Weather Warning - Middle South

The temperature is predicted to get down to 34 degrees F on Tuesday night so keep an eye on the forecast.  A couple of days ago, the prediction was for 39*F on Tuesday night but that forecast has now been lowered to 34*F.  No telling what it will really turn out to be but keep an eye on the forecast.  This forecast is for Brooks, Ga. on the southside of Atlanta.  So you Yankees on the north side of Atlanta better keep a close eye on the weather.

Yep.... I'm watching it close yolos and it looks like I have much work to do to protect my gardens.

Thanks Yolos!  Already saw it.  Just as I've got babies poking their heads out!

So much for long-term forecasting...

Ah me... here we go again.  I am still holding off on direct sowing zucchini and cucumbers.  Given that our weather is so ridiculous, you all are best to ask this question:  I want to plant some Kentucky Wonder beans (bush variety).  Have any of you planted beans yet?

Well, at least we'll get a rinse today and hopefully the pollen will wash out somewhat.  I'm have three prescription allergy/asthma medications... and as of late, I've needed all of them.

Yolos, I got a chuckle:  "Yankess north of Atlanta"

Windmere wrote:Ah me... here we go again.  I am still holding off on direct sowing zucchini and cucumbers.  Given that our weather is so ridiculous, you all are best to ask this question:  I want to plant some Kentucky Wonder beans (bush variety).  Have any of you planted beans yet?

Well, at least we'll get a rinse today and hopefully the pollen will wash out somewhat.  I'm have three prescription allergy/asthma medications... and as of late, I've needed all of them.

Yolos, I got a chuckle:  "Yankess north of Atlanta"

Yeah, that's what we call our brethren north of I20. 

I am planting all my warm weather crops starting this weekend (after re-looking at the forecast this Friday).  I am on vacation next week and want to get everything planted and sprouted while I am off from work.   I will be planting beans at that time and corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, maybe the sweet potatoes, three varieties of beans (dragon tongue, soy bean, black turtle beans and some other funky named bean), pink eye purple hull peas, and, and, I can't remember (oh and flowers - zinnias, marigolds, cosmos) and setting out my mandevillas.  I still have not ordered the rattlesnake beans yet.  Guess they will be a late season planting after the brassicas come in.

Thanks for the response Yolos.  I showed my wife a photo of the rattlesnake beans a while ago, and she wasn't too wild about the way they looked.  I thought this odd because she didn't bat an eye when I first presented her with a dark purple/nearly black carrot to eat.

I planted some Queen Sophia marigolds in seed starters about month ago.  Our family really liked the color last season, so I think that's what I'm going to stick to from now on.  Boy, put some of those in Mel's Mix and they go ballistic with color.  I haven't decided on what other flowers to plant...  my daughter will have the most input on that.

According to the 10 day forecast (as of this moment), it will be in the seventies from Sunday forward.  Of course, that's to be taken with a grain of salt.

You mentioned mandevillas.  I came across something called "Crazytunia Mandevilla Petunia."  I have never seen anything quite like it.

http://www.amazon.com/Petunia-Seeds-Crazytunia-Mandevilla-Rngardens%C2%A9/dp/B00JBH4RWU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1397503851&sr=8-3&keywords=mandevilla

I have some spots where I need some tall flowers, so I might plant some hollyhocks.  I've seen from looking at other neighbors' yards that they do well here.

We're experiencing the same conditions in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas.

Saturday and yesterday we were gardening outside in shorts, tonight the temperature is predicted to drop to 33° with freeze warnings from the local weather stations.

Have pulled all the potted citrus and tomatoes inside.  Now I'm putting the winter covers back on the beds. 

Seems like this winter just doesn't want to let go.

Windmere, I've got several different varieties of peas and beans already in-ground - Little Marvels, Blue Lakes, Holstein Cowpeas, Sugar Pods, McCaslans 142.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Windmere, I've got several different varieties of peas and beans already in-ground - Little Marvels, Blue Lakes, Holstein Cowpeas, Sugar Pods, McCaslans 142.

AtlantaMarie - I thought Little Marvels and Sugar pods were cold weather crops.  If they are, they should be okay with no problems.  If I remember correctly, I grew little Marvels last fall.  The plant itself was fairly frost tolerant but not the pods.  (I think) . The cowpeas should be warm weather plants and you may have a little set back with those.

Thanks, Yolos.  I'll keep it in mind as I fuss & fume, lol.

Unfortunately, that won't do any good for the watermelon, corn, okra, tomatoes, etc. 

  

But we'll manage!

Just north of Chattanooga, I'm as prepared as I'm going to be for this dip in temps.  I don't remember who suggested it, but I've saved my sweet peppers twice now when the temps dropped by inverting a largish clay pot over them, then covering the horizontal cattle panel support (12-16" above the pots) with first plastic shower curtains and then fleece blankets.  And weight it all down and clip it securely so it doesn't blow off.  Not sure which of the three, or which combination, or all three, saved them with our last 2 frosts up here.... but fingers and eyes and toes crossed that it's enough for the frost we're surely getting tonight.

