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  • From: "Sue Wells" <farmersue AT myfairpoint.net>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] frost
  • Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 10:05:48 -0400

Hi all,
I sure need advice, please, on what to do when the weather dips into
freezing temps. Early Monday morning it got down to 28 degrees. This was a
first for me to lose plants because of freezing temps. This is also a new
place for us to live in, and much colder. Before we had lived next to Lake
Champlain, and had taken chances of planting early, and had been fine. In
Sept last year, we were here, and we had frost the second week, which was
very early also to me, but most of my crops were over by Lake Champlain and
were fine.
We covered everything we could, but obviously are not too bright in what to
cover the plants with. I had quite a bit of agribon- 15, but only the kind
for insects and found 2 layers of that worked. Or 1 layer and material,
sheets over that worked. Cardboard boxes, my baskets also did well. Milk
cartons, pop jugs did not work. Sheets, sleeping bags hanging over the
u-posts did not protect the tomatoes. There were also blankets hanging over
the u posts, but I don't know if those worked either, I don't think but a
few of those tomatoes lived. We had the tomatoes staked with the u-posts.
We lost about 400 tomatoes/hot peppers. Most of my cherry tomatoes.
I only covered the beans and cucumbers with 1 layer of the agribon, the
beans did fine, they are just barely coming out of the ground, and I haven't
looked at the cucumbers, but they probably are fine, as they were also just
coming out of the ground. The potatoes look terrible, they were so
beautiful. I think they will come out of it, won't they?
We still have lots of tomatoes that weren't planted and lots of hot peppers,
But I did lose most of the poblanos and 40 of the jalapenos, and most of the
red cayenne, but we will be ok.
When I can afford it, I plan on buying the heavier agribon from Johnny's. Ag
19. Is this going to work to cover up the plants when it will be freezing?
What do I use and how for the staked tomatoes? The neighbor predicts another
frost June 10, she says it always frosts then. I hope she is wrong.
Thank you all.
Sue
Vermont








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