HEADS UP Central Florida ... FREEZE WARNING ..We are early!

Looks like our first freeze of the season in the Bay Area ....

I didn't want anyone getting blindsided by the 10PM News & having to run out to cover plants in their pajamas ...

...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM EST TUESDAY...

...FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH
WEDNESDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A
FREEZE WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM EST
TUESDAY. A FREEZE WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED. THIS FREEZE WATCH
IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.
THE FREEZE WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

COLD AIR WILL CONTINUE TO ADVECT INTO THE REGION THROUGH THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS AS A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM PUSHES SOUTH.
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP BELOW FREEZING FOR SEVERAL
HOURS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS. COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL
BEGIN TO SHUT OFF BY WEDNESDAY BUT CLEAR SKIES AND WEAKER WINDS
WILL ALLOW FOR PLENTY OF RADIATIONAL COOLING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FREEZE WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE POTENTIAL OF A WIDESPREAD AND
DAMAGING FREEZE WITHIN 24 TO 48 HOURS. DURING THE FREEZE
PERIOD...TEMPERATURES MAY REMAIN BELOW 32 DEGREES FOR MORE THAN
8 HOURS IN COLDER INLAND AREAS MAINLY NORTH OF TAMPA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FREEZE WARNING IS ISSUED FOR 3 OR MORE HOURS OF TEMPERATURES
BETWEEN 27 AND 32 OVER A WIDESPREAD AREA.

RESIDENTS SHOULD COVER OR MOVE INDOORS ANY COLD SENSITIVE
PLANTS...AND BRING PETS INDOORS THIS EVENING.

A FREEZE WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE POTENTIAL OF A WIDESPREAD AND
DAMAGING FREEZE WITHIN 24 TO 48 HOURS. DURING THE FREEZE
PERIOD...TEMPERATURES MAY REMAIN BELOW 32 DEGREES FOR MORE THAN
8 HOURS.

acara wrote:...WILL CONTINUE TO ADVECT INTO THE REGION

Thanks for my new word for the day! I guess my weather doesn't advect 'cause my weatherman never uses that word!

How to do you go about protecting your plants?

ad·vec·tion (d-vkshn)
n.
1. The transfer of a property of the atmosphere, such as heat, cold, or humidity, by the horizontal movement of an air mass: Today's temperatures were higher due to the advection of warm air into the region.
2. The rate of change of an atmospheric property caused by the horizontal movement of air.
3. The horizontal movement of water, as in an ocean current

boffer wrote:
How do you go about protecting your plants?

Really sensitve stuff (orchids & such) went South for the Winter with mom & dad over Thanksgiving weekend.

Sensitive potted stuff comes into the garage (on a "mild" freeze like this one, keeping them out of the wind is generally enough).

SFG box trellis has top caps on the 1" PVC pipe & I have pre-made T-bar "toppers" that allow me to drape pre-made Burlap covers over the box (I have threaded eye hooks, for attachment points, pre-installed on my boxes when I make them). I can also add plastic over the burlap (so the plastic doesn't make contact with the plants).


T-Bars;




Attachment hooks;


On the trellis frames;




And you can see the box attachment points (eye screws) in this pic;





For the "really cold" nights, I also have a detachable swing arm pedestal that I put a Catalytic Heater on, inside the box. I get 12+ hours out of a single 16 hour cylinder.

Normally though the covers, and running the drip irrigation overnight, is enough.

that IS early, Acara -- I think '89 was the last time it was THAT cold, that early. (happy memories there - my first Christmas as a new wife, 16F in the back yard, and NO HEAT, with both sides of the family coming for dinner. Nope, no stress there!)

My other pals in Tampa have said that their Christmas decorations this year are sheets and blankets with the Christmas lights underneath.

Stay warm!

Yep ... I'm still supposed to be another 30 days out on my first frost date.

No biggie though ..... I planned ahead when I built the boxes & cannabalized a lot of ideas/threads from the "hoop-houses" & techniques I saw from my Northern friends on this forum

boffer wrote:
Thanks for my new word for the day! I guess my weather doesn't advect 'cause my weatherman never uses that word!

