Another Freezing Thread

Are you going to be ready?

It's 48 in my greenhouse now, and outside it's 42. That's the spread between my GH temp and outside air temp at night 6 degrees. It's been raining since about 9 last night. The plants are loving it for sure.

We are forecast for a high today of 58 and low tonight of 30. Tomorrow's high is 58 and low forecast at 28. Although that's pushing it for some of my plants, it will still be above freezing in the greenhouse. I will probably bring in the orchids and the AV's. Saturday's low is forecast back up to 45. Good news is with the days being mostly colder, I can leave the plastic panels down without fear of cooking stuff in here. AND maybe I can heat the house a little with the solar gain.

I knew we weren't going to be able to slide by without some really low temps. How are all the Northcentral Floridians doing?

Molly
:^)))

I brought this in last night. This is just the beginning of the annual blooms on this. Will continue on through March.

umatilla is supposed to be 35 in the morning. cold and rainy here this morning, 43 and nasty. i haven't decided what to do about a couple of the plants, maybe just a blanket or two, here and there. i hate this but what can you do? it could be worse. if we don't get to freezing here, everything should be fine i think.

I put my jade plant in the garage -- and am about to bring the tomato plant in, too. The forecast for my area is a low of 32 -- but for some reason, my yard is usually a few degrees above the forecast/official temp. I'm still hoping ot slide by!

Molly, WHAT is that flower? An orchid? It's gorgeous!

Michele

Yep, that's an orchid Michele. In person it is more of a dusty apricot than orange There's 4 more bunches of buds on it.

I didn't bring in any more plants. It's 36 degrees in the greenhouse, 30 outside. 66 in here and my feet are cold.

I hope I didn't mess up.

We harvested some tomatoes for dinner last night. Not sure how many are left on the plants. When it gets cold the maters fall off and I have to ripen them on the windowsill.

Molly
:^)))

WOW!!!!!!! The temperature has dropped to 24 in the past 2 hours. The greenhouse is now freezing and so are my fingers.

I took some heat lamps out and set them towards the most tenders out there. I am hoping it will make a little difference.

They had freeze warnings out for Alachua County and north, not for Levy County and it isn't even freezing yet at the Gainesville airport.

Yep, winter is here.

Molly

BRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr

Darn it - I thought Mother Nature was going to cut us a break this year :-)

Molly,

Right now we're at 42o, and according to the Weather Channel, it's supposed to go to 41o this evening.

I am keeping a watchful eye on my Jade and some others, and I may just bring them close to the house so I can sleep better tonight.

Gracie

Yippeeeeeee, the temp in the greenhouse is now up to 41 so I turned off the heat lamps.

I have an outlet in the greenhouse tied to a wall switch inside the front door. Now that I have the heat lights set up out there, all I have to do is flip the switch. No more running around in my slippers shivering me timbers to get things set up. Then when it's warmer, I plug the ceiling fans back in and flip the switch to cool things down.

We are sposed to get cold temps again tonight. For us out here in Levy county, the closest published temps are Gainesville Airport. That is 40 some miles from here I think.

Molly
:^))))

According to Weather Underground, it is currently 28 degrees in Tallahassee, at 8:36 a.m. I think my Hibiscus bit it.

What do I win?

:>)

Diane,

Sorry about your hibiscus. I only have one trop. hib. left. In the greenhouse and I don't know how it did. I also have a banana, pineapple, papayas, orchids, broms, AV's and a castor bean tree in there.

Oh there are lots of other stuff, but they can handle the cold. This will be a test on my theory of keeping the dew off, hence keeping the layer of frost off, saving the plants.

We'll see. I absolutely have no doubt some buds and maters will fall off from the cold, but hopefully the plants will survive.

:^)))

I let the cat out this morning when I was scrambling to get the heat lights up. She didn't come in for the longest time. When she did, she had the very strong essence of citronella geraniums about her. She must have went to sleep in there.

dog, i think you win a trip to disneyworld! lol

Right! I'm currently wrapped in a Mexican wool blanket, at work, with the heat on. Fingers still a tad numb to type much. Hard to work.

The irony: I was born and raised in Ohio. I have shoveled my way out of more than a few driveways. But 14 years in Florida = I just can't handle anything below 60 degrees anymore.

Can someone turn up the heat outside?

i have fleece pants, fleece coat, silly ronald mcdonald long striped socks, stocking cap, gloves and tall rubber boots on at the moment. i'm trying to dig through bermuda grass to plant a Savannah holly so i am working up a bit of a sweat. i swear i can see my breath though!

Well, Tracks, I'm sure you can, and I's be able to see mine too if I wanted to venture out in 43 temps.........but I am cooking in house today.

