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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 20:43:58 GMT
The National weather service is forecasting a low tonight of 50F and they are almost always off by 5F. That is they are usually 5F higher than the actual low and 5F lower than the actual high. It is pretty consistent. The local media is forecasting 35F to 40F inland and 40F to 45F at the beaches. Historically temperatures at my location lean just a little toward the inland temps forecasted, so I am expecting the low tonight to be right at 40F or lower.
The tomatoes will be fine as they are still in the cold frame hardening off and I can just cover it up and flip on the lights within the cold frame and keep the inside temp at 60F to 55F at the minimum and probably warmer
My concern are the peppers. I have some planted in the beds already. Not many, but enough to make it worrisome. Should I cover them for this little bit of overnight cold? I did a quick google search and I am seeing that 50F or so may be the minimum for peppers.
Any advice?
ETA: I forgot about the eggplant... That has been planted already in the beds also.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 21:16:48 GMT
IF in doubt, never take a chance....James
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 21:19:57 GMT
I am definitely leaning that way, but it will be such a bugger of a thing to do. Especially for the eggplant. I have got some work to do.
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Post by claytonpiano on Apr 23, 2015 21:29:16 GMT
It is supposed to be 40 here, so I'm figuring around 35. My peppers are not in the ground yet because I saw in the almanac that it was going to be cold into May here. I hope the almanac is wrong, but looks like it may not be very far off. Yuck! I hate covering plants.
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Post by Raeven on Apr 23, 2015 21:35:29 GMT
Easiest thing to do is round up some plastic milk jugs, cut off the tops and use them as cloches over your tender plants. They will hold enough heat to get them through a night of chill. Remove the cloches during the day and replace each night if the cooler temperatures persist.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 22:10:05 GMT
It is supposed to be 40 here, so I'm figuring around 35. My peppers are not in the ground yet because I saw in the almanac that it was going to be cold into May here. I hope the almanac is wrong, but looks like it may not be very far off. Yuck! I hate covering plants.
Clayton,
I cannot remember exactly where you are located, but IIRC you and I are not only in the same state but we are fairly close to each other. At least within 100 miles as the crow flies. I am on the coast in the Emerald Isle area.
I would have figured that you might have some of the tropical plants (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant) in the ground already also. Many around me have already done so, but I have held off on the tomatoes and the majority of the peppers.
I hate covering plants also, especially when they are in odd-shaped beds, but that is my own fault.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 22:14:53 GMT
Easiest thing to do is round up some plastic milk jugs, cut off the tops and use them as cloches over your tender plants. They will hold enough heat to get them through a night of chill. Remove the cloches during the day and replace each night if the cooler temperatures persist.
LOL...
I would love to do something along those lines, but I have way more eggplants and peppers in the ground than I have plastic milk jugs. Not to mention the fact that the smallest of both are at least one foot tall already and the more robust plants are about one and a halt feet tall already. Those would be some awfully large milk jugs.
I guess I will have to use the frost blankets, which I have already put away nicely in the shed. And just drape them over the cages that the plants are in.
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Post by Raeven on Apr 23, 2015 22:19:15 GMT
Easiest thing to do is round up some plastic milk jugs, cut off the tops and use them as cloches over your tender plants. They will hold enough heat to get them through a night of chill. Remove the cloches during the day and replace each night if the cooler temperatures persist.
LOL...
I would love to do something along those lines, but I have way more eggplants and peppers in the ground than I have plastic milk jugs. Not to mention the fact that the smallest of both are at least one foot tall already and the more robust plants are about one and a halt feet tall already. Those would be some awfully large milk jugs.
I guess I will have to use the frost blankets, which I have already put away nicely in the shed. And just drape them over the cages that the plants are in.
Ahh, of course -- when you said "a few," I figured you meant a manageable number where you could run by a recycling center and pick up whatever milk jugs you needed. And I thought the seedlings were much smaller, obviously! Carry on; I don't think you need any help here.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 22:27:05 GMT
LOL...
