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Garden Gate:  Mini greenhouses for fall?  |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 6:36:55 PM
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I was just watching Gardening with Cisco and he said that once it turns cold and wet that I'd risk tomatoes rotting on the vine. He said the plants should be pulled up and hung upside down in a warm room to finish ripening off the tomatoes. I've always just picked them to do that but I'm willing to try his idea.
I have turned the tomato and pepper beds into mini greenhouses with clear plastic over the bed so they heat up during our cool days now and cover with blankets and an extra tarp with a heater under the tarp at night.
My question is, will my plan work or is Cisco right?
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 7:20:04 PM
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I've heard that about pulling the whole plant and hanging it upside down but I've never used the meathod. We usually do like you and cover with plastic but I am not always good about getting the plastic off or ventilated on warm days and wind up "cooking" the tomatoes. DH wants to make something resembling a row cover this year to shelter the tomatoes, that might work better for us. It's still in the 80's during the day here so we haven't covered yet but Monday night they are predicting it to get down in the mid 30's. So this weekend is a work weekend for sure!
Audrey
Toto, we're not in Kansas any more! |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Oct 04 2008 : 08:17:48 AM
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Our days have been in the 60's and 70's. We did have 2 days that hit 81 last week, but I have the plastic at the ends of the beds open so they don't roast. Kind of like a mini hoop-house. Most nights have been down to freezing or colder except for those two 80 degree days. I have to say that the past month has been working wonderfully. When I stick my head under the plastic, it feels nice and toasty under there. My peppers have been growing by leaps and bounds and I have quite a few waiting to be chopped up for the freezer. But there are a lot more on the plants, still. The tomatoes have been ripening very well and I bring in a couple of handfuls every couple days. The tomatoes don't seem to be growing as fast as the peppers, but at least they are finally ripening.
It is raining now and expected to all weekend with highs in the 50's all week and we could get more rain and even snow from now on. Which makes me wonder if I can even continue to do this. If there is little or no sun, the beds aren't going to heat up much during the day.
Sounds like I just answered my own question!
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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LisaLu
True Blue Farmgirl
126 Posts
Lisa
Wildomar
Ca
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2008 : 10:03:17 AM
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LisaMarie:
If your temps are in the 40's, I'd pull the tomatoes. They don't recommend refrigerating tomatoes because it spoils their flavor. I've never hung them upside down to ripen, but it sure sounds interesting. Try it, it can't hurt them!
My peppers are doing really well too. We had our first rain in many months yesterday, and now it's for casted to be back in the 90's tomorrow! I hope to roast them and do some canning!
Have a great day!
LisaLu
Happiness is homemade... |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2008 : 12:12:02 PM
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Thanks, Lisa. Yeah, I figured with cold AND wet it wouldn't do any good to continue with all the covers on/covers off exercises and I pulled all my plants this morning. If there's little or no sun, there's no way the beds will warm up during the day and putting the heater under the tarp to keep them warm at night is just wasting money at this point.
So, I guess it's finally fried green tomato time! We have a birthday to celebrate at work on Wed and she loves them. I guess I know what I'm bringing.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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LisaLu
True Blue Farmgirl
126 Posts
Lisa
Wildomar
Ca
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2008 : 12:23:02 PM
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LisaMarie:
That sounds very thoughtfull of you. I'll think of you when I harvest my 2nd crop of tomatoes. I've been born & raised in California, and I often take for granted our growing season. Can you still grow winter veggies?
LisaLu
Happiness is homemade... |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2008 : 4:23:55 PM
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Wow, a second crop of tomatoes? I just can't imagine. I still have broccoli, spinach and peas out there. They can handle temps down to 25 so far in my experience. The weather channel says our lows during the week coming up are going to be 25 and they're predictions are generally 5-10 degrees higher than what we actually get. So, even the cool weather veggies might be done for by the time the week is over.
Our winters are generally in the teens - 20's for the highs and around zero or below at night. There's no way we can grow anything in the winter. Even if it survived -we'd never be able to find it under all the snow!
So, the growing season is over. Time to plan for next year!
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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LisaLu
True Blue Farmgirl
126 Posts
Lisa
Wildomar
Ca
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2008 : 4:46:09 PM
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Would you believe that I have only been in the snow a handful of times in my life, and I'm 48!
It amazes me that anything can still grow after enduring snow!
If you need any seeds for next spring let me know, I save just about everything!
Stay warm!
LisaLu
Happiness is homemade... |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 05:26:17 AM
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Ooh, Lisa, I'm hoping that we all get a seed exchange going later on in the winter when every body is ready. I also save seeds though I'm fairly new at that.
Wow, I can't imagine living without snow! I know not everybody likes snow. Even some folks up here will leave and head south for the winter because they don't like snow. Personally, I LOVE snow.
The things that grow here are pretty tough and we are limited in what we can grow. Our summers are pretty short and as far as veggies and flowers, I have to stick to short season types. We're zone 4 but zone 3 is just a short distance from here and zone 5 is just a short distance in the other direction. So, some winters are bitterly cold and some not so bad. I can grow zone 5 stuff here if I mulch it well. Zone 6 stuff won't survive, no matter what I do. Roses are almost impossible except for the wild ones. I have lost many roses in my attempt to have them except one. I have a Zephrine Droughin climber that manages to come back every year, but it always dies back to the ground even though I pile mulch around all the canes in the fall. So, in the 3 years that I've had it, it has never gotten more than 2 feet high. This year, I thought it had finally given up and died. But at the end of June, it finally sprouted new growth. We had a long, cold spring this year.
English tea roses are my absolute favorite variety, but they would never survive here. I did find a great alternative, though. Peonies! The flowers look and smell very similar and they just fill my house with their perfume. They are zone 5 and I mulch them every fall and they come back just wonderfully.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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LisaLu
True Blue Farmgirl
126 Posts
Lisa
Wildomar
Ca
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 11:13:00 AM
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Lisamarie:
I'm trying to imagine what life would be like...what do you do on weekends in the winter? We have an RV and we go to the sand dunes...buggy season is from Halloween thru Easter. We enjoy getting our friends and family together to drive 50mph up and down blind hills of sand! Imagine Saudi Arabia. We spend every Thanksgiving out there, last year my husband and I roasted a huge pig, deep fried turkey, and served apx 60 people outside...we were all in shorts and tank tops! Don't get me wrong, the desert does cool down at night, that makes the campfires nice and toasty!
I'm in zone 10, it's amazing what will grow in this heat!
I've been looking into a "blog". I think I started one thru google, but I don't have time today to figure the rest out. Maybe one day I get it together and I'll post pictures of this crazy life here in So Cal!!!!
Have a good one,
LisaLu
Happiness is homemade... |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 11:26:37 AM
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On the weekends, we might shovel snow! I go cross country skiing practically from my driveway. Some folks ride snowmobiles and snowshoe all over the mountains. I used to build snowmen, snow caves, snow angels with the kids, but they're all grown now. I still have to shovel paths for my pittie as her hips are bad and she hates the snow so, I have to clear a path for her! I read, sew, make baskets, bake breads and sweets, watch football and plan the next years garden. Sometimes we work on inside house projects like painting, taking down walls, ripping up carpet or anything else we think of that doesn't require warm weather to do. Basically, all the stuff that I don't have much time to do in the summer.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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LisaLu
True Blue Farmgirl
126 Posts
Lisa
Wildomar
Ca
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 9:35:58 PM
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Lisamarie:
It all sounds good. Keep warm!
Happiness is homemade... |
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Garden Gate: Mini greenhouses for fall? |
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Mini greenhouses for fall?
