Frost/freeze..

BackyardBirdGardner 9/13/2011, 12:23 am

Believe it or not, 13 counties in northwest North Dakota (north and west of Bismark) have been included in a freeze watch tonight.

That one snuck up on me. Here's an excerpt...

"* Temperatures will drop near or below freezing late Tuesday
night... from Williston... to Garrison and Carrington... and
points north. Widespread frost is possible across these areas.
To the south... from Watford City... to Bismarck/Mandan... and
Jamestown... temperatures will not be as cold but some frost is
still possible. "

shannon1 9/13/2011, 2:43 am

burrrrrrrr!

unmadecastle 9/13/2011, 5:43 pm

Here in SD we changed from a frost advisory to a freeze warning for tomorrow night. Sad

It is cloudy but cold here today. If it wasn't cloudy we would have a freeze warning tonight. So sad.......

I am not ready for the cold and snow.

BackyardBirdGardner 9/13/2011, 7:16 pm

Yup....here it comes. Sorry, guys.

http://www.intellicast.com/National/Temperature/FrostFreeze.aspx

**camprn** 9/13/2011, 8:02 pm

Frost forecast for northern NH Saturday.

Goosegirl 9/13/2011, 9:42 pm

unmadecastle wrote:Here in SD we changed from a frost advisory to a freeze warning for tomorrow night. It is cloudy but cold here today. If it wasn't cloudy we would have a freeze warning tonight. So sad.......

I am not ready for the cold and snow.

+1

Between my tomatoes and some from a friend's garden I got enough ready to cook one batch of sauce this weekend - because I had to make room in my dining room to bring in all of my green tomatoes tomorrow night before the freeze!

GG

Jay Bird 9/13/2011, 9:46 pm

and its still 105 in ne texas

HouseofWool 9/13/2011, 11:38 pm

yesterday was 87 in SW Wisconsin. Tomorrow night there will be frost. Today I ripped up the watermelon plant and picked 2 melons. One was 17 pounds!

I have to remember to cover the cantaloupe so that it doesn't get frosted over. But I am curious as to what will happen to the butternut squash. Some of it is pretty good looking, but I am going to have to read up on when to harvest it.

middlemamma 9/14/2011, 1:29 am

I also am SO NOT READY for winter... Sad

BackyardBirdGardner 9/14/2011, 8:45 am

Question: What does frost actually do to a fruit that is already set? I know it kills the flowers, but does frost actually do anything to a 17 lb watermelon or cantaloupe?

I know we pick green tomatoes, likely because they won't grow anymore. But, does the frost actually hurt the fruit?

littlesapphire 9/14/2011, 11:28 am

I imagine it's like putting fruit or veggies in the freezer for a short time. If ice forms on or inside the fruit, it damages the cells and will likely make it mushy or at least not store as long as it otherwise would have.

That's just my two cents, though. I really have no experience with frost on fruit.

**camprn** 9/14/2011, 11:56 am

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:Question: What does frost actually do to a fruit that is already set? I know it kills the flowers, but does frost actually do anything to a 17 lb watermelon or cantaloupe?

I know we pick green tomatoes, likely because they won't grow anymore. But, does the frost actually hurt the fruit?

Why should I not put tomatoes in the fridge?

As far as melons go, the cooler the temps the longer the ripening. If there is frost and fruit cellular damage, then necrosis will set in shortly. The thin skin of melon is much more susceptible than winter squash to chill damage.

**camprn** 9/14/2011, 11:59 am

middlemamma wrote:I also am SO NOT READY for winter...

Me either. It's a good thing Autumn comes between summer & winter. Wink

BackyardBirdGardner 9/14/2011, 3:54 pm

^^ Thanks.

middlemamma 9/14/2011, 4:43 pm

camprn wrote:
middlemamma wrote:I also am SO NOT READY for winter...
Me either. It's a good thing Autumn comes between summer & winter.

Well if Autum is anything like our spring we may not get a Winter at all. Rolling Eyes

Spring lasted FOREVER!

Kind of along BBG's line of questioning...I have like 10 pumpkins growing...what if I get a frost?

Do I cut them and bring them inside or leave them on the vine or??

AHHHH! DARN YOU JUNE THAT FELT LIKE MARCH!

Goosegirl 9/14/2011, 8:36 pm

QUESTION!!!!!

We are supposed to get down to 29*F tonight, but tomorrow back to low of 47 and then back to lows in the mid-50's. Should I try to cover my toms for the one night or should I just pull them all inside to ripen on the table?

GG

varmit 9/14/2011, 9:09 pm

We wrap plants in "quilted" plastic layers to stave off the frost, but ours doesn't stay real long -- ever. I always wondered if a quilted sides and topper, plus a light bulb (very low wattage) inside wouldn't keep all safe and warm through fairly low temps. Of course a good layer of mulch around the base to help keep the roots warm would add additional time for any plant(s).

Goosegirl 9/14/2011, 9:16 pm

I panicked and couldn't wait! Since I have 5 trellises of tomatoes and only 2 tarps, I grabbed the clippers and brought in about 50 lbs of tomatoes in varying stages of green-to-blush. We will not be using the dining room table for the duration!

GG

AprilakaCCIL 9/15/2011, 12:01 am

varmit wrote:We wrap plants in "quilted" plastic layers to stave off the frost, but ours doesn't stay real long -- ever. I always wondered if a quilted sides and topper, plus a light bulb (very low wattage) inside wouldn't keep all safe and warm through fairly low temps. Of course a good layer of mulch around the base to help keep the roots warm would add additional time for any plant(s).

Of course a good layer of mulch around the base to help keep the roots warm would add additional time for any plant
That's what I've done so far especially since I don't really know how the weather is going to do...it's confusing me & my plants! lol!

milaneyjane 9/15/2011, 12:08 am

We were out doing emergency last minute gardening tonight since it will drop into the upper 20's. I have lots and lots of plastic but not enough to cover everything. I picked all the tomato plants---which killed me since many still had flowers and were producing like crazy. But I shouldn't complain since I have had a bumper crop. I probably picked 60 pounds of green tomato tonight. I made giant coldframes for the four boxes of pepper plants but just in case they didn't work, I picked two large paper grocery bags of green chili peppers still leaving a lot and left all the banana and green peppers to see how they do. Picked about 20 butternut squash and covered another 10. I had to pick hundreds of tomatillo that were not that big but I had nothing left to cover them with.

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