Blustery days ahead... let's stay warm by this fire!

We came from here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1060911/#new and look forward to hurrying thru these cold days ahead with springtime and gardening in mind. Please join us!

Just thought I would stop and say hi to everyone. I haven't been on here much but now that graduation is over maybe I will have a little more time for me now. Preparing to head to Argentina in less than a week, so I am very excited about that. My first international trip!

On a related note, it seems that the temps here once I leave are forecasted to be the coldest seen in a while. I am trying to figure out how best to keep the greenhouse warm while I am away. My little heater will not be able to keep temps above freezing if the outside temps get down to 20F like predicted here. I am wondering what preparations everyone else will be doing....maybe it will give me some ideas.

Keep warm! Kim

Congratulations on the graduation. I am jealous on the Argentina trip at this time of year. We will look forward to hearing about your trip when you return.
We are looking at mid teens Thursday and Friday here. Not looking forward to it. Do you have someone to watch over your greenhouse? What type of heat do you normally use in it?

Hi everyone. If I may, I'd love to join you by the fire!

I'm so disappointed about the cold weather coming back; we had a few pretty days and now blah. I'm dying to get out and plant some bulbs I picked up (glads and dahlias), but I'm afraid it's too cold. Should I plant them in little pots inside, or can I stick 'em in the ground now?



This message was edited Jan 3, 2010 8:43 PM

Hi Andrea_Michell! Please pull up a chair. The more the merrier. I've not grown dahlias but I think glads need to wait till springtime. Once planted, you can leave them in the ground. I noticed the daffodils are sprouting today. Won't be long till those blooms tempt us with spring. Maybe someone else here can give you more assistance with those bulbs.

I am truly hoping their forecast is wrong and it is warmer by at least 15°. Not looking forward to it at all.

Thanks podster! I hope it's warmer, too. I like cold and the possibilty of snow during the holidays, but I'm over its charm by now. :)

OK this is a dumb thought. When the temp is lets say 32 degrees but feels like 25, what is it for the plants?

Hmmm...that's a good question. I would think it would depend in part on whether the plant was exposed to the wind.

I will have my neighbor checking in on the greenhouse. I will have my heater on a timer but I am wondering what other precautions I need to take. I know that it is only capable to raising the temperature about 10F, so if it is below 22F I have a problem. It is just a small electric heater.

I will hopefully be taking lots of pictures in Argentina, and I'll definitely post them when I return!

:) Kim

Kim ~ I've been reading if you wrap the bottom foot or two of the walls with insulation, it will help a lot. I am afraid that is not a good description but I'll see if I can find where I read that. Is yours plastic to the ground?

I think another thing that will help the plants is to water them prior to the cold. Any thoughts on that anyone?

Bananna ~ I suspect the "feels like temp" will be equally hard on plants too.

DH got an electric heater for my GH but it is not wired yet. I hate to run it on an extension cord. Meanwhile, I've been using it on an enclosed porch where some of the plants are and the dogs stay. It is a radiant heater from Honeywell (seems like about $45) and I am astounded at how well it delivers heat. It may well provide the necessary warmth for the GH when it is wired. Meanwhile it looks like I'll be adding firewood during those nights. Brrrrr!

Kem, you can look around your area and see if you can find someone who has bagged leaves out at the curb. Wrap the outside of your GH with them and you can even go several bags high on the north side. I would also add a little water to the bags so that they start composting inside and adding a little heat of their own. When Winter is over, dump the leaves in a compost pile.

Ken--What a great idea. We have bags and bags of already made compost that we make in one of those tumblers throughout the year. Then we spread it on in spring all over the yard. It makes a lot from one tumbler, so we started bagging it. I never thought about the warmth they could provide.

We are supposed to get 19 degrees in Austin on Thursday--do you suppose stacking the bags of compost on the north side of the GH would help? Or would they need to go all the way around it? We already have two heaters in the GH and a fan to circulate the warmer air.

Pam

I agree Ken ~ that is an excellent idea. If I remember reading the cold enters first at the base or ground level and that should slow it. Pam I think I would go all the way around it if you have enough.

One lady in Arkansas takes coals from her fireplace in a metal bucket and sets them on the floor of her GH. One man here uses chicken litter... stinky but it gives off heat and prevents freezing. There are many different ideas from others.

I guess we have to sort out what will work for us. What kind of plants do you have in your greenhouse Kim?

This is crazy... just posted on the weather link.

There is actually a Plumeria forum and the sticky is at the top. When you separate the plant from the dirt you don't do anything other than shake the dirt off. No sulphur or rooting hormones in the spring. Forget everything you know about plant care. Just don't let it freeze. Puts on large leaves and sometimes will sprout several while laying on the shelf.

Stay safe podster and all in those areas.

Good idea about the bags of leaves around the base of the greenhouse Ken.

This message was edited Jan 4, 2010 9:30 AM

Hi all. It's cold ! 28F right now, of course feels like 17F according to the weather report. Thanks for the "head's up" Podster! I didn't realize we had a hard freeze coming! Of course my computer was down for a couple of weeks. It's amazing how much I missed using it.

So, if you don't have a GH, do you cover garden plants? I have some herbs that normally withstand the cool temps, but not sure about a hard freeze. And what about garlic? Last year it overwintered just fine, does anyone know if I should worry about covering, or maybe if I give it a good watering?

We're about to bundle up and split/gather some firewood! (DH will split, I will gather LOL)

Good morning! I just split some lighter pine and brought a bunch of firewood onto the porch and into the GH. I apologize that although I haven't forgotten you... I also haven't gotten inspired to rummage thru the seed stash yet. You are still on my mind.

