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.