It's been a long, very cold couple of weeks... this is what happens to my Russellia when it freezes--the water in the stems freeze and explode, leaving this sculpture in ice...
Well, I guess I'll get the chill hours my fruit trees need...
5 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Chill hours indeed, one of the few bright spots in all this carnage. I just wanted to post that I tried a new product called FreezePruf, and it has real promise, the Brugmansias were fine down to 28, for example, but then 24 took them out. Still, it will be interesting to see if they managed to not get frozen to the ground.
It’s been a very depressing couple of weeks here I'm afraid very little I planted in my yard has survived a lot was my fault for not getting some type of protection for the plants but my work schedule made it so hard to find time just an overly ambitious beginner here. This year my new resolution will be to only look for heat/freeze tolerant plants.
Never occurred to me that okinawa spinach would be cold sensitive. The whole lot bit it hard. I had taken cuttings this fall of them and had those protected... until the last night of cold where I FORGOT to bring them in. Ug. So... can I have some more??? :->
Yes, the freeze was devastating for me, a tiny vegetable garden-gardener. This was my first time trying a winter garden. My freeze protection device was a Wal-mart Blue tarp which I draped over higher than vegetable sticks. The perimeter was protected somewhat by trash bags filled with leaves and debris I had raked with the fall leaf raking. I provided heat under the tarp with a 100 wt non-efficient light bulb. This length of time and depth of the cold temperatures took a hit and destroyed the tomatoes, which were really beginning to set fruit and the peppers-green and jalepenos. Most likely due to the inadequate light bulb. I might have saved them if I had added a second Light bulb. The geraniums also lost. But the collards, leaf lettuce, broccoli and swiss chard did survive. I'm thinking of expanding my endeavors next fall and to build some sort of low budget greenhouse. Any ideas? As a senior, and planning to augment my shopping with the produce from my garden, I'll need something that I can pretty much build myself from basically home salvage.
It is hard not to get discouraged, but this cold snap was exceptional in its intensity and duration, at least I hope it is not going to become the norm.
5 comments:
Chill hours indeed, one of the few bright spots in all this carnage. I just wanted to post that I tried a new product called FreezePruf, and it has real promise, the Brugmansias were fine down to 28, for example, but then 24 took them out. Still, it will be interesting to see if they managed to not get frozen to the ground.
It’s been a very depressing couple of weeks here I'm afraid very little I planted in my yard has survived a lot was my fault for not getting some type of protection for the plants but my work schedule made it so hard to find time just an overly ambitious beginner here. This year my new resolution will be to only look for heat/freeze tolerant plants.
Never occurred to me that okinawa spinach would be cold sensitive. The whole lot bit it hard. I had taken cuttings this fall of them and had those protected... until the last night of cold where I FORGOT to bring them in. Ug. So... can I have some more??? :->
Yes, the freeze was devastating for me, a tiny vegetable garden-gardener. This was my first time trying a winter garden. My freeze protection device was a Wal-mart Blue tarp which I draped over higher than vegetable sticks. The perimeter was protected somewhat by trash bags filled with leaves and debris I had raked with the fall leaf raking. I provided heat under the tarp with a 100 wt non-efficient light bulb. This length of time and depth of the cold temperatures took a hit and destroyed the tomatoes, which were really beginning to set fruit and the peppers-green and jalepenos. Most likely due to the inadequate light bulb. I might have saved them if I had added a second Light bulb. The geraniums also lost. But the collards, leaf lettuce, broccoli and swiss chard did survive. I'm thinking of expanding my endeavors next fall and to build some sort of low budget greenhouse. Any ideas? As a senior, and planning to augment my shopping with the produce from my garden, I'll need something that I can pretty much build myself from basically home salvage.
It is hard not to get discouraged, but this cold snap was exceptional in its intensity and duration, at least I hope it is not going to become the norm.
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