Here we go again!

10 years ago

Expecting 39 tonight but heard 36 on the radio (and Hartford is usually warmer). I know, 10 days ago it was a false alarm, low was 10 degrees warmer than predicted (and I *still* have green tomatoes in the basement from picking!). Today I picked peppers (again, they wouldn't have gotten too much bigger by Wed market) and any tomatoes that were blushing (not many left). Covered the ones I could. You know the routine.

But I have a teacher open house tonight and didn't have time to pick beans. I could send DH out in the dark ;-) while I go to school if they're not going to be any good by tomorrow morning (low is about 6am).

Tomorrow night (actually Wed AM) is supposed to be more of the same - but I should pick the beans tomorrow since I have to bring DH to the airport Wed AM so won't have much time to prepare for market afterwards.

So will green beans be OK to eat after a frost (though the vines may be dead), or are they going to be mushy?

Thanks

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Comments (5)

randy41_1
10 years ago
last year there were good beans still on the dead plants after a heavy frost. a freeze would probably make mush. ymmv.
jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
10 years ago
You can save them if it is just frost. You will need to go out in the morning, before the sun comes up and wash the frost off with a hose. The best is if you can have a sprinkler out running early in the morning until the temps warm up. We have done this many times and in fact a much larger than me outfit does this every year when those first frosty nights come around. They have hired help and they are out there running sprinklers and moving pipe most of the night. The guy told me they were cold, exhausted and wet, but most everything pulled through just fine.

Jay
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jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
10 years ago
You can save them if it is just frost. You will need to go out in the morning, before the sun comes up and wash the frost off with a hose. The best is if you can have a sprinkler out running early in the morning until the temps warm up. We have done this many times and in fact a much larger than me outfit does this every year when those first frosty nights come around. They have hired help and they are out there running sprinklers and moving pipe most of the night. The guy told me they were cold, exhausted and wet, but most everything pulled through just fine.

Jay
2ajsmama
Original Author
10 years ago
No water out there. I didn't check the temp when I woke at 4AM, but it's 46 now so didn't get as cold as predicted (it never cleared up). So I'll pick today, b/c it's supposed to get colder tonight and I don't want to push my luck. I'll keep the tomatoes and peppers covered (it won't be that warm today) and uncover them tomorrow after coming back from airport (still early and cool then). Not that the bells are going to get that much larger, or the tomatoes ripen, in the 1 week we have left of market, but if I can keep them going I'll have them for the stand/us.

Though no one has stopped by the stand since I blogged that it was open and put new signs out on the highway. 1 neighbor came by Sat. Sunday was beautiful sunny but no drive-by customers at all.

I have to check with the pizza place and see if they want anything.
myfamilysfarm
10 years ago
Things had really died on my last market, I sold more jams/jellies/pickles than I sold veggies. Then I was told by the organizer that this market will be going to a growers market, so I guess I won't be doing veggies there.