dtlove129
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Posts: 293
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:04 pm
Location: Decatur, IL

Dang Weather!

Well last night we got down to 24 degrees so I'm hoping that most everything survives. I haven't put out any seedlings, but my garden currently has lettuce, onions, carrots, and potatoes that are out of the ground. My corn went in this past weekend, but it is still in seed right now. The good news our extended forecast is warming up and with rain.

I'm also afraid of how it affected my strawberries that were blooming, and flowers that were budding like roses, azaleas, and coneflowers. I guess time will tell.

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rainbowgardener
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Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

The lettuce, onions, carrots, potatoes are all cool weather stuff and will be fine. What we are worried about is the warm weather stuff.

I had tomatoes in the ground already and we got down to 32 last night and 31 tonight. I covered them over with my partner's motorcycle cover which is insulated and large enough so I just pulled it over the whole bed, over the top of all the tomato cages etc. It was still cold when I had to go to work this morning, so I just left them. They are staying in the dark all day. Hopefully one day of dark won't harm them too much. Tomorrow the big warm up begins, finally!

I had to bring 6 trays of tomatoes, peppers, and basil seedlings in pots indoors AGAIN. A lot of stuff that is well hardened off, I left out - petunias, marigolds, nicotiana, sage, thyme, savory, etc etc. It all seems to have survived just fine...

But yes, this time of year drives me crazy. We've had warm weather since early Mar, but we keep getting these little dips, one or two cold nights and then back to warm....

dtlove129
Senior Member
Posts: 293
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:04 pm
Location: Decatur, IL

Not sure what part of OH you are in, but you are ahead of me. My tomatoes are just now an inch or so tall and not even all of my peppers have broken through the soil yet. I need to really start hardening off a bunch of flowers just so I have more room for when the peppers and tomatoes get bigger. Most of my things that are outside permanently right now are established plants, and hopefully the cool snap didn't affect them to much these past couple of days.

We probably have a decent chance for a frost tonight, but after that I hope it is smooth sailing. I'm going to get up in the morning and put out my broccoli and cauliflower before coming to work since they have been hardening off. I still have about half the broccoli and cauliflower to harden off because they were smaller (planted after). So I may take my chances on them and start hardening them eventhough they are just now putting out more leaves than just the seed leaves. Maybe with the good weather coming they will be better off in the soil instead of the pots.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I'm in Cincinnati, far SW Ohio and I am ahead of you -- you are in zone 5b and I am in 6a. I also just like to get an early start. But even so I think you are a little behind the season. The cauliflower and broccoli like cold weather and frost and don't do well once it gets hot. I start mine indoors in late Jan and put them in the garden mid-March, a month ahead of our average last frost date. Last fall I planted some in the ground in October and they over-wintered and did great this spring.


The peppers are warm weather crop, but very slow growing. I plant pepper seeds indoors 1 Feb to go out mid-April ish.

greenmouli
Full Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 3:44 am
Location: India

How nice to read posts about cold climates!!!! Carrots, Chives, Lettuce, Beets....!!! Yummmm... I so wish we had similar climates as I have lots of cold-climate crop seeds but have to wait for almost 6 months before I can sow them here :( Good luck ya, all!

dtlove129
Senior Member
Posts: 293
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:04 pm
Location: Decatur, IL

Everything in my garden looks good. Potatoes got a little burnt from the freeze, but I think they'll recover. Now my hydrangea, wigella, and butter fly bush look a little rough. They are established plants, but that freeze looks like it really hurt them. I hope they recover and bloom this year.

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KeriFord
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Posts: 122
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 12:50 pm
Location: South Arkansas

it's been chilly too here and I dislike! We went from highs in the mid-80s to highs in the mid-60s. I'm pretty sure it's my fault. the temps dropped the day after I put a handful of my cucumbers in the ground when I knew better! they seem to be fine, but the ones still inside are doing better.

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soil
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Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:40 pm
Location: N. California

no one mentioned leeks or chickpeas. both hardy to at least 25 from my experiences.



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