Diane, ya gotta come down and have some of this Jamaican Jerk Marinade I just made. I didn't have, nor want scotch bonnet peppers, but I did use a couple of the hot peppers growing out of my compost bin. This stuff smells so gooooooddddd it's making my eyes water. Oh yes, I am using it on chicken and pork. This recipe was from a Jamaican Chef down in Ocho Rios.

It'll warm yall up fer sure!!!

Molly

Ooooo, I bet that would be good on shrimp! Wish I had some pepper jelly left; I'd trade you. (I'm out.)

Pepper jelly? Hmmmmm there's a jar in my fridge. Did you bring that down here last June? I think Jeremy was eating that, but he hasn't lived here for over 6 months now.

What do you put Pepper Jelly on anyways?

Molly
:^))))

i put it on eggs and cheese and anything else i can get my hands on.

What trackinsand said. LOL. Yes, I did bring that down to the Roundup. We all ate a bit and I left you with the leftovers. Should still be in great shape, in the fridge.

I tend to plop some on top of cream cheese (what I did at your house) to cut the burn, and then use crackers or a nice crusty french bread for dipping. My friend mix their cream cheese and pepper jelly in a blender -- they say it's milder that way. I also like it with a creamy goat cheese instead of cream cheese, on french bread, as an appetizer.

Count yourself lucky, this year's batch was WAY hotter than the jar I brought you. Yikes!

It also makes a great marinade for ham, instead of honey and cloves.
You can use it as a marinade for fish, really great with grouper or shrimp.
It's also good in stir-fry as a base for your sauce. A little soy sauce and fresh ginger and you wouldn't need much else to flavor your meat & veggies.
And of course, many people just put it on toast, or bagels, or biscuits.
My sister claims it would be good on ice cream instead of chocolate sauce. I think that's blasphemous. ;>)
Point being: It's pretty versatile stuff.

it is wonderful on vanilla ice cream! trust me!

Is it Palmalito who makes your Pepper Jelly ? If so you can order it from them at http://www.palmettocanning.com/
I buy pepper jelly from them all the time as it makes the best glaze for roasted chicken and pork.
PS Jeremy, I had to move your Theobroma in just in case it dipped below 40 here.


Opps it seems they removed the online ordering. Jermey, next time I go by there I'll pick up a jar for you to sample or share.

This message was edited Jan 26, 2007 6:32 PM

that's the brand i buy, available at publix, next to the nutella. yes, i know where the nutella is too! love that stuff.

Ummmm nutella. I love that with cherry jam spread on warm toast. I was getting concerned last night when I noticed most of the groves had the heaters out. I have a few cold sensitive plants I would have to move.

the big cold is supposed to be here next week, early. i think i could bathe in nutella.

Well, the only thing here that showed any frost damage from last night was some of the sweet potato vines -- but some, right next to the freeze-dried ones, are okay. Ti plants okay. Brugs okay. Go figure. I hope the weather mavens turn out to be wrong about that cold dip coming next week.

Michele

This morning is the heaviest frost yet. I think it finally did in my summer squash that I was so hopeful would make it thru the winter. Oh well, Ill just start some more! I have learned that is much easier growing veggies during the fall winter and spring than the summer. Banana trees have taken a hit, but they always come back; Im not worried about them. Everything else looks relatively ok. But brrrrrr.....

Well, outside my back door this morning it was 24, greenhouse was 36. I pulled all my orchids and AV's in last night. I didn't want to push my luck.

Tonight they are calling for 45 but tomorrow night will be back down colder. But maybe 70 today. Need to roll up two plastic panels for that so the plants don't cook.

Michele, glad things went good for you. The other night I had 2 Morning Glory Bushes get their leaves frosted and several brugmansias that are planted outside got frosty and are now mushy on the tops. 2 months ago I laid a godd layer of pine needles on all those tenders that are in the ground, so I expect they will recover when spring comes.

Can't wait for them to gain some trunk size this summer, then next winter they will fare better. I have 4 Brugs in pots in the greenhouse I will wait til last forst past before planting outside.

Molly
:^))))

Thanks, Kwetz, for protecting my Theobroma adoptee! I'm very much looking forward to bringing it home, though it may dig in its roots and not want to leave you when it learns it is going to an even colder climate!! LOL

I haven't yet done my morning walk around the yard, but I don't see any signs of frost or freeze damage from looking out my windows. I don't think we went below 32 F. My elephant ears are still standing strong and they usually turn to something resembling brown parchment paper if the temps drop below freezing for any sustained period. There was very little wind last night (predicted to be less than 2 mph), so that helps with reducing frost and freeze damage.

