whats the lowest temp. tomato plants can take?
bob
if it freezes.
thanks
Mommu3
>Thinking about putting my plants out now in zone 5/6 and cover with buckets
>if it freezes.
Why don't you just wait until around Mother's Day to plant them....don't have
to worry about freezes then. They aren't going to grow much, if at all, during
this cool weather. I don't see any advantage of setting them out early.
Cereoid*
outdoors. Its still to soon to put out tender plants yet. We may not have
had our last freezing night yet even though all the Home Depots, Lowes, etc.
are already stocking up on outdoor plants. One freezing night and all the
time and money spent would be wasted.
Mommu3 <mom...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020428135131...@mb-ft.aol.com...
Iris Cohen
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"It is forbidden to live in a town which has no greenery." Jerusalem Talmud,
Kiddushin 4:12.
Dr. Rev. Chuck, M.D., P.A.
Wall-O-Waters will heat the soil as well as the plants. Cover with
trash bags if a frost warning is called.
Reply...@yahoo.com
You be the judge of your soil but a raised bed will buy you several degrees
worh of protection. You can also run the sprinkler if things get too cold.
(Think about it ... the water coming out of the sprinkler is well above
freezing.) I am in zone 5 (Detroit) and I believe that April 25 is the
average last frost date.
As for the chilly weather inhibiting growth ... if your drainage is good,
who's plant will be in position to take advantage of whatever warm days DO
arrive ... yours in the ground or the neighbors in the garage?
Bill
Dr. Rev. Chuck, M.D., P.A.
I use WoW's *and* raised beds. Early girls have been blooming for two weeks
(zone 7, Maryland).
vincent p. norris
>if it freezes.
>thanks
I read in one of the gardening magazines, some years ago, that
tomatoes are a tropical plant and are permanently damaged by
temperatures below 50F. Just reporting what I read.
I don't transplant my tomatoes to the garden till the soil temperature
is 50 or higher early in the morning. Usually that's about now, in
central PA, Zone 6, but this year it's going to be later.
Our average last frost date is April 27.
Just using a bucket is probably not enough. Put a plastic gallon jug
of water right beside the plant, on the north side so it doesn't shade
the plant. Water has a high specific heat, so afer it warms up in the
sun during the day, it will provide a good bit of heat to keep the
temperature under the bucket (plastic bucket, not metal) above that of
the outside air.
Still, as one of the other responders said, it may not speed up the
arrival of ripe tomatoes because the plants may just "mark time" until
temperatures get higher, later in May.
vince norris
>
>
>
Pat Kiewicz
>You be the judge of your soil but a raised bed will buy you several degrees
>worh of protection. You can also run the sprinkler if things get too cold.
>(Think about it ... the water coming out of the sprinkler is well above
>freezing.) I am in zone 5 (Detroit) and I believe that April 25 is the
>average last frost date.
The average last FREEZE date is in April. The average last FROST date
is sometime around May 10. The average date that nightime temperatures
realiably remain at or above 50 degrees is May 23. (The 50 degree nightime
temperature is the preferred minimum for unprotected tomatoes. Lower than
that and they will tend to sit and sulk -- though they may not be killed outright.)
We have had patchy frosts here in Plymouth as late as the last week of May.
(Plymouth, and a fair chunk of Metro Detroit, is officially in zone 6.)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)