RA49, I still hope that Isabelle steers around or blows itself out until it comes up here.
Pam, besides that i wish for less than 6' snow over winter and temperatures no lower than -10 Celsius so that I can keep my passion flowers outside. Ahhhh dreamer, nothing but a dreamer,....
Joys of Frost Warnings
Please include the rest of us in those dreams!
(B.C. excluded...you've already got better than that)
I saw some S&*# ( can't make myself type the "S" word this early in the season LOL)on the news here and the pics were from Calgary. Did you folks escape it?
That Isabelle better take a different tract PanamonCreel, no way am I bringing things in yet!! I have to pick and choose as it is and it's not something I want to be hasty with. [it wont all fit ]
They are predicting Moose Jaw will get it...right now
we are getting the first decent rain since mid June.
I've caught 1/2 my fish...nothing like a dip in the pond
when it's just above freezing.
Betting you just 'think' you have caught 1/2 your fishies LOL.
I bet there are babies lurking about in there and because the start out a dark grey, you havent noticed them! ;-)
I forgot about you having to catch fish. What do you do? Go in with hip waders and a net?
I saw the Calgary snow on the news last night ~ brrrrr.
Good luck everyone with Isabelle. This year seems to be just one thing after another.
We are going to get it tonight. They have freeze warnings out, not just frost warnings. Ugg!
So, I'm busy trying to get all the rest of the garden produce in, making a space to bring the brugs in, as well as the houseplants I've had outside for the summer.
Oh my, what else do I have to do before tonight? I hope I don't forget anything and then discover it later, frozen.
Oh my... and veggies. It's almost like fall doesn't exist for you this year. Is it always so sudden?
OK I have caught 1/2 the adult fishes....the babies are
another story. My Dad has caught 200 little ones and I
know some of my ponds have them. The large pond didn't
develop really good weed cover this year so I don't think
I have too many to worry about there. I have my Dad's
hunting waders-cold really goes through them, fishing nets
for everyone to hold and long arm rubber gloves. It becomes
a family affair to catch and freeze together.
Good luck with your hunt for plants etc. to come in JoanJ
-last year I missed some treasures including the Oleander
that I am finding is so difficult to replace! One error
at this time of year certainly can be deadly.
Liz we can have a beautiful fall-it's just some nasty
surprises can pop at at the beginning of it.
Frosts/Freezes can come suddenly here. It can be 80 one day and freeze the next night. It can happen anywhere from the first of Sept, and sometimes we get lucky and it doesn't happen until mid October. Not many times though.
The nice part is that after it frosts or freezes, we may have a nice indian summer for a long while. If I had more time and ambition, I could cover everything every night and uncover it every morning. I used to do that, but not anymore. I'll get in everything I can and let the rest go. It's kinda nice to enjoy what's left of fall after it frosts without having to deal with all the stress.
I've been on the phone trying to find someone that still wants tomatoes. I've got a ton in the garden yet and I've picked about all that I can handle taking care of in the next few days.
Lilypon, you are trying to get the fishes in from your pond? Is that right? What do you do with them then? I don't have a pond yet, but it's on my wishlist for next years landscaping.
Hi JoanJ
Buy yourself at least a 70 gallon tank...garage sales,
ads in the paper, etc. are good sources. I have a
70 gallon, 1 50 gallon and a number of smaller ones. The
fish grow so large and multiply that having a few to spare
is a good idea.
Our weather is very similar...just getting through the
nasty periods can be so difficult. Some years I could
have put my plants out almost every day till Dec 25 but
forget them once and with the night temps...all is lost.
Other years nothing is safe after mid September...as JoanJ
said the stress isn't worth it. Last year I brought my
fish in at the end of October...day before was gorgeous,
that day 50 degree drop and snow was falling while we ran
around with nets, flashlights etc. That is truly a bone
chilling experience! That and pulling the lilies out...I
like to leave them in until they go into dormancy, hands
turn a gorgeous shade of purple/blue at that time.
Would love to take some tomatoes off your hands...but..
Somebody up there has a terrific sense of humour and just loves to watch us Canucks (with the exception of the ladies in lotusland) run around like a bunch of bees that have lost their hive - covering, uncovering, moving, moving again. Its probably more entertaining than the courtship dances of exotic animals.
I have to say those brugs didn't look too big outdoors but 4 of them and 2 dats makes a BIG presence in my foyer. I got their new sunblaster light operational tonite - hope they like it.
Liz do I still water and feed, water and feed, even now that they are indoors?
Good luck all. I have all my tomatoes and basil and squash harvested. Still chard and carrots and potatoes out but the frost actually improves them.
Have actually had time to start running again since I haven't had to spend an hour a day watering.
LOL
No, you ease off on the water and the fertilizer. Fertilize maybe once a week to start then maybe every 2 weeks. You don't want to promote too much inside weak growth.
Thanks. Glad to have the brugmaster checking in regularly.
her name is brugnut for sure!
Hi Elaine, how's your garden holding up in the wind and rain?
LOVIN' IT!!!!!!!!! ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!!
I'm picking up Sunrize at 6:40 then to your house. See you later.
Heres the missin in action report from last night - coleus toast, mg vines toast, impatiens - maimed but not gone, the rest doesn't look bad. Fiesta vine came thru ok. How bout Saskatchewan casualties?
