Hoop House Monitor

[NwMtGardener]

Hah, we almost forgot about bringing the plants in last night. DH and I are both in bed reading when all the sudden I remembered. DH says "I'll take care of it" How sweet! This am the low temp in the greenhouse said 35*, and DH says "oh they would have been fine." I was like "no they wouldn't!! Not the tomatoes and peppers! Thank goodness you brought them in or they'd be tomato popsicles!!" They're starting to look really good, probably the best plant starts I've ever managed to raise! Not as big as yours, for sure, Steve, but a really nice green and filling out, very healthy!

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

It's 36° at the nearest WS station but there is frost on the roofs here. Even the shed has frost on it!

Forecast was for 40.

Chance, the Gardener

Hope you did not lose too many! I was going to leave my peppers out and then thought about it and went out and got them. That was their first day under the plastic outside. A few looked a little droopy and a few bottom leaves dropped. This morning they look fine. My tomatoes have been outside at night under the plastic. They already look bad and I do not think I am saving very many, but it was not from the cold. DH said there has been frost in the mornings. I covered the onions back up too. I have to get them planted soon.

 

[digitS']

There was one marigold leaf against the plastic film . . . no, I haven't lost anything to the frost so far this year. . . knocking on teevee tray.

If the WS says it is 43º with a dewpoint of 37º and there is dew all over everything -- doesn't that mean that the temperature fell to 37º??

Maybe I just can't relax . . . I even went out to check if there was frost on the pickup! Supposed to be 50º tonight! I'll believe it when I see it .

The electric heaters & fans can stay in the garage for now. Not falling over an extension cord once should be added to my side of the score card! I'll take my victories where I can find them.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm worried about you now Steve.
I mean, checking on your pickup? It should be able to handle a little frost by now. Mine is just a baby truck, but it has survived some pretty bad cold snaps so far.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Its the sleep deprivation, its finally getting to him!

 

[digitS']

Seven hours in a horizontal position. I thought it might be one hour at the beginning of the night.

Too much shovel work in the garden - the result of having the tractor guy mess up so much of the tilling. Still, the most sack time in several weeks.

Maybe next time it won't be from going to rack & ruin . . . oh yeah, and overnight temperatures above 50°! Back to the 30's by Tuesday night, the WS says. Good. Wouldn't want to be going fancy free for long!

You know, planting a seed is sometimes like lassoing a bear, the gardener doesn't always know who's running the show.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

I left everyone of those little guys out last night! Yep, it's introduction to bootcamp weekend!

Actually they got left out and exposed because I forgot about them until I was deeply ensconced in my warm and cozy bed when I remembered, and since our window was open and the air felt balmy I said "you'll be fine, no wingeing!" and went to sleep.

I was right, they looked perky and bright this morning. Time to think about putting a lot of them in the ground...

 

[digitS']

It was a pleasant early AM, Thistle'.

I had everything opened up at 7:30, thinking about a run to the garden. Things are nearly all closed up now! Four hours after sunrise and it's cooler than when I got up! Sustained winds 20mph plus, and gusts above 30.

The winds should die away by the beginning of the workweek. I'm not too concerned, anything I set out in the garden today would be standing on its head by Monday! Besides, I've got lots to do in the greenhouse (& hearing aids to leave out so that it will be peacefully quiet ). May as well carry my coffee out there.

Steve

 

[NwMtGardener]

Yup, last night was night 2 for sleepout in the greenhouse, everything is doing fine. It was perfect timing - we're going to be away camping on Sunday and Monday nights, and all the plants are going to be stuck out there no matter what the weather is, so they got a little acclimatized.

The wind has me a little worried this morning, but not much I can do about it from work! DH reported some "tearing" of the plastic but I didn't even have time to head out there and check where he was talking about so...we'll see how it looks when I get home tonight!

 

[digitS']

Hail in the afternoon on the last 2 days did some damage to the asters that were out to harden-off in the backyard! Both times I was caught unawares. There had been sprinkles, suddenly . . .

The cabbage and broccoli could easily have been in the open garden already. The asters can take a light frost but everything seems to set up asters for disease problems. This has to be one of them. Maybe there will be weather that is more healthy for a few days and give them a chance to heal.

At 4am, it was 40ºf at the nearest weather station. The predicted low is 38º and it is 43º in the shed. I don't like the idea of waiting for the last minute but it's after 5 now and probably less than one hour from the coldest part of the day! I've "decided" twice to move out the heaters but that 43º is keeping me in the lazyboy . . .

Steve