It's the difference between a frost and a killing freeze -- that's all you need to know. For Florida, it's really bad news! See this thread also: https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/upper-south-f8/what-is-a-hard-killing-frost-t4511.htm#35980

pattipan

Bleh ..... meant to say "get 12 hours out of a 16-oz propane cylinder"

Brrrr. We are having a hard freeze here, too. I need to get my garlic and onions into the ground tomorrow. I LOVE seeing how people are going down swinging, though!

Work didn't cooperate & I got out late & couldn't get everything covered-in-place before dark.

Hope mama isn't too upset with the new "houseplants"

SFG's are all covered though.... catalytic heaters running on the 4 x 4 & heat lamps runnning on the 1 x 8.

Only 41 here atm ....would be surprised if it really reaches 30, like the weatherman says .... but better safe than sorry

Hit 34 this morning, but the wind had it feeling like in the 20's.

Left everything all snuggled up for tonight & its supposed to warm up into the weekend.

It was kinda funny this morning seeing the temporary "houseplants" perk-up, after spending the night in 68 degree indoor enviroment. Tomatoes are definately warm-weather-lovers.

Wow, Acara, I'm totally impressed with your framework and blanket system. How many degrees difference would that make without drip irrigation and no heat lamps? Or with heat lamps but no irrigation?

If that were my set-up I'd have a hard time not stringing wire between the T's to use as a solar clothes dryer.

would you believe, ander, that you have to be careful hanging your clothes out in Florida? The sun is so strong it can fade things in the space of an afternoon (filed under 'Stuff I never would have thought about')

ander217 wrote:Wow, Acara, I'm totally impressed with your framework and blanket system. How many degrees difference would that make without drip irrigation and no heat lamps? Or with heat lamps but no irrigation?

If that were my set-up I'd have a hard time not stringing wire between the T's to use as a solar clothes dryer.

Thanks.

The water makes a huge difference .... there is typically a 30-degree delta between the water temp and the air when it gets cold like this (as long as the water is continuous/moving).

The heat lamps keep the "tent" warmer inside by about 15 degrees from what I can tell (I have a remote sensing thermometer/alarm that I stick inside the "tent" & keep the console next to my bed).

So the water keeps the box/soil warm and the lights/lamps keep the stuff above the ground warm.

It's probably overkill for tomatoes (losing a $3.00 transplant & having to make a trip to the nursery is a lot different than losing a semi-rare Orchid that took you 8 years, or a heirloom Bonsai thats as old/older than u are), but I had the stuff from my other sensitive plants (before my parents moved closer to me& I didn't have the "Southern storage option).... so I didn't have to re-invent the wheel or anything. I can't claim credit for the ideas/techniques.....I'm just mimicing what I saw my dad do when I was younger & modifying what he did with todays "technology".

I have to say its a lot easier than stringing canvas/burlap around a 20x10x40 Orchid house & running out every two hours during the night & checking thermometers and refilling kerosene heaters, like when I was a kid.

The biggest difference I can see in Central Florida is theat the wind seems to "burn" the plants much worse than it did in South Florida. I've always had to deal with a couple 28-32 nights every winter, but I've had stuff frost burn up here at 35 due to the wind.

ander217 wrote:If that were my set-up I'd have a hard time not stringing wire between the T's to use as a solar clothes dryer.

LOL .... HOA police would get you in my neighborhood ..... can't line-dry clothes (visibly) in most deed-restricted/HOA communities these days.

Yikes ...currently 30 outside, with a "feels like" of 28F

Edit: Looks like the wind last night mangled the covers on the 1 x 8 ..... *crosses fingers**


Luckly I have my "noah's ark" of potted stuff inside, so now it's just a waiting game until it warms up tomorrow, to see what the extent of the damage is to the SFG boxes.

Unfortunately, it looks like we are heading for another night of high-20's by Sunday, with strong winds predicted.

Brrr. We are hard-froze here now. My fall pansies are dead. The kale and cabbage are still hanging in there, onions still growing, and one very stubborn red verbena.

We are snowed in -- there's almost 4" of snow on the ground, and it's still coming...and that's on top of the rain and sleet that came down in buckets this morning, so the roads are unpassable.

