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[Hilborn.E@epamail.epa.gov]

I am having a bad fruit week. Some background - we have had a really
warm late winter/ early spring. We have had no frost for weeks, with a
few sunny days even reaching the mid 80s (F). However, this week we had
a freeze to 27 degrees F at my house on Tuesday AM.

 Now, I did have a forecast to tell me it was coming. I dutifully went
out and covered my kiwi vines which are in their third spring at my
site. Both hardy and fuzzy kiwi had started leafing out in the
unseasonable warmth. My first action was to disconnect supports and to
try to lay them down on the ground, no, too woody. I managed to bend
primary cordons somewhat closer to the center of each plant.  I covered
the plants with heavy cloth or plastic  tarps to the ground. Sealed the
edges of the covers with clothespins, sealed the tarp to the ground with
hay, I also put multiple buckets of water under each tarp.  With kiwis
that were close to large wooden uprights of the trellis, I tried to make
bundles of wood and plant material under each tarp with water buckets in
the center of the protected space near the main 'trunks'.

The next morning after the temperature had increased to near 40 degrees,
I uncovered and inspected.

The few kiwis buds that were still pretty tight seemed OK, as were the
partially opened buds within 2 feet of the ground (each male). The hardy
varieties had leafed out with about an inch of vigorous growth and all
the foliage was limp and rapidly turning black when I lifted the cover.
I am not sure how much damage was due to my plastic tarp covering one
plant as the air was hot under the tarp as I opened it, the cloth covers
apparently did not retain heat as the rising sun hit the covers.  The
one bright spot was about 5 buds and leaf clusters of the older female
that survived the freeze seemingly unaffected as the leaves were laying
flat with direct ground contact under the tarp.

As I toured the orchard to inspect uncovered plants I noticed that the
pomegranate had started leafing out with tender material less than 1/4
". All burned crispy. The blueberries in full (mostly closed) flowers
and small leaves seemed OK, the apples and pears ranged from slightly
opening leaf and flower buds to new leaves and small, set fruit - all
seemed OK although I noticed the edges of some fully open apple blossoms
were brown.  New blackberry leaves also seemed OK. My Nanking cherries
in flower and with small fruit looked a little burned but may be OK.   I
will watch and see what the longer term consequences are. I am amazed to
see some unexpected sights, my emerging asparagus that was covered had
transparent shoots Tuesday AM, they looked heavily damaged. I viewed
them last evening and they seemed for the most part to be recovering!
They were more opaque with no signs of necrosis. I will watch to see if
they leaf out normally.

This AM, I awoke to ice on the cars despite overnight lows forecast in
the high 30s. My thermometer said 37 F before dawn!  I did not cover
anything. I am afraid to go look at the few kiwi leaves that survived
Tuesday AM.

Betsy Hilborn
7a Central NC