Okay, I'm Ready

[stella1751]

The temperature outside right now is 52. That's the speed of the wind, too. Broken tree branches, some of 'em pretty hefty, are littering the street in front of my house. The forecast high for tomorrow is 48. The ten-day forecast is for lows in the lower 30's and highs in the upper 50's and low 60's. Halfway is talking about leaf collecting in the composting forum.

You don't have to hit me over the head with a tree branch for me to see the way the wind is blowing. It's time to call it quits.

Thank you, Mother Nature, for the 15-day grace period after that ugly hard freeze you sprung on is. I got some serious pepper growth out of it, even a few mature Habaneros.

Hasta La Vista, Garden

[Tilde]

agreed - time to get out the pencil and paper and plan your spring garden.

Think of it as well earned rest for a productive season .

[stella1751]

It's okay, guys. I'm resigned to the end. I got two good weeks of unexpectedly warm and lovely weather after the hard freeze, and many a pepper ripened during that time. This is early for us to be shutting down production, but I can remember a 6" snow in Cheyenne on September 1 once, so it could have been worse.

I'm in the indecisive stage right now. If the forecast is correct, I could hold on to these guys for another 10 days. There isn't really a hard freeze slated, just freeze after freeze. I could keep them alive, I think.

They wouldn't have much quality of life, though, not with the cold and the gusts. When it's this chilly and the days are shortening, it takes five or six days to do the maturing they could complete in one warm, quiet day. It's like making a decision to put a beloved pet down. Do you do it now to spare them pain, or hold on a little longer in the hopes that a cure (read: warm stretch) is around the corner?

I really don't even know that I will be able to weight down tarps in this wind. Most of the time they just tear away from their anchors when the winds hit these speeds and are constant, as they are now. I should get out tonight and pull everything. However, I've got a heavy workload ahead of me, grading final drafts. I MUST get those done this evening!

Here's a question: If I leave them uncovered tonight and they freeze, would I be able to salvage the peppers and tomatoes, or would they be ruined?

Back to work

[soil]

from the sounds of it, id cut the plants at the base and hang them somewhere dry and warmer. the whole plant, and let the peppers ripen that way, or even let them go to dry.

having to deal with covers and such in those type of winds sucks, ive been there.

[Tilde]

Wow, soil, I didn't know we could do that. I'll remember for if I move someday. Thanks.

[stella1751]

What are the odds that I would finally resign myself to inevitable and the inevitable doesn't come? I decided to gamble on making it a little bit longer, and I have been covering my favorites for the last few nights. So far, so good. And lowest forecast low over the next ten-day period is only 29 degrees. I can do 29 degrees standing on my head!

Look out, November! Here I come

[jal_ut]

If I leave them uncovered tonight and they freeze, would I be able to salvage the peppers and tomatoes, or would they be ruined?

They would likely be ruined.

[SPierce]

After your rough start, I'm glad you were able to manage to get a few things here and there out of your garden!