My poor tomatoes. :(

[AmyRey]

I transplanted them outside a couple of weeks ago, when the weather forecast called for nearly a week of rain. Great transplanting weather (I thought.)

However, what we got the first two days was flooding thunderstorms - complete with hail. I managed to baby most of them back to life and they were starting to look somewhat passable as tomato plants again.

However, last night brought another HORRENDOUS thunderstorm, gusty winds today. And now they're talking frost tonight. *sigh*

Is there a point where a tomato plant will take so much abuse that it's just stunted forever after?

We're still way early into the season, would it benefit me (and my stomach) for me to ditch these plants and start over?

 

[i_am2bz]

Wow, that's tough!! I'm not putting mine out til next week...like you said, we have a frost advisory for tomorrow morning, so I'm paranoid! (When I lived in VT, I planted my 'maters Memorial Day weekend (so, around May 25-ish)...naturally there was frost on June 1st! Killed them all & I had to start over.

 

[digitS']

My tomatoes and I had a difficult season last year. I stupidly set them out of the greenhouse and into an unheated plastic tunnel overnight, early on. It didn't even freeze in there! But, a few of them wilted so badly - they died. Others, lost their tops.

I gave some of those plants to someone who claimed they would be fine - she was right.

My plants continued under my lame care. I put them out into the garden too early! They spent 1 1/2 days under buckets because of cold and wind. A few more of them died.

Some produced okay but none had a very good season and it may have been almost entirely from the early abuse . The peppers were more carefully handled and had a fairly good year!

Steve
edited: that was 1 1/2 days under buckets not 2 1/2

 

[hoodat]

I doubt you have to worry about stunting. If they aren't physically destroyed by something like that hail tomatos can recover from a lot of damage and still produce a nice crop. Stunting normally occurs because of lack of sufficient water or fertility.

 

[lesa]

I wouldn't ditch them, until you are sure there is no hope. Get your covers ready for tonight, though! Worse case scenario you can always pick up plants at your local garden center... Nature is amazing- you may find they survive just fine! Good luck!

 

[vfem]

I had this issue from early planting last year... I lost quite a few. I cut the tops off of milk jugs and turned them upside down and that luckily saved a few. That pretty much means I lost 1/2 and saved 1/2 because I made a dumb move and planted the last week of March just to see.... well... I saw! This year, its going to be at least 2-3 more weeks before Tomatoes go out!

 

[wsmoak]

You must be on the East coast -- that was some storm last night! And the wind is still bad today.

I put out *one* tomato plant this morning, tied to a big stick to keep it from being flattened. Looking at the forecast, this was probably not such a great idea, the forecast is for 36 degrees!

-Wendy

 

[AmyRey]

lol - Yeah I might would have waited just one more day.

I sure thought we were done with the frost.

 

[vfem]

I hear ya Amy, those winds are still whipping though here. It feels like winter just won't go this year... taking over the whole country.

 

[i_am2bz]

At least we don't have snow - I saw over the weekend my old stomping grounds in VT had a new foot of the white stuff!!!