if you are anywhere below my location (of course many in the upper Western States most likely have already) because this Canadian cold front is full of surprises and it sure has a nasty disposition:
This message was edited Oct 9, 2009 9:08 PM
Might want to consider digging / striping/coveri your plants
And so it came to pass.
USians should note that Lily's temps are in C, not F.
I'm ready for some coooooool. It has been in the 90s here this week and now that the heat, disease, excessive rain and insects have wiped out my fall tomatoes I'm really in the mood for a change. I had about 4 days of pleasant weather a couple weeks ago and opened all the windows or maybe I just dreamed it.
So what were the temperatures in your area LTilton?
Twiggybuds hopefully this is making a difference for you......at another site Texans kept asking me to turn my turbines their direction. They are now very happy but a number of others, including a peep in Nebraska, aren't as impressed (her tomatoes got zapped). My garden, other than about 6 potato hills, had already been cleared but I have a few lily bulbs I'm hoping to dig in if a hint of warmth comes back this way (send me your heat please!!!!).
Our leaves were still quite green yesterday ..........both they and Mr. Flicker were caught off guard.
Low enough to kill the most tender plants. It got the tomatoes, melons, squash. Zinnias.
It's down to 33 F now and supposed to get into the 20s before morning, which is freeze territory.
So that is that.
hi, It got cool down here today... Does anyone know if watermelons or tomatoes will still produce when temps are in the 50's? Does everything stop for summer crops once a certain temp hits?
Ouch and my condolences LTilton (it always is a heartbreak when *J*a*c*K* arrives but after this summer, that never was, it seems especially cruel).
You received temps close to what I did (USian conversion has been provided in brackets ;)......p.s. I love your sense of humour. :D
Moose Jaw
Few flurries
Temp. -6°C (21.2°F)
Feels Like -15°C (5°F)
Wind NW 30km/h
Humidity 86%
P.O.P. 60%
Snow
Ratfood from what I've read at another site Texans are expecting it to warm up again.......tomatoes and watermelon will survive the 50's (even down to the mid 40's). At lot of my summer nights and days, this year, were in that temperature range and I had excellent production of tomatoes (thankfully we hit the 80's/90's in Sept when they were due to ripen). Your watermelon might not be happy but it won't kill it (ones that I saw growing up here even produced fruit). If they are right about your area heating up again I doubt the coolness will set it back much at all.
I'm guessing the Texans that were begging for coolness to come down from Canada prolly weren't gardeners (mind you a lot there had stated that the drought had pretty well killed just about everything in their yards). They just wanted cool temps and LOTS of rain.
This message was edited Oct 11, 2009 12:20 AM
I was surprised at how many tomatoes were willing to set fruit very early when the nights were still cold. But I think the day length is just as important. Right now the decreasing daylight is telling hot weather crops to give up or to hurry up and ripen the seeds because it's going to be all over soon.
OK Lily, thanks for the good info!
We grow tomatoes all winter here, we can't grow them in the summer. We sure appreciated the few days of cool and the rain from this front ( I have market gardens). It was also good for the grapefruit, cooler weather makes it sweeter.
Ratfood, here we plant watermelons after winter solstice, they're supposed to be sweeter when planted in increasing daylength.
My watermelons survived this non-summer and even set fruit, but the melons were stunted, no larger than minis, and all seeds, no flavor.
Ratfood glad to help you re tomatoes but I'd sure listen to Twiggybuds, Calalily and LTilton regarding watermelon. Up here the few melons I grew were just like LTiltons (but all ours got was cool temperatures *all summer*). When we were visiting family in Alberta early this summer a fruit truck from Texas was there and oh my the winter/spring grown watermelons that Texan was selling were very sweet.
I've also noted re tomatoes that Texans tend to grow cherry maters come fall (I think they start the seeds mid July). A few, near where you are, get away with growing the larger tomatoes in the fall but only because they managed to keep a long season larger tomato (fruit size) plant alive over your summer (not an easy task at all). Having the mater ripen fruit while your location is still warm/hot will give it much better flavour.