I would love to do something along those lines, but I have way more eggplants and peppers in the ground than I have plastic milk jugs. Not to mention the fact that the smallest of both are at least one foot tall already and the more robust plants are about one and a halt feet tall already. Those would be some awfully large milk jugs.
I guess I will have to use the frost blankets, which I have already put away nicely in the shed. And just drape them over the cages that the plants are in.
Ahh, of course -- when you said "a few," I figured you meant a manageable number where you could run by a recycling center and pick up whatever milk jugs you needed. And I thought the seedlings were much smaller, obviously! Carry on; I don't think you need any help here.
Oh no!!! I need help, but it is the physical kind of help that I need. Like an extra pair of hands to help spread out the frost blankets.
IIRC I seeded the peppers right around the middle of February, went into the cold frame about a month ago and were planted in the beds a week ago. A little more than one week after the last average frost date. It has steadily been in the 70's, if not the 80's highs and the 55 to 70 range for lows for the last month or so. I was not expecting this at all.
Well I had better get going before the sun goes down.
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Post by Raeven on Apr 23, 2015 22:42:40 GMT
Ahh, of course -- when you said "a few," I figured you meant a manageable number where you could run by a recycling center and pick up whatever milk jugs you needed. And I thought the seedlings were much smaller, obviously! Carry on; I don't think you need any help here.
Oh no!!! I need help, but it is the physical kind of help that I need. Like an extra pair of hands to help spread out the frost blankets.
IIRC I seeded the peppers right around the middle of February, went into the cold frame about a month ago and were planted in the beds a week ago. A little more than one week after the last average frost date. It has steadily been in the 70's, if not the 80's highs and the 55 to 70 range for lows for the last month or so. I was not expecting this at all.
Well I had better get going before the sun goes down.
I do understand needing that kind of help. Is there anything more frustrating than trying to spread something out like bird netting or a large tarp all by yourself? Good luck -- I'm sure your plants will thank you and reward you handsomely come harvest time!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 0:12:45 GMT
I do understand needing that kind of help. Is there anything more frustrating than trying to spread something out like bird netting or a large tarp all by yourself? Good luck -- I'm sure your plants will thank you and reward you handsomely come harvest time!
I am pretty sure that there are more frustrating things in life, but if my plants do not appreciate what I have done for them, come fall or sooner I am going to just lop them off at ground level and throw them in the compost pile.
Oh wait!!! I am going to do that anyway....
Just don't tell my plants.
With all of that now being done I have probably done nothing more than ensure that the temps will not go below 50F tonight. The sun has just gone down and it is presently 68F. We shall see what happens.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 0:13:13 GMT
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Post by wvterri on Apr 24, 2015 0:58:28 GMT
Well, after reading this I took a look at our weather and we're under a freeze warning. Great... I have no frost blankets. I have 1/2 dozen trees with beautiful blooms. They just starting popping out in the last couple of days. I used the only thing handy. Have you ever tried hanging curtains in trees? I don't recommend it. I did what I could in trying to cover some of them up. It's hard to tell how far I'll have to travel in the morning picking up wayward curtains. My kids now think I'm more looney tunes than ever...
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Post by Callie on Apr 24, 2015 1:12:11 GMT
Well, after reading this I took a look at our weather and we're under a freeze warning. Great... I have no frost blankets. I have 1/2 dozen trees with beautiful blooms. They just starting popping out in the last couple of days. I used the only thing handy. Have you ever tried hanging curtains in trees? I don't recommend it. I did what I could in trying to cover some of them up. It's hard to tell how far I'll have to travel in the morning picking up wayward curtains. My kids now think I'm more looney tunes than ever... I've never tried curtains but we did wrap our trees in plastic one year. Around and around we went with huge rolls of plastic. Didn't think it through too well since it all had to come off the next day...and back on. We wrapped those stupid trees 3 nights in a row until we finally decided to stop playing with fate and let be what was going to be.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 3:29:19 GMT
I have 8 peppers set out, I use big black tree pots turned upside down over them, an hour before sundown builds heat under there. I also have a dozen black 5 gallon paint buckets....James
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Post by Weed on Apr 24, 2015 3:33:09 GMT
I do understand needing that kind of help. Is there anything more frustrating than trying to spread something out like bird netting or a large tarp all by yourself? Good luck -- I'm sure your plants will thank you and reward you handsomely come harvest time!