I am really taking my chances by leaving my plumerias out in pots buried in the curbside garden, but I've been too tied up with paid garden work and other jobs from morning to night lately and haven't had the energy to lift the heavy pots out of the ground. I think they will be O.K. -- and what doesn't kill them will only make them stronger (at least I hope that maxim applies to plants as well as people!)

Jeremy

Just got in from checking everything, and all seems to be OK. No mushy leaves on the brugs, and I totally forgot to bring the Jade plant and Desert Rose that are in pots closer to the house, but fortunately they are OK.

I will not forget tonight, though, cause the forecast for tonight is 35o, and that's just a bit too close for comfort.

It's actually too cold for me to do any work outside, so I'm sitting here catching up on e mail, and other things on the net.

Have some errands to run, then for the most part, it will be a rather 'chill out' day. Oops I forgot, got to get my workout in, so maybe it won't be such a 'chill out' day after all.

Gracie

Well I put bed sheets over a few coleus that are still hanging on. It only got down to about 35º here and I saw no frost at 6:40 this morning.
I will be looking for a good gardener to help me here soon.
I'm back to my taxes today.
Sidney

Gracie,
I forgot to mention that several of my Brugs are blooming and appear to even enjoy these temps.
Sidney

Jeremy - if you kill your plumeria I'm never speaking to you again!!!

Sidney,

My brugs are loving the cool temps and are blooming profusely. Even Maya, which is just about leafless is blooming .

I don't know which is my favorite, but Big Yella is sure on the top of my list! Thanks, Kell!!!!

Gracie


This message was edited Jan 27, 2007 10:58 AM

I've been bringing in my seedling bunya-bunya and my very expensive little mail-order Wollemi Pine (available in the US through the National Geographic Society people), just in case. They can take a bit of freezing when mature but I didn't want to risk them.

If I can't grow most of the stuff that needs chilling hours, it's not fair that I have to get freezes. Yes, it's been a mild winter so far, but I always want it milder here in 8b atop a low ridge. Yes, the yaupons and the baldcypress and such are pleasant enough, but I treasure exotic oddities. The more cold-tender clumping bamboos seem mostly to be surviving: the Dendrocalamus asper seems not to be dead yet after a few winters here, though hardly in rambunctious health. I want a jacaranda but that's sure to die given one bad winter, and so on.

I might buy a personal weather station and put it on line, now that I have satellite internet. LIVE reports for the WORLD!

We had a couple days of cooler weather here (60). I don't envy all of ya'll having to bring plants in. When we have hurricanes threatening, I have 100 orchids and 20 hoyas to move. Just about kills me every time, and then it takes forever to get all the lizards and frogs out of the house. Everytime I want to plant a camellia and can't because it doesn't get cool enough here - I'm going to re-read the above posts and remind myself that being in Broward County ain't all bad!

i guess i'll be dressing up all my tenders tomorrow night. expected low, 29 here. bundle up molly, you're north of me!

I'm getting freeze warnings from my weatherbug that encompasses the whole state except the 3 bottom counties on the peninsula and those counties surrounding the Tampa Bay area.

So everyone else bundle up and watch out.

The wind kicked up so bad last night I was continually awakened to the sound of my plaster whipping and snapping on the greenhouse. Luckily, it didn't rip any yet.

But I am going to interject this...........We had freshly picked garden salads followed by Jamaican Jerked Chicken and Pork cooked on the grill last night with grilled sliced zucchini and squash and we ate it by candle in the greenhouse with Rhythym and Blues drifting out the windows. It was delicious and I am bragging on this because we'll probably not do this again until spring.

I think winter is finally here.

Molly

yeah, what was with the wind last night? we just had a downpour and now windy again, although not too bad. jeremy, i always thought that some wind was good and actually helped keep things from freezing. i've always feared the "still", cold nights the most. oh well, regardless, these next two nights are going to be iffy for me. my plumie is in a big pot, sunk into the ground, so i can't move it. i'll be draping sheets later on today but not now. i don't want them getting wet or blowing off. what to do, what to do.

Tracks,

I bet you didn't know that although wind chill factors are figured primarily for human skin, succulent plants and cacti also feel the effects of wind chill. That is, I believe, due to the moisture content in the flesh.

Molly
:^)))

that would make sense, molly. moving and covering succulents today, in fact. it's funny, because john and i were just discussing this very wind chill thing about 5 minutes ago. i told him i was pulling the van out and parking it across the front of the house where most of the succulents are located. he said not to bother because we aren't supposed to have wind later on. i'm still going to do it........O!

Hmmm,,, supposed to be in the mid 30's in the Titusville area. I'm wondering if I should just hope for the best. This is my first "winter" with a lot of tropicals... mainly my queen palms , pony tail palms and pygmy date palms. I have some plants in pots that I could move to the shed... I just hate to do it if it is not going to freeze. Decisions, decisions!!