on the tomatoes and peppers, but forced myself. Out of 24 tomato plants, only four were completely gone. A couple were beaten up. Safe in the garage there are spares, but most likely not of the lost plants. Of twelve peppers, four were still above the mud. I will have to replace several types. For the first time in my gardening history, hail has taken its toll. One year out of forty is not too bad; I lucked out. Not wiped out at least. How's Lincoln, Piegirl? __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

May 22, 2011	#4
huntoften Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas CIty Posts: 560	Glad your losses were minimal! We dodged a bad storm last night...no hail, but high winds. I don't think I lost anything...knock on wood! Between hail and frost...I'm not sure which I hate worse! lol __________________ Kansas City, Missouri Zone 5b/6a

May 22, 2011	#5
brokenbar Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Of The Border Posts: 1,169	Oh Paul...I weep for you! We all work so hard and have so much enthusiasm each year (I oft times wonder just where in the hail we find it???) I imagine that your growing season was much like Wyoming so you have a very small window of a growing season and a setback to plants can just be devastating. I had a method for dealing with MOTHER NATURE THE HAG...I would stand in my garden, shaking my fist in the air and using every foul, filthy cuss word I know (and let me tell you...growing up on a ranch with 17 boy cousins and me, the only girl, I know quite a few!) I would verbally abuse her for as long as my anger and my voice lasted! Did not change things but REALLY made me feel better! I just feel so darn bad for everyone on this forum who has suffered at the hand of THE HAG so far this year... __________________ "If I'm not getting dirty, I'm not having a good time." Last edited by brokenbar; May 22, 2011 at 03:32 PM.

May 22, 2011	#7
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	When the game came back on, the Cubs were beating up on the other sox. I can't stand "he gone". __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

May 22, 2011	#2
barefootgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Zone 4b Posts: 1,291	Paul, sorry to hear your plants got beat up. Hail and heavy rains can be quite damaging to gardens..We never know when it will sneak up on us..Good to hear most of your tomatoes survived and you have some backups...As for the peppers, that sucks! Last Saturday I planted around 50 tomato plants in outdoor garden..Then the forecast called for a heavy freeze Monday..I double covered everything, but the strong winds we had blew some covers off in the evening..It got down to 27 degrees..Lost some good tomatoes..But had plenty more I kept back in coldframe in GH..Thank goodness. Everything planted in GH survived..And cold weather crops planted out in garden survived..No peppers are planted outside yet!

May 22, 2011	#6
BigBrownDogHouse Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Northern Illinois ZONE 5a...wait now 5b Posts: 906	Sorry to hear you were watching the cubs!

May 22, 2011	#8
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Sorry to hear of your bad luck. Glad you didn't lose more. We had some hail damage early this spring and thankfully the hail wasn't quite golf ball size so I only lost a couple of tomatoes because I only had a few out at that time. About 30 years ago we had larger than golf ball hail and it lasted for over 30 minutes and when it was over it looked like someone had taken a shotgun to everything in my garden and my fruit trees had only a few leaves left and no fruit. I hope I never see hail like that again. You better have someone check out your roof.

May 22, 2011	#9
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	Sorry about that! I have been there and done that this year. This anecdote might be worth considering. I believe that since my tomatoes got beat to high holy H with hail, they have been much more suceptible to disease and bugs. I think it is nature's way to taking down the wounded. They didn't count on my crazy efforts against nature though! I think I've saved all but one plant which I don't think is going to die, it just isn't going to produce, so I'm gonna pull it soon. I would hit your plants very soon and very heavily with some seaweed or kelp juice (I used maxicrop) as I think this has some healing powers. (just my observation, no science behind it). Then in a couple of days hit em with Neem as that is good for bugs and disease. Then a couple days after that, depending on what you see consider rolling out more disease prevention (actinovate, excel G, etc) or something for bugs. Then a couple days later, back to the maxicrop. I think that is about all you can do to provide max supportive care, then see what happens. Good luck!