FROST!

The dreaded word of gardeners has entered our weather forecast...frost!  We gardeners scurry around in the garden working to save our precious plants and bring in the last of the cold sensitive harvest.  When I heard of the cold front yesterday morning, I made it my goal to bring in all the red, almost red, and just blushing tomatoes.  They never store as well after they get cold and I am determined to make the most of my great tomato crop.

The plants still have plenty of green tomatoes that are of a decent size that I am going to gamble on better weather coming.  We often get one or two cold nights followed by a beautiful stretch of weather.  I have pulled out the new bag of floating row cover and have encased the tomato patch like a caterpillar in its cocoon.  With the southern exposure and radiant heat from the house and pavement, I am hoping it is enough to extend my crop this year.  If the real cold comes, I will pull off the rest of the green tomatoes and store them in single layers on newspaper in the basement.  I have had tomatoes ripen well into winter using this technique.  Not as good as vine ripened but no worse than what you would buy in the store.


A few other things had to be adjusted for the possible lows in the 30's tonight.  I have several plants that I have over-wintered and would like to do again.  I have two citronella scented geraniums that I grew into topiaries now each 4 feet tall.  My star jasmine and mandevilla vine are also too expensive to replace now that they have grown larger.  I also bring in coleus cuttings for my garden next year.

Basil is cold sensitive even without frost and should be harvested before the cold hits.  Since it is cold sensitive, never store it in the refrigerator.  Cut the plants and stick them right in water.  I have some larger plants which I am going to dehydrate the leaves for dried herb use.  I have some that have already rooted on the window sill.  There are a few left in the garden under frost cover and one bunch which I late seeded directly in the garden which I just put an over-turned pail on to keep warm.  A very simple solution, I do have to take it off in the morning.

Just a few notes about frost protection.  Plastic sheets are not a good option.  If the plastic rest on the plant leaves they will freeze through the plastic.  Cloth is a better option, row cover is great as you can leave it on the next day rather than have to remove it like you would with sheets or rugs as they block too much light.  If you have the time to take things off before the sun is too high then they work just fine.  If you don't cover and get caught by a frost there is one last option to resort to which does work.  The reason why frost kills plants is that as the frozen cells warm up with the sun they burst from warming too quickly.  If you get out before sun up and water by sprinkling the leaves, you more slowly warm up the plant cells and may just save your plants for another day.  

Welcome to gardening via the extended season!  Whatever it is you cherish you may find a place in your home to keep it over winter.  It is always a good idea to wash plants off thoroughly before bringing in and isolate them from your other house plants for the first couple weeks to see if any bugs hatch.  This year I plan on immersing my pots in a tub to make sure I do not bring another mouse family in with them like last year (four baby mice eating my new seedlings was not good).  I keep all my indoor plants in my basement under lights for the winter and they pull through just fine.  It also makes doing laundry a bit more tropical in the middle of winter.  Stay warm and put the pots in the garage for the night.  Indian Summer is on its way.