A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Vegetable Gardening Frost killed my 'Mators!!!!!!

The frost KILLED my Tomatoes, peppers, Cucumbers, and my Squash, and the potatoes aren't looking real good either!!!!

I think I need to go have a good cry!!!

I covered all my plants with straw and black fabric,last night was around 26,28 degrees very hard freeze.lost some of my plants but i amm afraid I may have to replant everything.I had almost my whole garden planted,60, mater plants, squash, etc.I have never seen it turn so cold like this in east tn,in april. makes me mad also but what can we do?I just hate to lose all those plants,they were so nice and already growing well..And the price of plants are simply outrageous this year, 3,99 for a small cup of tomatoes!!

I had #10 cans and trash bags over everything, and from what I see I don't think a thing survived. Even my potatoes are looking bad,

OH NO!!
I'd be raving mad! I was fretting all last night about the freeze, but we came through it without any casualties...
So go ahead and have a good cry....maybe some chocolate, too!

Look at it as a learning experience. I had that some years ago; I covered my tomatoes and still lost them in a frost. After that year I started planting later or using wall o waters. At least it gives you something to talk about and warn others about. I hope you can replant. Take care!

I had about half of my tomatoes out and all of my home-grown peppers (only 4 though). Anyway, I know the peppers are goners. Last time I checked on the tomatoes they looked alright, well, most of them did but that just just after we got snow, on Thursday or Friday. I feel your pain.

I think I'll go shoot the weatherman!!!

My loses haven't been sever yet for which I am very greatful. I have an apartment full of seedlings that are way to big to still be in their starter cups. But better than than the loses you all are describing.

You know it's funny. Last week I was envious of all that you had managed to plant already. I guess now your feeling that way about my well grown seedlings.

If you need any seeds I have more than I can plant. Even some fresh Red Bell pepper seeds. pm me with your address if you want some and I'll send them out.

I'm like you Agnus, came through with no losses (WHEW!) I have a total of 33 tomatoes and everything else is planted too (except for the squash and okra I just put in a little while ago). They put out a hard freeze warning for us and I was sweating bullets for two nights. REALLY got lucky. I hate it for you Amigatec. I would be ready to shoot somebody too! Hope you can get everything replaced O.K.

I'm not the only one that lost a bunch, I was talking to a guy today that had about 2 acres of Sweet corn and lost over 90% of it.

What is the normal last frost date for your area, Pat??

I feel very, very bad for you..
I know how much work you've put into it...

For me, I never get my hopes up *for my growing zone*
until the end of April... and then I'm still cautious...

This was a freeze it got down to 27*.

Last freeze date is April 15th. I had things covered but it didn't help.

Well I did find a place here local that some different types of Tomato plants, one was develop locally

I plant a week or two after last frost date unless I have wall o waters. Because the last frost date is just average and I have had frost in my garden after it! For me that means Labor Day weekend is planting heat lovers time.

Just an FYI, if you ever have the things
you're covering up touching the things you're
covering with.. it won't do any protection...
There has to be a space between it and the plant to work..

I know you're pain..

I had just been sitting here reminiscing of
up on the hill covering tomato plants as a kid
with anything we could get our hands on...
Newspaper, sheets, cardboard boxes..
Gosh, 100 plants, and it had to be covered.....

I've told people of a Blizzard we had here,
about 13 or 14 years ago, on MAY 8TH, MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

I 'may' be able to save the squash and cucumbers, maybe. If not they grow fast.

I was listening to the weather last night and they said we have another week or two of cold temperatures. This is really hard to believe. At this rate I'll be harvesting tomatoes inside my apartment lol.

We had 6 consecutive nights of below freezing temperatures here. 26, 24, 15, 17, 21, and 27 degrees. I did pretty well as far as the vegetable garden went. The lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and the onion seedlings totally blew it off. I had 12-16 inch tall tomato plants out in wall-o-waters, and all 5 survived. One had no damage at all, and 3 just had tip damage. Sophie's Choice was the worst, the tip was frozen out along with the suckers that were forming, but it should recover. The Moscvich and the New Girl have flower buds that should be open soon.

My fruit trees are another matter. It looks like my peaches could be a total loss, although, I did see a bare few blossoms that still had color. My apples had a lot of buds killed also, but there appears to be substantially more living flower buds than on the peaches, so I may still get a decent crop.

It was 1989, my first spring here in Rochester. The day before it was sunny and 70, I went to bed and woke up to a foot of snow. I thought I was Rip Van Winkle and had slept through the summer.

I have seen snow here in every month except July and August. And if I see it snow then, I'm outta here ;)

The ONLY good thing about gardening here is that you never get your hopes up really until Memorial Day so you can't be disappointed in April.

I feel for all of you in the South hit with this crazy weather. If it's any consolation (and I know it's not) we had 4-5 inches of snow Sunday morning.

I was a few years off, wasn't I/?
I couldn't remember exactly what year..
I know I was working that year..
and had no kids, and where I was working was
near 3 local ski resorts, and on my way there,
at the top of one hill there was a white out so
bad, there was like a 7 car pile up..
and by the time they got it cleared up, my car had
sat so long, I sunk into the snow.. *I was driving a
Firebird, with like no clearance to the ground* and
I had to have the only one guy left there after they
towed everyone else away, to give me a quick push..
I just couldn't get going...
and that day, there was hardly anyone on the road..
But I had to be there at work for those skiers to come out..

Crazy...

And I agree, I don't get my hopes up to plant anything
until Memorial weekend...
I'm lucky to start seeds by the middle of May...

Everyone I have talked to says they lost plants. We have a lot of pecan, peach and apple trees here, and most say there will be no harvest this year. A lot of my trees have damaged leaves.

I also bought some more plants today, I thought I better beat the rush.

All of my hybrid tomatoes that were already put out, died. However, I noticed that there may still be some hope for a brandywine, a break-o-day, and a mexico midget. Odd how the heirlooms pulled through and the (sissy) hybrids died off. Although, no guarantees on the heirlooms, they aren't exactly the pinnacle of health.

My deepest condolences on your loss. I feel your pain.

But it's strange my strawberry plants seem to have made it just fine, the leaves on my Kiwi are curled up and brown, and I don't know if I'll get any cherries this year or not, the bees and butterflys were sure having a good time with them just a week ago. My peach trees had little fuzzy buds, but I think most of them are gone.

Most people say it is very unusual to get a freeze this late in the year. Normally the last freeze comes in March, oh well must be some more of that 'Global Warming' we here so much about.

Strawberries are veryyyyyyyy cold tolerant...
They remain green under snow during the entire winter..
And can still stay green, maybe with a bit of browning
on the edges', during the winter thaw and January freezing
sub~zero temps/windchills...

pat, my grandfather always said you can tell when the last frost will be by when good friday is. don't even think it before then!