First Cold Damage

MelissaLynne
MelissaLynne Posts: 205 ✭✭✭

My garden received its first extensive cold damage last night. It is very disappointing. I was hoping for a few more weeks. Temps are suppose to continue in the 90s next week.

Cukes, squash, watermelon, peppers, tomatoes, and corn are all looking pretty sad. It is especially frustrating when the growing season started so late this year. I didn’t get my first radishes until last week of June and no sugar snap peas until July!

Has anyone had luck getting cold damaged plants to continue to mature and produce?

Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Sorry to hear your plants have been injured. Don't give up on them yet; they have a strong life force and will at least try to ripen, even if still small.


    The weather has been crazy. Yesterday we had a high of 108 degrees, today is it high of 73 degrees, low of 49.

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

    Following -- I hope things bounce back for you! Weather here has been crazy, too!

  • gardneto76
    gardneto76 Posts: 528 ✭✭✭✭

    Yes I have had plants bounce back after a good frost. Be patient and see if they come back. If it is going to be cold again, cover them up with old sheets. If it is going to be nice enough I would also plant more radishes & beans/peas, just to get more quick growing stuff.

  • MelissaLynne
    MelissaLynne Posts: 205 ✭✭✭

    We haven’t had any frosts yet, but have had a couple very windy nights with temp below 40*

    we usually have a strong frost that ends many plants the first week of October.


    i will try to give extra tlc to most of the plants, but the Hubbard squash is done, leaves are all gone and the few itty bitty squash are slimy. It was the least protected of all the plants. It wasn’t producing well to begin with despite all the pollinators.


    my husband made a discovery that compensated for the garden disappointment. My speckled Sussex hatched 13 chicks in the woods. Will post about them separately. :)

  • burekcrew86
    burekcrew86 Posts: 248 ✭✭✭

    We had a couple cool mornings here that some of my garden did not appreciate. The craziness of the weather this year has been frustrating. We had snow in Pennsylvania on Mother’s Day, which never happens. Weird year all the way around.

  • Covering with sheets really does help. I do that but have to use rocks to weight them down because of the wind we usually have here. Weather is totally crazy now and not sure if "normal" is going to be back any time soon. @MelissaLynne I hope they do bounce back for you. It is so frustrating to care for a plant all season and then just before harvesting the freeze hits.

  • KimWilson
    KimWilson Posts: 197 ✭✭✭

    It is raining tonight here in north east Arizona. The temps are to be in the high 30's

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    No frost in my garden yet but higher elevations around me have had one or two nights of frost. So I am feeling quite grateful. No frost in the forecast for several days so hopefully I will get a few more big zucchini. Its been a cool, wet summer so hoping for a nice September.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No frost yet at my house though some areas near me have had some. We have had some low temps that killed off plants. Had to harvest lots of green tomatoes, hoping they will all ripen inside. Freezing most as they ripen for making sauce once I have enough of them.

    Picked tomatilloes as well, though I am not sure they will ripen. Pumpkins did manage to ripen in spite of early cold. Broccoli and cauliflower did not do well here this year. Many others had same issues as we did. Heads never formed just a few straggly individual shoots. Cabbage was slow but most finally formed heads. Will be picking them soon too it looks like.