Ouch, my plants are frozen!

Tracydr · January 12, 2013

We had a hard freeze last night. I was trying to start some tomato early plants near the house. Also have a couple of 4 year old eggplants, 3 year old Anaheim and 4 year old jalapeño. Covered everything with row covers but it wasn't enough. Thankfully, I put a space heater on the jalapeño. So far so good. Brought three dwarfs into the house or up close to the house and covered. All my potted hibiscus are on the porch as close to the wall as they can be. The huge in ground hibiscus I covered but the cover got blown off this afternoon.
Tonight will be colder, down to 21. Three or four more days of this. The tomatoes, eggplants and flowers look like they were melted in the freezer. Hoping the big hibiscus and jalapeño, both of which are much taller than me, will survive.
The lemon trees look okay so far. They have concrete walls to protect them. We'll see after the week is done.
Very sad.

rnewste · January 12, 2013

Tracy,

We are also getting hit pretty hard over here in the Bay Area. Temps are expected to hit 29 tonight. While I'm sure I will loose my 20 tomato plants - I am hoping the Snow Peas survive. Temps are expected to be back up into the 60's by Wednesday.

Raybo

Sun City Linda · January 12, 2013

My snow pea plants are still alive and we were at 22 this morning when I woke up. They didnt look real happy, but they do still seem to be alive.

Tania · January 12, 2013

Oh no!!! I am so sorry to hear about your freezing temperatures...

We are also having frost down to 24F at night. But, unlike you, I do not have anything to lose in the garden. I hope all your plants will stay alive and the weather will warm up asap!

Tracydr · January 12, 2013

Oh, Raybo, that hurts! I'm hoping all my hibiscus survive as I ordered a whole bunch of fancy ones from Florida. The jalapeño is sort of special, especially to my husband.
Snow peas should survive with a bit of help. My chard looks better then ever. I think it loves the cold.

Rockporter · January 13, 2013

Sorry to hear of your freeze problems and I too hope you can keep some of those plants alive. The strangest weather pattern has emerged the last couple of years.

Fusion_power · January 13, 2013

Many tomato plants will take 28 degrees but only if frost does not form on the leaves. Cover them with floating row cover and that will usually do the trick. Unfortunately, 21 degrees will take out almost all tomatoes and peppers.

Snow peas are usually good down to 20 degrees. Flowers may be damaged though.

DarJones

Tracydr · January 13, 2013

Yes, my pentas were toast, except the one closest to the roof of the porch. The row cover was blown partially off the tomatoes but even the ones that stayed covered looked like spoiled lettuce that had been frozen in the fridge, I haven gone out to see the jalapeño and hibiscus or lemons, yet. Eggplants, I'm not sure. They were frozen way back a couple of years ago but the stems survived and came back quickly.
How hardy are artichokes? I have one in the front yard and covered it with row cover.

Tracydr · January 13, 2013

We're supposed to be down to 22 again tonight and possibly colder Monday night.

flyingbrass · January 13, 2013

At 7:30 this morning an instant read thermometer placed on the edge of a garden bed read 19.4 degrees. That thermometer in ice water showed 32.9, so it's close to accurate.

I decided to not even try to protect my few remaining pepper plants. They would have needed more than covers. My peas aren't looking all that great this morning, but time will tell. Not sure yet about my lettuce.

Let's hope Monday night will be the last of this nastiness for the season.

Tracydr · January 13, 2013

Wow! That's just amazing! I wonder what we really got down to. We've had frosts and freezes this year when 38-42 degrees was predicted. I've gotten up at 4-5 AM, had ice on my car and in water puddles and the Mesa airport says its 38 degrees.
I need to buy a thermometer.
Looked out the window at the eggplants. They look awful.

Doug9345 · January 13, 2013

22ºF sounds very low for your area. I'm sorry you lost so many plants.
I think when it gets below 25 ºF it gets very difficult to protect tender plants. It's also accumulative. Every night that it gets cold means you start from a lower point the next day.

Tracydr · January 13, 2013

This string of cold is supposed to break a 30 year record.

GnomeGrown · January 13, 2013

We set a record high of 82F yesterday.

Sun City Linda · January 13, 2013

We are just not used to this! It is not uncommon for me to have just a few frost warnings only, maybe 30s. I dont remember having freeze warnings day after day, like this. Most of the stuff under patio cover still alive, including the snow peas. I've been under cover too.

January 12, 2013	#1
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Ouch, my plants are frozen! We had a hard freeze last night. I was trying to start some tomato early plants near the house. Also have a couple of 4 year old eggplants, 3 year old Anaheim and 4 year old jalapeño. Covered everything with row covers but it wasn't enough. Thankfully, I put a space heater on the jalapeño. So far so good. Brought three dwarfs into the house or up close to the house and covered. All my potted hibiscus are on the porch as close to the wall as they can be. The huge in ground hibiscus I covered but the cover got blown off this afternoon. Tonight will be colder, down to 21. Three or four more days of this. The tomatoes, eggplants and flowers look like they were melted in the freezer. Hoping the big hibiscus and jalapeño, both of which are much taller than me, will survive. The lemon trees look okay so far. They have concrete walls to protect them. We'll see after the week is done. Very sad.

January 12, 2013	#4
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	Oh no!!! I am so sorry to hear about your freezing temperatures... We are also having frost down to 24F at night. But, unlike you, I do not have anything to lose in the garden. I hope all your plants will stay alive and the weather will warm up asap! __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

January 13, 2013	#6
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	Sorry to hear of your freeze problems and I too hope you can keep some of those plants alive. The strangest weather pattern has emerged the last couple of years. __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

January 13, 2013	#14
GnomeGrown Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: South Carolina Posts: 216	We set a record high of 82F yesterday. __________________ "Your Spirit is the true shield" --The Art of Peace.

January 12, 2013	#2
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Tracy, We are also getting hit pretty hard over here in the Bay Area. Temps are expected to hit 29 tonight. While I'm sure I will loose my 20 tomato plants - I am hoping the Snow Peas survive. Temps are expected to be back up into the 60's by Wednesday. Raybo

January 12, 2013	#3
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	My snow pea plants are still alive and we were at 22 this morning when I woke up. They didnt look real happy, but they do still seem to be alive.

January 13, 2013	#7
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	Many tomato plants will take 28 degrees but only if frost does not form on the leaves. Cover them with floating row cover and that will usually do the trick. Unfortunately, 21 degrees will take out almost all tomatoes and peppers. Snow peas are usually good down to 20 degrees. Flowers may be damaged though. DarJones

January 13, 2013	#10
flyingbrass Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Glendale, AZ 9b Posts: 90	At 7:30 this morning an instant read thermometer placed on the edge of a garden bed read 19.4 degrees. That thermometer in ice water showed 32.9, so it's close to accurate. I decided to not even try to protect my few remaining pepper plants. They would have needed more than covers. My peas aren't looking all that great this morning, but time will tell. Not sure yet about my lettuce. Let's hope Monday night will be the last of this nastiness for the season.

January 13, 2013	#12
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	22ºF sounds very low for your area. I'm sorry you lost so many plants. I think when it gets below 25 ºF it gets very difficult to protect tender plants. It's also accumulative. Every night that it gets cold means you start from a lower point the next day.