I had to cover my Brugs again for the last few nights. The forecast is for 39ºF tonight. I went out last this afternoon to check on a heifer about to give birth. I hope mothering is strong in her because she'll have to get that calf cleaned up quickly if it's born tonight.
Freeze coming... what to do? Part Two
I often wondered why cows and horses had to have their young in the winter. I hope she calves tomorrow night Veronica.
I'm with you Josephine. I have had my plants in and out about twenty times too. After last summer's watering pots everyday, I vowed that this spring, any plant that could make it in the ground here, was going in the ground. I want to cut down on pots. They are time consuming and worrisome when we go camping. I put them into wading pools full of water but that is a lot of work too. Then when I broke my ankle last July I had to depend on non-gardeners, aka family, to water my pots. Let's just say they don't have the devotion to my plants I do. So I have a lot of planting to do starting next month. I will still have my tropicals and annuals that I turn into perenials but won't be as many.
That sounds like a good plan Jerry.
Cows and horses have their babies in the winter so when they are weaned there will be grass for them to graze, of course to do that we MUST get rain. I'm full of useless information if anyone else has any questions. I jst got done taking all my plants back out, again. I have managed to over winter most of my veggie plants but it has been a lot of work. Has this winter been colder recent ones?
Lisa
Overall daytime temps have ran about normal around here this winter--but we've had a lot more frosty nights than usual. I think its because we've had a lot less rain down here than normal. Clear bright days lead to clear nights and frosty temps. It seldom, if ever, freezes down here on a cloudy night.
The cold was more frequent than normal here. The lows weren't lower than we usually, but they just kept hitting, over and over! Lisa, you're probably in that big brown blob on the drought monitor map. Hope it doesn't swallow up the rest of the state!
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/drought/2009-03-03-texas-drought_N.htm
I just got some little plants back outside today also and watered some. I was really pushing myself to do that much because I've been sick and I'm about done in now.
A cold front is coming next Thursday. The night low for the San Antonio area is predicted to be between 41 to 47 (my home - 39 to 44). I hope it stays in the 40s. The high Friday is supposed to be in the mid-60s. I have been moving plants out of my greenhouse. I have now stopped doing so after I already have moved most of them outside. I sure don't want to have to move them back in and cover plants with freeze cloth. Those to the north of my area be aware. A freeze may be on the way. :o(
Linda-I think I'm in the burgundy (exceptional drought) area. We are seldom as humid as other areas of TX so I think that maybe one reason we get colder.
Please don't tell me there is a freeze coming next week. This is why I don't plant out my garden until late March. Sigh......
Lisa
I saw that on the Tyler weather tonight. Supposed to be in the low 40's here too. I hope that's it. I have moved my plants out of the GH and have my seedlings in there. What a pain in my rearend. I guess I will staighten up the GH and rearrange in anticipation of the cold next week. I really knew better. We have had freezes the last two Aprils. But the birds are nesting, the red buds are open, the dog woods are opening, the azaleas are opening, the clems are putting new growth on. Everything is screaming SPRING!
I'm screaming spring!
lol
We usually see a cold snap around Easter here... if we have another frost I think we'll all be crying and praying! LOL
they say 47-55 here; but they say lots of things don't they?
;)
They do. But as long as we don't actually freeze the plants will be fine. I just don't want to drop down to say 38°. That's too close for comfort. My crapes are putting out leaf buds and one of the dwarfs already has leaves. The wrens are busily building a nest in my surfinia plant. The bluebirds have their nest feathered and ready to lay. I can only hope the birds are a good indicator that there will be no more freezes. They are usually pretty good about predicting the weather.
I also recall the Farmer's Almanac for March not calling for freezes. A week or so of cooler temps with rain in the second and third weeks of March.
Although, the average frost date is the first week of March in this part of Fayette County, In the 8 years we have been here, we've had hard freezes in the last few days of March and very cold weather in April. I've lost all my peaches and plums at least twice since they started bearing fruit.
we had a freeze on Halloween one year when Robin was 3 or 4 (she's 20 now) in Houston, so anything and everything is possible.