Frost last night, but plants look okay?

[SLC]

Per my other post, which now can be deleted, but I don't know how, I have a new question.

So last night we were supposed to have frost, but I just went out there and the bean plants, pepper plants, tomato plants, etc. still look okay - the plant/leaves, etc. look healthy. So does that mean they are okay, or does it just take a few days after a frost before the plant dies?

I picked a few veggies, but left the rest because the plants look okay still - it is supposed to get down to 36 tonight.

So should I leave them for now or just harvest everything?

With 36 degree temps tonight, can I still leave my peanuts and potatoes in the ground? I want them to keep growing if possible.

Plus it just rained for two days so all the soil is still wet.

Plus, I only have like an 1 - 1 1/2 hours of daylight after work, and I cannot pick everything/dig everything up in that amount of time.

Please help!

[applestar]

Mulching (leaves) to protect the underground tubers and nuts might be a good idea -- but squirrels and chipmunks will go after the peanuts if left unattended too long and voles and field mice, sometimes chipmunks, too, will raid potatoes.

[jal_ut]

" plants, etc. still look okay - the plant/leaves, etc. look healthy. So does that mean they are okay, or does it just take a few days after a frost before the plant dies?"

When the leaves get frozen you will know it. They go limp and sag down and shortly turn brown. If they look healthy, they are not frozen.

[SLC]

Thank you so much for the information! At least this gives me a few days to work on harvesting everything!

[ButterflyLady29]

In your other thread you said your potato plants are dead. So you can harvest your potatoes any time in the next couple weeks. If you leave them too long animals could find them and eat them. You need to get them dug before the ground freezes.

[digitS']

Different species of garden plants have different sensitivities to cold. I have large gardens and the "micro-climates" are apparent. There is also something called "senescence" in the plant world. We might just call it "old age" . I had potato varieties that began this senescence in July.

Near freezing, back in September, began killing some of the the more exposed and sensitive plants in the cucumber and winter squash patch. Even the more exposed tomato plants began to drop their leaves.

Two severe frosts recently killed most everything including the green beans, which had been producing quite well over the last 3 weeks. Here at home, I have several tomato plants in containers in my backyard, near a tree. Their lower leaves are still alive. If I was to remove the frost-damaged foliage and move those plants into the greenhouse, AND turn the heat on in there -- they would probably bloom and set fruit over the winter ... but, I won't do that.

Steve

[jal_ut]

Here in high dry Utah if expecting frost in the fall and the tomatoes are not quite ready yet, we will get some 5 mil poly from the lumber yard and cover the row.