We should file a class-action suit against the weather forecasters. Who's with me?
Too early to plant?
HA!!
I haven't planted seed yet.. I'm late.. too busy!! Thank Goodness! It's funny.. I've been thinking I'm all behind schedule.. Looks like I'm okay.. :)
Susan
Ok, I went out there at 6:30am and watered everything. Sprinklers are not completely hooked up yet, so dragging the hoses all over was a job. Does everyone run around and take all the covers and towels off every morning or can you leave it all on till the warm weather is back? Tuesday I think. I took mine off when I watered then put them back on at 8pm tonight. Am I doing it right?
BronxBoy, I think I saw something about LI in one of your posts? where abouts? Islip, Bellmore, East Meadow here.
chris
You can leave your covers on until Tuesday unless it is clear plastic. If the sun hits the plastic it could cook the plants underneath unless you have the plastic raised off the plants.
How do I water the plants with the covers on? I thought I had to water the frost off? I forgot to take some of the totes off in the front yard and they had lots of condensation on the inside, is that ok to leave on till tues? I am glad to hear...the leave them on part, especially the little flowers and hosta and some other new little things. I am mostly concerned about the watering the frost off the tomato and cukes. Hey...hcmcdole...how come you havent said "told ya so" yet... maybe it would get through to some of us. LOL or me atleast.
chris
If you covered, no need to water the frost off.
Susan
Walter Reeves email:
Special Edition - Protecting Plants in Cold Weather
Georgia is famous for spells of warm weather in early spring that are followed by a couple of days below freezing.
The average last freeze is March 27 but a frost can occur as late as April 23. (Brrrr!!)
This weekend, cold temperatures are expected but below freezing air temperatures are forecast for only a few hours Friday night and more on Saturday night.
If you are concerned, simply cover tender plants (tomato, impatiens, basil, etc) with light cotton sheets or with cardboard boxes. Weight them down with rocks or limbs. Remove them the next day when temperatures rise.
Be extremely careful covering plants with clear plastic. On a sunny day, even when it's below freezing, the air under clear plastic can get so hot your plants will cook. I prefer black plastic for a daytime covering because the shiny black reflects most light rather than absorbing it.
You can "tent" tender shrubs by driving a stake in the ground so the top is slightly higher than the top of the shrub. Cover the entire shrub with black plastic down to the ground and anchor the edges with logs or stones.
The bottom line is that damage done to your plants depends on how low it gets and how long the freezing temperatures last. Our soil temperatures are in the 60's - so there is a lot of heat close to the ground. If the cold in your area only lasts an hour or so and if plants are protected from the wind by a wall or a line of shrubbery, they will probably survive just fine.