This message was edited Oct 12, 2009 9:38 AM
Texas peeps prolly have already heard this but........
Late Week:
Strong polar cold front will plow into TX early Thursday and enter SE TX Thursday afternoon. Large 1030mb Canadian high pressure system will drop almost due south down the front range of the Rockies supplying a direct shot of cold air deep into Texas and the Gulf of Mexico as the upper air flow changes from moist SW to dry NW. Forecast soundings show a very unstable air mass Thursday afternoon with CAPE values exceeding 3000 J/kg across a large part of the area however moisture levels start to decrease and there will likely be some degree of capping creeping NE from the coastal bend. Will go with highest rain chances over our N counties and taper down to 30% for our southwest counties. Given the amount of CAPE being generated would not be surprised if a few storms did go severe.
Front plows off the coast with strong cold air advection in its wake as 1030mb high builds into TX. Very strong offshore flow will develop on Friday as cold air strikes the warm Gulf waters. Will easily see high end SCA conditions and possibly low end gale conditions across the coastal waters Friday. Inland winds will run 20-30mph out of the NW Friday. Front will sweep well into the Gulf with rapid clearing behind the boundary Thursday night. Secondary shot of cold air arrives early Saturday helping to keep winds out of the NW through the entire weekend. Dewpoints tank into the 40’s on Saturday and with clear skies and winds weakening Saturday night…the area appears to be in for some of the coldest weather since last spring. Widespread 40’s appear likely at most inland sites by Sunday morning. Given still high October sun angle…this will help offset some of the cold air advection Friday-Saturday allowing afternoon highs to still reach into the 70’s, but it will be a cool 70’s with the much lower dewpoints in place.
.........So I'm guessing your Tomato plants are going to be waving in the wind quite a bit.
Our weather map shows a very cold mass sitting over the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta and a little bit of Saskatchewan. When that heads down its gonna get very chilly below us.
This message was edited Oct 12, 2009 11:14 AM
Since the weather has been so crazy this year, I think we may well get many surprises to come. I'm wondering if the wildlife knows something I don't. I really can't remember the sequence from prior years but my frogs have disappeared. I had what sounded like millions all summer and now there is silence. It has been hot with almost daily rain so how could they know? Normal killing frost is November 21 so theoretically there is a lot more time for everything. I have seen a lot of spiders in the house lately as though they're looking for shelter.
It's kind of spooky. I feel like I'm waiting for/expecting something abnormal.
Our weather has been crazy too. Hummingbirds headed to SA earlier this year too. All I have left are the ones that are here all winter. We got a lot of wind with that last front. Hope this one isn't as bad. When the other front hit, the temps fell 15 degrees in about 15 seconds!
We plant tomato seeds in August to set out in September (both cherry, grape and large fruited), then continue planting until around Valentine's Day. There are still some commercial growers a little west of here. Their tomatoes are behind this year because of the heat.
I've tried saving big tomato plants thru the summer. It's easier to start seeds and grow new ones.
Lilypon, I love the pic!.
isn't funny how every year we start thinking of the snow - and a white Christmas . little squirrel and rabbit prints in the soft powdery landscape.... pine trees holding the fluff in their boughs......oh, and the frost on the window panes .... beautiful
than it comes.....
Farmers' almanac has a colder and snowier than normal year for the north east - i believe it said most places should have snow around thanksgiving..
Thanks jjconcepts :)
I've read that for Canada the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a very cold winter for the prairies however our meteorologist and others in the States disagree (personally I'll take the El Nino influence.........but just til early spring).
But no matter which prediction I look at they all do agree that many areas in the United States will have a very interesting winter (time for the tropical, thin blooded folks here to find those mitts, toques, warmer jackets). Those up in the Northeast corner better start tuning up your snowblowers (yesterday).
just packed up the scooters and clearing a space to store the lawnmower... do you use a greenhouse way up there?
I sure do, its always handy especially for this past :P summer? (more like extended spring)........ it was worth every penny.