On outside plants, I would cover with leaves and pinestraw if at all possible. Draping sheets or blankets over them too but you may still lose leaves and limbs. Most plants unless truly tender will be all right in ground and come back from roots. The garlic and any onions you have growing will shake off the frost or ice and be just fine. I never cover or even give them more water. If you are like it is here, the ground is wet enough to last us for a while.

33° here and don't really want to know what it "feels like" outdoors. Brrrr!!!

Thanks pod. btw, what are your little owls in the fireplace made of? Love them.

Think I will make a nice pot of gumbo; chicken and sausage, and I'll use the last of the orkra that I grew this past year. It had a good flavor and texture but the harvest was very modest!

Yum ~ Gumbo sounds excellent. DH won't eat Okra so I can enjoy it all myself. I have a roast with carrots in the oven and making a loaf of Cuban bread.
The owls are cut out of thick cast iron attached to firedogs. They need painting but I love the way the flames glow thru the eye cutouts.

Cuban bread? That sounds interesting! What is it?

Just got back from the nursery. I was looking for onions, but they didn't have them yet. They did have sales going on their potting soil (organic!) and seeds, so I stocked up. It's really a gorgeous day outside, if on the cool side.

Cuban bread does sound interesting. I really enjoy making homeade breads.

I saw onion bulbs at the Tractor Supply at my last trip to town. Wish I would have picked some up, I would have planted them today.

They had dry bulbs, but I want the plants.

Usually our feed store has onion sets here. I haven't looked lately.

Cuban bread is a white, hard crusty bread that DH likes. Rather like Italian and French but a bit different. I picked up a $4.00 garage sale bread machine with 3 cookbooks last summer. I've been trying a different recipe each week. This was one of the recipes that I've made more than once. I like anything "bread".

Yum. Nothing like fresh bread.
If anyone is interested in Mums, there is a nice co op going on now.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1065720/#new

Hi Anna! Are you enjoying this cold weather?? LOL

This is why I moved away from Michigan in the first place! Guess I should have kept going farther south... ;)

I feel the same way having grown up in MN. I keep threatening to learn another language. That is why I am so envious of Kim heading to Argentina. She could stash this whole Texas delegation in her bag maybe.

Just got back from walking the dogs. I think I was overdressed with 6 layers! (and hat and scarf) I started getting hot. When there is no wind ,it actually is not too bad.

I don't mind the cold weather as long as it's not sloppy and dreary. I don't like it for too many days on end, but I like it every once in a while. I mean, it IS winter after all! The good thing is that it'll take care of bugs, too!

I grew up in Ohio and lived three years in Wisconsin. I have had my fill of the cold! Lol... I suppose now isn't the best time to mention that it will be summer in Argentina? :)

As for the greenhouse, I have decided to just bring the plants in while I am away. I don't want to make any more work for my neighbor and I just don't have time this week to make any major preparations. They'll be out of the sunlight but at least they won't be frozen.

Remember to protect the 3 P's...pets, plants and plumbing. I do worry about plumbing...need to get those pipe insulator thingies and the thingies for faucets also. Good tip about leaving the faucets with a slow drip. Ideally the plumbing should be so well protected nothing will freeze, but if in doubt...dripping can help, since moving water is less likely to freeze. Unfortunately, I remember that the low for the big freeze last fall here was lower than was predicted and that worries me. Right now, NWS shows 18 and 17 degrees for Thursday and Friday night in this area.

Leaving faucets drip is something we have done. In early days, living in a camp house we would even add a dab of antifreeze to the drains and commode. Think that was a drafty old house? LOL

Kim

Morning all..thanks for the green house tips...we just finished building a new one and I used insulation board around the bottom part then the whole things is covered with 6ml plastic for now and I will be buying fiberglass panels as time and money allow each pay day to get it all covered with it. No plants in it yet as the portable one dry rotted and DH didn't bring my plumerias in when I was gone Dec 4th so I may have lost them ..but got them in the house and cut them back in hopes of saving them and the citrus trees are now inside too
DH is wiring the electric in and then is out to wrap the outside water faucets with some old bedspreads and run a light down the well to those 2 pipes

I'll be thinking of all y'all being nice and toasty warm this evening while I sit in Dallas at the Forester field house with girls soccer

Yeah, summer in Argentina...doesn't seem right that parts of the world have summer while we have winter...we should all suffer together! But then, too, our last summer was horrific, so I'm not longing for that!
Okay...last night/early a.m. was down to 24.4 degrees...forecast was 28, I believe...just why I can't trust forecasts! I knew there would be icings on the Frostweed, so went out before they could melt. Voila! This is a single-stemmed plant...the plant juices/water must freeze and burst the stem and come sliding out already ice. This is the encore Frostweed ice...most already did it last fall.

Woke up to cold temps here 24 degrees. (I don't know how to make that degree symbol??? how'd you do that Podster?)

The dogs had to take care of business but they seem to enjoy the cold. Since we have a new pup, I was out there too. Brrr! The cat on the other hand, just thought he wanted out. He took off out the door as the dogs were coming in ~ that's how he sneaks passed them! But he was ready to come right back in.

And a clump of Frostweed with the ice. Forecast for Thursday & Friday night here is now forecast 19 and 17 degrees. Could be 13 or 14 degrees, going by how much they were off last night. Ouch!

This message was edited Jan 5, 2010 9:47 AM

Love those, LindaTX8! The Pluchea odorata does the same thing here.. I'm glad to be reminded. I think it's best to get out there early for a chance to find one of those formations.
But I'm gonna go look anyway! LOL It's still below freezing outside.

Be sure to post your Frostweed pics on the Frostweed thread that Sheila started!

Where is Flint?? say like from 35E up near Denton