The non-mountain areas of France don't ever get weather like this....aren't I lucky to see history in the making?

Ugh. Keep safe, LaFee!

Megan,

I lived in Boston for 7 years and 6 inches was about the cut off point for schools there too. Then I moved to SC and get this....they close the schools for even the THREAT of snow. We had two snow days last year and guess what...no snow.... Crazy !!! BTW - and all the stores are cleared of milk and bread. One has to laugh really....as I did when I read your post....

But living here in Virginia has shown me the perils of living in an area that is not prepared for snow. Just a few inches can shut this area down

Just a few flakes shuts this place down !!!

staf74 wrote:Megan,

I lived in Boston for 7 years and 6 inches was about the cut off point for schools there too. Then I moved to SC and get this....they close the schools for even the THREAT of snow. We had two snow days last year and guess what...no snow.... Crazy !!! BTW - and all the stores are cleared of milk and bread. One has to laugh really....as I did when I read your post....

But living here in Virginia has shown me the perils of living in an area that is not prepared for snow. Just a few inches can shut this area down

Just a few flakes shuts this place down !!!

Okay... I am going to fess up, since Stef saw my original post. I deleted it because I was afraid I was ranting. Growing up in Maine and NH, we were used to snow.... there had to be at LEAST 7-8" of snow on the ground before school shut down, even though my school was 35 miles away. (I have also lived in Oregon and Washington State... not quite the same snow scene, but... yeah.)

One effective way to protect your SFG is to build a dome tent. Just drive some rods in the ground at each corner, and bend a 10 ft 1/2 inch cpvc pipe from one corner to the other. place a 12 ft x 12 ft clear plastic over the top, and set a heavy object on the edges of the plastic (like bricks). Give it a try, and let us know how it works.

Megan, I have to agree with you and you were not ranting.

Northern Virginia, specifically Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, has always been an area that closed schools for a couple of inches of snow. I can only guess that with so many living in mountain and rural areas, the whole county has to shut down because the school buses could not always get up some of the back roads. If they could set up snow pick-up areas, say have the parents take the kids to a safer pick-up area, perhaps they could keep schools open more often.

Northern Virginia often had grid lock at major intersections when there were just snow flurries and no accumulation. It is such a transient area that a lot of people just do not know how to drive in the snow. (Very Scary)

Furbalsmom wrote:Northern Virginia often had grid lock at major intersections when there were just snow flurries and no accumulation. It is such a transient area that a lot of people just do not know how to drive in the snow. (Very Scary)

Very much so. Last winter (Snowmageddon, etc.) I lost track of the times I helped out neighbors who just had no clue how to drive in snow, any snow, much less deep snow. (Actually, I think light snow over a sheet of ice is probably the most dangerous.) I was pushing cars, driving cars, that didn't belong to me...and praying all the time that I wouldn't get into a problem. Thank goodness, no.

The first biggest thing is, for goodness sake, don't let road rage overtake you and floor it. That is a recipe for disaster.... not to mention, making your own ice. Go cut down some tree branches and/or some gravel or kitty litter, get them under your drive-axle tires, and "INCH" is the word of the day. We got stuck really badly one day and our front-door Christmas wreath ended up as traction material. Don't hesitate to use whatever you need to.

The other biggest thing is, do NOT forget how big your car (SUV, truck, etc) is when you are trying to push it. I don't care if it's a subcompact. It still weighs a couple thousand pounds and if it slides back on you, it can kill you. Never get directly behind a mired car, no matter how badly you want to put your shoulder into it. Go at it from the angles and be ready at any second to jump away... and remember that if you slip and fall, you could be dead. Vehicles on ice behave oddly... and something that is skidding away from you can come right back in your face a few seconds later. A stuck car is better than a funeral.

If you drive a standard transmission vehicle, set the parking brake WHILE you are starting up in first...then pop it off if/when you feel the wheels starting to grab...and ease it in very slowly. (I LOVE sticks!) If in an automatic, shift to the lowest gear you have available (typically "1", though sometimes reverse works better.)

Done ranting... I think.

Hehe....gotcha Megan.... I wondered where that post went. I thought I was going crazy....no bother. No such ranting behavior going on....no worries.