I am pretty sure that there are more frustrating things in life, but if my plants do not appreciate what I have done for them, come fall or sooner I am going to just lop them off at ground level and throw them in the compost pile.
Oh wait!!! I am going to do that anyway....
Just don't tell my plants.
With all of that now being done I have probably done nothing more than ensure that the temps will not go below 50F tonight. The sun has just gone down and it is presently 68F. We shall see what happens.
At least you'll get a good night's sleep now! Nothing here in the ground yet to worry about although I was flirting with the idea of planting the beans last weekend when we topped 80*. Calling for a low of 32 here overnight, but that could mean 25 as I'm in a narrow microclimate pocket that the weathermen never forecast correctly - midway between Philly and the Cape, especially if the winds are coming from the Delaware bay direction.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 3:53:12 GMT
I am pretty sure that there are more frustrating things in life, but if my plants do not appreciate what I have done for them, come fall or sooner I am going to just lop them off at ground level and throw them in the compost pile.
Oh wait!!! I am going to do that anyway....
Just don't tell my plants.
With all of that now being done I have probably done nothing more than ensure that the temps will not go below 50F tonight. The sun has just gone down and it is presently 68F. We shall see what happens.
At least you'll get a good night's sleep now! Nothing here in the ground yet to worry about although I was flirting with the idea of planting the beans last weekend when we topped 80*. Calling for a low of 32 here overnight, but that could mean 25 as I'm in a narrow microclimate pocket that the weathermen never forecast correctly - midway between Philly and the Cape, especially if the winds are coming from the Delaware bay direction.
Well, now I can sleep better. I just flipped on the lights in the cold frame.
Presently (just before midnight), it is a bone chilling (bone chilling to the born and bred locals) 58*F outside and the cold frame is at 65*F. With the lights now on the cold frame should minimally maintain that temperature.
If I were back in PA, I probably would not even have cole crops in the ground at this time of the year. I would be thinking of planting them, but probably be too afraid to do so.
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Post by Bear Foot Farm on Apr 24, 2015 4:13:13 GMT
I'm North of Kinston and South of Greenville, and it's 46 here
I think your plants will be fine since it will start to warm up again in about 6 more hours
Update 2 AM: It's up to 54 here, and you're generally warmer The good thing about our weather is, if you don't like it, just wait a couple of hours and it will be different
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Post by claytonpiano on Apr 24, 2015 11:22:39 GMT
Light frost here this morning. I covered some of my plants.....YUCK!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 12:13:25 GMT
Well the low here was 45*F. The temperature dropped 13* since midnight. I think that I will wait until the temps rise to about 55*F before I pull the frost blankets. The cold frame bottomed out at 64*F so I am not worried at all about the tomatoes and the other peppers inside.
The national weather service held true to their track record. They overestimated the low temp by 5*. They forecast a low of 52*F for tonight. I guess that I will have to check out the local forecasters and maybe keep the frost blankets handy.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 13:01:08 GMT
I have 8 peppers set out, I use big black tree pots turned upside down over them, an hour before sundown builds heat under there. I also have a dozen black 5 gallon paint buckets....James
I have a bunch of those large, black tree pots, but I have them all filled with soil already. I usually use them as containers for growing bush beans and borage and such.
I also use them for experimental growing without having to waste valuable growing space in the garden. This year's experiment involves growing tomatillo with the end result being some salsa.
But, I like the idea of using the tree pots. I will have to get more of those. I could even still use the frost blankets. Just throw them over the tree pots for added protection.
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