Hi jagonjune
The outskirts of Moose Jaw froze a week ago...we are
halfway done the hill with a retaining wall and the
frost hit across the street. It made my potatoe vines
collapse but they came back with the sun?!? The blooms
on the water lilies are still alright, for now...a few
days of nice weather is coming for a bit of a reprieve.
That Mexican Fiesta vine is sounding better and better=
can you take cuttings as well as seeds? I can't remember
if you said it was an annual or not??
edited to say the rain stopped before the temps hit zero..
NO SNOW....Yippeee!!
This message was edited Sep 18, 2003 9:44 PM
How are the rest of you doing...PanamonCreel? RA49? Dema?
JoanJ? I saw in the Brugs. forum that Brugcrazy had
an awful rain/wind storm...more of her plants were damaged.
:(
There is also another Canadian that just joined llliya!
Saw his posting at the Welcome Mat. :))
This message was edited Sep 22, 2003 4:54 PM
I'm here! We did have frost last night, but not as bad as they were predicting. I think the cloudy overcast skies may have been what saved us.
We got hit the hardest in the veggie garden, but I expected that. It sits in a low lying area.
Most of my brugs are still in the garage and I think I'll leave them in there in the cool, semi-darkness and let them start to think about dormancy. (SP??) The brugs that are even thinking about blooming are all in the house, much to DH's disgust! LOL
The gardens up by the house seem to have fared pretty well, so I guess I got granted another gardening day. Tonight may be a different story though, because it's very clear out.
I was out watering the newly planted grass seed and thought I was gonna freeze to death.
It sounds like I got by better than some of you. This is a sad time of year isn't it?
It is...takes so long to come and seems to end way too fast!
But, after finding Dave's, we can collect exotic seeds
(or in your case plants) and spend all winter under our
grow lights!!! And really drive our husbands crazy ;^)
10 C is the lowest we have dipped here in Southern Ont.
Today we have wind and rain thanks to Isabel but the ground is soaking it up and sighing "thank you". I stuffed as many seedling Brugs into the GH as would fit ( some are too tall and the mature ones are tied to posts outdoors) and the rest I laid down in sheltered places.
All the gourd vines are withering and getting mildew so I picked the largest gourds and they are hanging to dry .Now all I need is some inspiration on decorating them. (a little artistic talent would help as well).
I am collecting seed for the plants I want to grow again next year and things are starting to wind down in the garden... except for the tomatoes LOL.
Well the big freeze hit here last night. Knew it was predicted for the area, so moved the Mandevilla's, Cannas and everything else I want to overwinter inside. Like everyone else, my place is just to small inside for what I have outside, and want to keep for next season. This weeks work will consist of harvesting my dahlia tubers, now that frost has hit...and then I think I can start dreamin of next years plantings.
Lilypon, do you have any cuttings from your Brugs? I will email you with the list that Liz sent, as to what is currently available.
Your right.... JoanJ, sad time of year.
Next Tuesday, the 23rd is the Autumnal Equinox, the day length will be equal to the night length. Here comes the dark.
That piece of news, Liz, is what I dread the most!!
I am hoping to spend alot of time under my grow lights
this winter..........Eyes hates the darkkkkkkkkkkkk.
Winter temps across this country vary so much...but we
all share that in common . :(
Pam then you should invest in some BIG lights like Jeanne and I have. I have 2 high pressure sodiums in the gh, each 1000 watts. Jeanne uses halides. Of course mine light up all of Indian Arm so I regularly have the Harbour Patrol, RCMP boat and the Coast Guard boat training their binoculars on the gh. I could wear sunglasses in there all winter.
Good idea Liz...I wonder if that is available in a little
smaller size for the basement? I can almost picture the
interest your gh gets :)
RA49 Glad you weathered Isabelle well...rain is so welcome!!
How many gourds did you get??
I know that they come in 250 watts. Do you have a hydroponics store in Moose Jaw?
Nope...but I will explore Regina's offerings! :)
You can get HID lamps down to 175W. Check in one of those large hardware stores if you have one around.
I brought in 3 large Dipper, 2 large Swan Neck and 2 large Birdhouse Gourds. There are more BH gourds but they are out of reach ( and the wind) so they can stay there untill I pull the vines down in my fall cleanup.
I will be doing some phoning :) What does HID stand for?
Right now all I have are the regular long tube grow lights.
Time to move up!
RA49 I'm jealous...every time I try to grow, even the
regular gourds, we don't have the right weather for them.
Lilypon The sunblaster I just bought is 125 watts and lights a 4 by 4 area like it was outdoors. It seems to be perfect for the plants that are now occupying the foyer instead of headed for dormancy. I calculated that it on for 13 or 14 hours a day and the fan on lowest setting cost about 20 cent a day to operate. The 1000 watt lights I have for the sunroom (just got my second this week) are actually cheaper to operate than the 1000 watts of fluorescent tubes that we use when starting seedlings. Liz is right the hydroponics types are very helpful. Let me know what kind of prices you find and I'll compare them to Edmonton prices. I know this fellow will ship out of province.
Thanks jagonjune...I will! Give me a week to phone around.
PanamonCreel..I finally did a search here to see what the
Tamarillo Tree looks like...there is only a pic. of a
seedling. You really have to post a picture of that one!