So 100 plants are in the ground, and have been for a couple of weeks. It's early. The average last frost date is May 16th and even later in the valley which is where I'm at. Tonight there's a freeze warning so I covered what I could with buckets (about 40 plants). How much death should I expect lol.
-
Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.
I might have gambled and lost
- Thread starter Dorkasaurus
- Start date
We had a frost a few weeks ago and my ground planted plants are doing dandy, not the slightest bit of damage. I may just be lucky. Run out and get you a tarp and construct a tent over as many as you can. Old sheets, blankets, grocery bags, whatever you can find.
Should I have mentioned that I didn't do any of that?
Should I have mentioned that I didn't do any of that?
Well according to official temps, it froze last week and the week prior, and theoretically it's colder here in the valley than it is at the airport (where temp is recorded) and everything was okay but tonight the nws has issued a freeze warning. I don't recall seeing one the last two weeks, despite the apparent freezing temps.
I know locally I've heard people crying over dead tomato plants the last couple of weeks but so far no damage for us but it will suck if all the chinenses die tonight. The other crap can be mostly replanted with nursery plants.
It's almost dark. They won't get anything more than a bucket over them. The buckets are 5 gallons formerly used as planters so they all have holes in them. Fingers crossed. Now I'll just have another beer and examine the carnage in the morning.
you should place some bucket here an tehre and add a long big polythene plastic layer over them to make a "greenhouse" style protection the polythene woudl sit on those bucket helping not to crush the plants...
I debated doing this with the SO and we decided to leave it as it is and hope for the best. It's almost pitch dark outside and we'll just pretend we're the luckiest gardeners alive and no freeze would dare affect us. The buckets will hopefully protect the stuff I won't have time to reseed/can't get replacement plants at nursery (chinenses) and I'll probably have to time to reseed the annuum stuff and/or buy seedlings locally for most of them.
Plus, I'm about to crack open beer number three (all part of our "drunken lazy farmer" method... it usually works out) so no makeshift row covers will be happening tonight.
I'll be mad/sad if all the scorps and 7 pots die but hopefully they'll be okay. Maybe I'll go out at 6am with an extension cord and a hair dryer and warm the garden.
I wouldn't be worrying too much about Chinense if I were you. Read my little story if you stress too much : "Bhut Jolokia can survive anywhere !"
Well nothing died. Temps reported were anywhere from 32 to 37 depending on where I look. I woke up at 4:20am and almost went outside to check the temp but just rolled over and went to sleep instead. Whatever the actual temp was everything survived. Should be all clear until October now (I've said this every week for the last 3 weeks and without fail we get a cold snap lol).
Glad it worked out. Last year I did a test. I covered plants and sprayed others with water at night, drenched them. The ones that I covered were all damaged by the frost/freeze and 99% of everything sprayed had zero issue.
I HARDLY ever have to deal with freezing Temps. BUT they do happen.
I think cold temps that only last a night or 2 might freeze a few or a lot of leaves,but if the roots are cool,a lot of times the plant comes back.
Long freezes ,I think are what might kill stuff.
Soil gets and stays cold etc.
If the main stem freezes you are screwed,it dies...
I don't live where we have much of a winter.2 months max with maybe the possibility of a couple days of 30 degree temps.
I grow in pots.Heat in smaller pots soil kills or stops buds and pods from doing their thing.
I think cold temps that only last a night or 2 might freeze a few or a lot of leaves,but if the roots are cool,a lot of times the plant comes back.
Long freezes ,I think are what might kill stuff.
Soil gets and stays cold etc.
If the main stem freezes you are screwed,it dies...
I don't live where we have much of a winter.2 months max with maybe the possibility of a couple days of 30 degree temps.
I grow in pots.Heat in smaller pots soil kills or stops buds and pods from doing their thing.
I was just reading about wetting stuff for a freeze last night. I've never heard of it before and it seems counter intuitive but glad to hear someone here has done it and it worked out. I guess as the water freezes on the plant it releases a bit of heat?