NEXT YEAR, since I can't resist putting my peps out too early, I'm going to hunt down Christmas lights, the old fashioned kind that put out a little heat.  I'm going to raise the bed one board higher temporarily and mount the lights on the inside of that board, and string them cross-wise draping from the horizontal support as well.  I'm doing this when I plant the durned precious things when the early faux spring drags me out into the garden a good week or two before that last cruel frost.

Oh, that's a good idea ETN.  I'll have to remember that if I don't get the hoop frames built.

Got everything covered w/ plastic, held down w/ wood and bricks.  Hope it works.  The wind is howling pretty bad.  News said that a number of trees were down around the city.

ETNRedClay wrote:Just north of Chattanooga,
NEXT YEAR, since I can't resist putting my peps out too early, I'm going to hunt down Christmas lights, the old fashioned kind that put out a little heat. 

Let me know where you find the old fashion Christmas lights.  I have been looking for the last few years and have not found any.

Hi Yolos, I have seen the old fashion lights at yard sales a couple of times.

Ebay has them also.

I asked DH ("the Tosser") if we still had the old Christmas lights up in the attic. He said yes!!  I ("The Hoarder") can't wait to check when the car is out of the garage! I know Audrey uses them.

I finished repairing 3 beds over the weekend and put in soaker hose irrigation yesterday, but I resisted planting out my peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant.    Temps going down to 34F tonight.  It will be interesting to see how all the tomato volunteers fare.  Some I potted into cups and brought inside, but most are still out in the beds. 

Winds may get up to 60 mph before this storm passes.  I got lettuces, broccoli, spinach , onion and cabbage starts in the ground last week, and lettuce, spinach, collards, oriental cabbage, kale,  radish, and peas just sprouting.  I expect all that will be ok.

Wind is howling around the house as I type.

Kay

Well, it was 31 here with a hard frost at 6 am.  One of Mike's students says it was 29 at his house.

But looks like everything stayed pretty well covered.  So I'm hoping!

29 here, 28 next door, currently 33 on my back porch so everything is still covered and will stay that way for a few hours.  Uncovered mints and turnips are wilty, but should bounce back... not checking anything under cover... too skeered, as my 4yo next-door neighbor accused.  Yep, too skeered to check yet.  He was a big help covering his mom's veggies, running around the yard holding fleece blankets like superman's cape, shrieking with glee -- the frostman is coming, the frostman is coming.... made an odious task kind of fun at our houses yesterday. 

How cute!

Yeah, I'm skeered too...  But it's sorta early in the season yet...

ETNRedClay wrote:   29 here, 28 next door, currently 33 on my back porch so everything is still covered and will stay that way for a few hours.  Uncovered mints and turnips are wilty, but should bounce back... not checking anything under cover... too skeered, as my 4yo next-door neighbor accused.  Yep, too skeered to check yet.  He was a big help covering his mom's veggies, running around the yard holding fleece blankets like superman's cape, shrieking with glee -- the frostman is coming, the frostman is coming.... made an odious task kind of fun at our houses yesterday. 

Hi Red, I can totally sympathize!  We are tucked up right at the foot of the mountains and they predicted 28 for us last night.    

This is year 3 for my SFG and in the past, I felt like I hadn't taken full advantage of the extended season you can get with SFG so I planted all of my cool crops the first week of March and to my dismay... I finished putting out all of my warm weather crops 2 weeks ago.  They say the early bird catches the worm, but this year, I'm not so sure.  

I wish I'd had your caped crusader with me yesterday as I too was digging the winter garden covers out of storage and franticly trying to protect all of my babies. While I love my tomatoes and peps, my biggest concern was the one whole 4x4 bed that is dedicated to my one true love, Turnip Greens! I know they can handle a little frost but I was too "skeered" to risk last night's freeze.   


PS. If I loose everything, at least it's been a great season for lettuce, so far...  

We were predicted anywhere from 28 F to 34 F.  It actually was well below freezing.  I had ice on my rain catching buckets.  Everything looked like it survived okay.  I covered the wimpier cold veggies and left others uncovered.

Everything lived!

My mini Tractor Supply passive solar greenhouse zipped up and covered in fleece came through just fine -- two-leaf seedlings all the way up to 4" tall oregano, thyme, sedum, etc.

My peps and toms are FINE, bright and perky and standing up in the sunshine (did have clay pots over seedlings, covered in heavy-duty shower curtain plastic and then fleece, too.

Other things just covered in fleece blankets.

YIPPEE!

(Course, have to cover over the tenders again tonight.  But thrilled today!)

Congrats ETN!  I think I may have lost 4 tomatoes, but hopefully that's it.

Seemed to have come through fine.  I remembered the key lime trees at the last minute and brought them into the house.  Official temp got down to 38 but I think my house was around 34.  Tomato volunteers looked ok this morning, just a little purple.


Kay