I'm just south of Omaha and took minor frost damage to some of my taller plants. It looks like I'll be ok for the next couple of weeks.

kc: rig up a blanket, plastic, etc. Keep the soil moist also. They should make it through a few hours of light frost.

Here's my 10 day.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Up goes the sheets/shade cloth

Duplicate post

This post was edited by ottawapepper on Sat, Sep 13, 14 at 14:42

I can see the frost on the roofs it gave me a shiver. I'm not far behind. Over nigh temps are dipping down to the high 30's low 40's.

What Kevin said.

Good luck,

Bill

Will plants survive and fruit continue to ripen at 40ish? Or should you cover below say 45? We've got a cold night coming tonight and tomorrow, but it's raining right now (which we need) so I just finished picking tomatoes so they don't split, haven't done anything with the peppers.

Kevin - I don't think we saw temps that high all summer!

Ajsmama: I treat my plants the same way with both extremes, hot or cold. when those extremes are going to be more than a couple days.

When the forecasts call for temps like now, up goes the shading, maybe a bit more mulch, and maybe a deep soak. When forecasts are calling for 40 or below, down goes a bit of extra mulch, maybe some sheets, blankets, or plastic... and a good soak.

Anything below 50F for extended periods and the plants will start to slow down, but fruit will continue to ripen. Whatever you can do to keep the soil temps "up", the better off you'll be. And the better chance of NOT leaving a ton of unripe pods on the plants.

Kevin

This post was edited by woohooman on Sat, Sep 13, 14 at 17:18

Thanks Kevin - I'm hoping they get a good soaking tonight, though not an inch. I have hay down as mulch, I could pull black landscape fabric over them tomorrow (tomorrow night and then Thursday night are the cold ones) but would have to rig up hoops to put it on since the plants are too big for my low wire (strawberry) hoops and I don't want to break them.

Tomorrow looks like 41, Thursday could be 37-39 depending on which website you look at. But lots more days in the 70s and nights in the 50's left this month so I'm hoping for some ripe pods. No chance of getting plastic on the high tunnel tomorrow, but maybe next weekend. Or I could just take the chance and save the plastic until spring - I don't really need to extend the tomatoes and peppers until Halloween since I'm not selling out what I have now, no one's stopping by the farm and market ends Oct 1 (Oct 2 another cold night).

NEXT year I'll get an earlier start with a finished tunnel and have tomatoes by 4th of July and ripe peppers by the end of July (fingers crossed)!

Sounds like a great plan ajs. A tunnel will definitely help in your climate. I bet you could extend the season both ways by at least 3-4 weeks.

Kevin

Oh yeah, they say a month in each direction. Definitely going to get the plastic up as soon as the snow melts next year. I will have plenty of questions about hardening off though, going from house to tunnel.

Yea, weather - person predicting a killing frost from central NH north tonight. Won't be long until "lights out" for the growing season here in the Merrimack River Valley!

45 here when I woke up this morning - the house was 68 and I was cold! TWC has changed the forecast and now it looks like Thurs night will stay above 40 but nights are going to be cool (low-mid 40's) all week. If we're going to cover the tunnel this month we have to do it Sat though since T-storms predicted Sunday and the following weekend is just before DH leaves on business trip and Accuweather is showing it may rain then too.

It's hard when they keep changing forecast, but now it looks like coldest nights (and days!) are this week and then it will be warming up (70's, near 80 possible) after the 20th so I don't know if I want to put plastic on (and have to vent during the day) or just keep it in the box until spring. Not worth extending the season past the end of market if no one's coming to the farm stand (though we appreciate ripe peppers, I can always pick them green or pull and hang the plants).

jeez, I guess here in Orlando I shouldn't be complaining about it being so hot (90-95) with a low of the mid-70s in the AM⦠I think the heat will hang around for another two months, which would be great so I could finally harvest some reapers!

Good luck with the weather, hope it warms up!

jeez, I guess here in Orlando I shouldn't be complaining about it being so hot (90-95) with a low of the mid-70s in the AM⦠I think the heat will hang around for another two months, which would be great so I could finally harvest some reapers!

Good luck with the weather, hope it warms up!

You're not serious ags? Long term New England weather predictions were put to rest by Mark Twain!

I vividly remember watching The Weather Channel early one Sunday that reported partly cloudy with a chance of showers late morning to early afternoon..... We were driven off the golf course at seven thirty by a downpour.