Winter veggies?

[Tdog]

I have a few things still in my garden, but I'm wondering how much cold can they survive? Specifically, I've got lettuce [butter crunch & romaine], cabbage & brocoli. Guess I should have looked into this before now, since we are supposed to be ~~ 26 tonight. And tomorrow will be around 22 degrees. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks, Jack

 

[dave1949]

I have a few things still in my garden, but I'm wondering how much cold can they survive? Specifically, I've got lettuce [butter crunch & romaine], cabbage & brocoli. Guess I should have looked into this before now, since we are supposed to be ~~ 26 tonight. And tomorrow will be around 22 degrees. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks, Jack

Brocoli and cabbage should be okay. Throw a sheet of plastic over the lettuce overnight, old blanket wqorks too.
Dave.

 

[Stimw]

I'm waiting to see what damage this round of global warming does to my cabbage and broccoli. The pic was taken a month or so ago. They are calling for low 20's north of here. I don't get a good forcast because I am near the St Johns river and it protects me sometimes.
Just make sure the crops have been watered recently, the steam for the wet ground can offer some protection. They will water strawberrys and citrus groves during a freeze. It will protect down to about 28* for up to 4 hours.

 

[SPIKER]

Cover them if you can plastic works but it needs to be up off of the plants. if you can put some straw or (not hay) grass clippings to help insulate them some.

The blankets and or old sheets work well too.
Mark-

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I have head lettuce, cabbage, broccoli out. It got to the 20's here and my tomato plants aren't dead. We did cover for a couple nights with tarps, they may go this time. There are fair sized tomatoes out there but they aren't ripening. Of course, I doubt it hurts my onions and carrots.

We are about 30 miles north of Houston.

The freeze got my bird of paradise plant though, but the orange, peach, apple, and grapevines still look ok so far as does my avocado tree.

 

[RedDirt]

There are fair sized tomatoes out there but they aren't ripening.

Pull up the tomato plants, roots and all. Hang them upside down somewhere that does not get a hard freeze (we used our insulated pump house). The tomatoes will "vine ripen" over the coming weeks and/or months.

x2 on covering other winter vegies and keeping the covers from touching the plants.

 

[randy41]

26 you should be OK, especially if it was sunny the day before. the wind will be a factor too. 22 will most likely kill lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage. If you can cover them with clear plastic during the day it will help to heat the soil and then keep them covered overnight.

 

[Duffster]

Pull up the tomato plants, roots and all. Hang them upside down somewhere that does not get a hard freeze (we used our insulated pump house). The tomatoes will "vine ripen" over the coming weeks and/or months.

That is interesting.

I may try that next year.

My garden has been buried in a foot of snow for a month now.

 

[Tdog]

I picked the rest of my tomatoes several days before Christmas when we had a freeze predicted. Most of them ripened in the kitchen window. It's great having home-grown maters this time of year.

Also, I had emailed Dan Gill of the LSU Ag Center with the winter veggie question. He got back to me right away - - here's his answer:

Lettuce is generally fine if it stays above 20 degrees (you can throw a sheet over them if you need to). Cabbage is hardy to the teens. So is broccoli except if it is getting close to harvest. The heads can be damaged by temperatures in the low 20s or teens. Harvest any broccoli that is ready or about ready.

 

[jinman]

I picked the rest of my tomatoes several days before Christmas when we had a freeze predicted. Most of them ripened in the kitchen window. It's great having home-grown maters this time of year.

x2. I have probably 25 to 30 lb of cherry and grape tomatoes ripening in my cabin. I have all the fresh tomatoes for salads and snacks that I can eat. I can't remember the last time I bought tomatoes. However, everthing is toast in my garden except my sage plants. But, I don't know how they could survive the 12 degrees predicted here on Thursday night.

 

[SPIKER]

x2. But, I don't know how they could survive the 12 degrees predicted here on Thursday night.

hey 12 degrees sounds like a HIGH temp for the day here ! When it gets above 20 I start peeling layers of clothing off.... lol :x

 

[Duffster]

hey 12 degrees sounds like a HIGH temp for the day here ! When it gets above 20 I start peeling layers of clothing off.... lol :x

It got to 12 here today and it felt like a heat wave!

It is always amazing how a few days in a row of below zero will change your outlook.

 

[jinman]

It got to 12 here today and it felt like a heat wave!

It is always amazing how a few days in a row of below zero will change your outlook.

True enough, but I'd bet that neither you nor Spiker were pickin' tomatoes out of your garden today.

 

[Western]

I wish I could grow a cool weather crop. I have never had any luck with lettuce, cabbage ect tra.. I do good with the radish type stuff which is almost like cheating, so that doesn't count.

Maybe I haven't put in the proper amount of effort I guess.

I have been going through several seed catalogs I got for 2010, so I am already getting the bug for Spring.

Tell you one thing, I can grow the **** out of icicles (spell check) this time of year though..

 

[SPIKER]

Tell you one thing, I can grow the **** out of icicles (spell check) this time of year though..

yep those usually grow pretty good this time a year around here but it is too cold for them to even grow this year!

I have not picked maters since I think October?
Mark

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I ordered all my spring seeds from Gurneys. I put the package away somewhere and now for the life of me I can't find it. Just aggravates the daylights out of me.

I will be putting them in trays in Feb sometime and hope to set them out March or so, a bit early, but here the heat will burn stuff up if you don't get it out soon enough.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

When my husband retires we are going to plant a big garden when he can help me. We have a 1/2 acre behind a rent house, its on an acre and we are going to plant sweet corn, cantaloupes, and watermelon, they take up so much room, a few tomatoes, and things up there so my 2 tenants can share. We don't have room here for the corn and melons, to many trees. Everything else will fit in this garden its something like 50 X 80. I could just use some help with the tiller and then I can weed. It works fine, a Troybilt, but my feet aren't the greatest and after walking over uneven ground all day they kill me. I wear hiking shoes or boots anymore when working outside for the support and my orthotics but I just have super super flat feet.

 

[Stimw]

Here are pics I just took, my cabbage is holding on and the broccoli hasn't crowned yet so it looks OK. I don't know how cold it got last night but my bird bath froze and a hose nozzle laying on the ground froze too. Usually the hose will be OK if I just throw it on the ground, I cover the bib though.
I lost my spring garden after 30 inches of rain in 30 days, 4-6" at a time. And now global warming err, climate change err, Winter is trying to take out my winter garden! Farming is Tough!

 

[dave1949]

Here are pics I just took, my cabbage is holding on and the broccoli hasn't crowned yet so it looks OK. I don't know how cold it got last night but my bird bath froze and a hose nozzle laying on the ground froze too. Usually the hose will be OK if I just throw it on the ground, I cover the bib though.
I lost my spring garden after 30 inches of rain in 30 days, 4-6" at a time. And now global warming err, climate change err, Winter is trying to take out my winter garden! Farming is Tough!

That red cabbage will take a lot of cold for sure. Your ground temp is still high enough to help protect things too. Just keep covering stuff when it's below freezing and you will get through this cold.
Dave.

 

[Duffster]

True enough, but I'd bet that neither you nor Spiker were pickin' tomatoes out of your garden today.

That's for sure.