Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Help with tomato frost damage
I live in the Pacific NW (near Portland) and after hardening my tomatoes
off, planted them outside recently. About a week and a half ago, my area suffered some very cold weather (frost was on my car windshield). Most, but not all, of the tomatoes were hit pretty hard, with a lot of dead leaves and branches. What should I do at this point? Should I just leave them and see what happens? Should I prune off the dead leaves and branches? Is it hopeless (i.e. are frost damaged plants so handicapped that I should start over with nursery starts)? Thanks in advance. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Help with tomato frost damage
On Sun, 25 May 2003 15:13:09 GMT, "homer"
wrote: I live in the Pacific NW (near Portland) and after hardening my tomatoes off, planted them outside recently. About a week and a half ago, my area suffered some very cold weather (frost was on my car windshield). Most, but not all, of the tomatoes were hit pretty hard, with a lot of dead leaves and branches. What should I do at this point? Should I just leave them and see what happens? Should I prune off the dead leaves and branches? Is it hopeless (i.e. are frost damaged plants so handicapped that I should start over with nursery starts)? Thanks in advance. It's to late now for this advice, but next time it happens, try to wash off the frost with water from the hose before the sun hits the plants. This can reduce a lot of the damage. Only for mild frost, of course, froze solid is a bit much. _ - Charles - -does not play well with others |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Help with tomato frost damage
On Sun, 25 May 2003 15:13:09 GMT, homer wrote:
What should I do at this point? Should I just leave them and see what happens? Should I prune off the dead leaves and branches? Is it hopeless (i.e. are frost damaged plants so handicapped that I should start over with nursery starts)? Dead material should be removed. If they were 4" starts, and not many of those, I'd be inclined to replant (I'm just S of you, about halfway to Salem). I've got some that would be in 3 gallon cans if they were potted, and those I'd probably just remove dead leaves from -- but I'd had enough warning that I had cuddled them up under sheets with gallon bottles of warm water. Last week's hail was harder on them than the frost. If you don't have a copy of the excellent book Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades (Steve Solomon), hit the library... the section on tomato growing in this climate is particularly useful. Kay Lancaster |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Help with tomato frost damage
Thanks. I do have Solomon's book. However, given the late terrible
weather, it wouldn't have been much help. I started these plants indoors in March and they are a good 18 inches tall when I moved them to a hoop house in April and by the time I removed the hoop house just after the first of May, they were mostly around two feet tall, many with lots of tomatoes. The whole scene is pretty depressing. I am tempted to simply tear out some of the harder hit plants and replace them with store bought starts. My girlfriend (who helped me nurse these babies along) won't have any of it, more out of principal than anything else. My easiest solution right now is to increase the size of the garden to fit the new starts (I will have home grown tomatoes this year damnit). Next year I won't start my seeds until April 1 and won't move them out until the middle of may into the hoop house (which won't come down until june). This seems to have been an unusually cold spring in the PNW. Again, thanks for the help. Jay "Kay Lancaster" wrote in message ... On Sun, 25 May 2003 15:13:09 GMT, homer wrote: What should I do at this point? Should I just leave them and see what happens? Should I prune off the dead leaves and branches? Is it hopeless (i.e. are frost damaged plants so handicapped that I should start over with nursery starts)? Dead material should be removed. If they were 4" starts, and not many of those, I'd be inclined to replant (I'm just S of you, about halfway to Salem). I've got some that would be in 3 gallon cans if they were potted, and those I'd probably just remove dead leaves from -- but I'd had enough warning that I had cuddled them up under sheets with gallon bottles of warm water. Last week's hail was harder on them than the frost. If you don't have a copy of the excellent book Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades (Steve Solomon), hit the library... the section on tomato growing in this climate is particularly useful. Kay Lancaster |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Help with tomato frost damage
On Sun, 25 May 2003 15:13:09 GMT, "homer"
wrote: About a week and a half ago, my area suffered some very cold weather (frost was on my car windshield). Most, but not all, of the tomatoes were hit pretty hard, with a lot of dead leaves and branches. What should I do at this point? I had this problem last year in central PA. We had frosts on May 20th and 21st !! The smallest one looked like a goner, but I left it in the garden since I didn't intend to replace it, and it regrew. A replacement plant however would have grown faster. It didn't bear till late in the summer. RWL ******* Remove NOSPAM to reply ******* |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Help with tomato frost damage
I had this problem last year in central PA. We had frosts on May
20th and 21st !! I live in central PA too, and we had a low of 28 on May 21, but lows of 34 on May 19 and 20. USUALLY, I start my tomato seeds in March, and put the seedlings in the garden around April 27, the AVERAGE date of our last frost. I plant them deep, so only the top leaves area above ground. I put a gallon jug of water right next to the plant, to absorb warmth from the sun all day. At sundown, uness the forecast low is above 50, I put a six-gallon plastic bucket over both plant and jug. That whole gallon of water would have to freeze before the temp inside the bucket woud drop to 32. In fact, water has a high specific heat and it keeps the temp inside the bucket well above the outside temperature. By the time the plants are too big to fit under the bucket, I no longer need to cover them. I have never lost a plant. BUT THIS YEAR, I planted my tomatoes last Sunday, a month later than usual. It's been a terribly cold spring. Many nights down in the 40s, even last week (41 on May 22); and quite a few days barely reaching the 50s. It has rained 23 of the 27 days in May. vince norris |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Water Damage Clean up & Fire Damage Restoration | Gardening | |||
Does Frost Damage Kill Tomato Plants? | Gardening | |||
Garlic/onion frost damage | Edible Gardening | |||
Garlic/onion frost damage | United Kingdom | |||
Cordyline Red Star - Frost Damage | United Kingdom |