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Garden Gate:  Upper midwest frost  |
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My life
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
Kari
Atkinson
IL
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 24 2006 : 7:18:25 PM
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My husband told me today that out region (Central IL) has quite a good possibility of frost tomorrow. Cover any garden setouts or seedlings and just pray real hard for your peach, apple, cherry and plum trees. (And... this just happens to be the first year I've had apple blossoms) Frost Stay Away!!
Warmest Wishes!
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JennyWren
True Blue Farmgirl
201 Posts
USA
201 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2006 : 8:07:28 PM
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Murphy's law... As soon as I get my butt outside to plant.. it will frost! That's the risk I take every year...I live in Southeastern Wisconsin.. I hope we don't get a frost everything is coming to life so nicely!
If you treat an individual as what he is, he will stay that way, but if you
treat him as if he were what he could be, he will become what he could be.
-- Goethe
www.jennywrensurbanhomestead.blogspot.com/ |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2006 : 04:45:41 AM
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My cherries!!! *sob*
Apples haven't bloomed yet, but crabapples have. And my beautiful lilacs.... *sniff* Everything'll be burned.
Oh well, sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. |
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theherblady
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Jan
Glasford
Illinois
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2006 : 07:33:16 AM
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It was near 70 yesterday and only 58 this morning and continue to drop through out the day...Is supposed to frost here tonight...I have sooo many things to cover..Last year at this time we had a frost and I didnt cover anything-the most damage was to my hydrangeas! You can bet I am going to take this warning seriously.
Jan |
Edited by - theherblady on Apr 25 2006 07:33:52 AM |
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truebluecountrygirl
Farmgirl in Training
17 Posts
Karen
Milton Freewater
Oregon
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2006 : 1:32:02 PM
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Ladies -
Don't know how much work you want to put into your trees, etc., but IF the frost isn't gonna be too deep (say, only about 28 or above) you can sometimes keep the fruit blossoms viable by either running a sprinkler on or under the trees. The ice that forms will actually help protect the blooms from the frost, and if you run the sprinkler under the trees, it will make a slight wind current that might help. Another thing (looks real funny to the neighbors, but who cares?) is to run a fan on the trees to keep the air moving. It's when the air stills that it does the most damage.
I've got lots of crazy stories to tell about the things I've done over the years to protect my fruit! One year, things had all bloomed out and the crop was looking good. Then we had a real cold snap move in - so hubby and I took turns all night nursing an old woodstove we moved out to the "orchard" and kept a fan blowing the air around! Neighbors thought we were nuts, until August when WE were eating fresh fruit!!
Best wishes,
Karen |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2006 : 7:07:21 PM
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Karen, it's a nice idea, but winds were honking today at 20-40mph. I'd've gotten soaked. I'll just say my prayers and hope for some fruit.
My golden delicious apples are okay though; they haven't flowered yet. |
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sugarsfarm
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Leah
Woodward
Iowa
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2006 : 10:06:24 PM
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We are in a freeze advisory tonight, and of course i planted the prettiest flowers yesterday!! I covered them so i hope they dont get bitten too bad!
You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi |
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theherblady
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Jan
Glasford
Illinois
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2006 : 07:47:26 AM
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We had a little frost last night..but not too much. I covered my most prize flowers ~~ I was feeling pretty lazy by the time I got home from work but remembering last year..I forced myself to cover a few~!
Jan |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2006 : 10:26:51 AM
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Well, it went down to 28 degrees here..There was ice on the top of my patio table.. The only thing actually in the garden was peas, lettuce and rhurbarb, but I sure shifted around a bunch of pots of tomatoes, herbs, and flowers last night!! I planned to bring them in around 6:00 pm, but didn't get around to it.. My wonderful husband asked me at 10:00 if I was going to bring them in...... Thank goodness he did, as there was already frost forming on some surfaces even then.
I left a few of my tomato plants out, as an experiment. I have made mini-greenhouses out of plastic milk jugs - I've seen this shown in magazines, but not quite the way I am doing it. When I cut the bottom out of the milk jug, I cut around 3 sides only - leaving the fourth side intact. Then I fold over the top and put the potted tomato plant inside. Rain water drains into the jug both from the open top and also down the outside of the jug and into the bottom, condensation also seems to be caught and runs down the inside, so I have not had to water these tomatoes - they are sitting in a "saucer" of water. The attached bottom keeps the jug from blowing over in high winds. I have been swapping different plants in and out of these jugs once a week or so, since I don't have enough jugs yet to do them all, also, I want the plants to get some exposure to the breeze to strengthen the stems. This is the first year I have done this, I guess I will know in July or August if it is successful! They survived the frost last night just fine in their little "greenhouses".
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2006 : 04:42:28 AM
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Yippee, no browning of anything here! My white lilacs are in full bloom, too.
I didn't have anything out yet; lettuces and radishes go out today. |
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Garden Gate: Upper midwest frost |
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Upper midwest frost
