Monday, February 13, 2012

GARDNER'S HELP !!!! tomato plants ?

it going to be 40 for low tomorrow night, what should i do with all my tomatos on the palnts? pick em, leave em cover em ?

GARDNER'S HELP !!!! tomato plants ?
At 40 your plants are in no danger. Just let them stay and ripen. The temps. you have to worry about are when it's cold enough to produce frost. Frost is the killer. Without frost formation tomatoes can withstand temps. slightly below 30.





So if your weatherman says there is a chance of frost you can do one of two things. Pick them and let them ripen inside. Or just cover the plants with some protective cover to protect them from frost and then take it off in the morning when the frost danger is over.





I prefer the second. You can get a spun-fabric called Harvest-Guard at most of your better lawn %26amp; garden centers which comes in sheets and is reusable for years. You could also use newspaper or paper bags but they can get wet and messy. I wouldn't recommend plastic because water can condense between the leaf and the plastic if the plastic is touching the leaf. Then the water can freeze--harming the plant. Plastic's OK but you can't let it touch the plants.





Using Harvest Guard I have had tomatoes ripening on the plant all the way to the middle of October.
Reply:Not sure what temp. you mean. If it freezes the plants will die and the tomatoes will be N/G. You need to pick any that are ripe or nearly ripe and protect the plants from frost.
Reply:I have lots on my plants I live in Ontario Can. I am leaving them on the plant as long as possible. Right now they are growing better than the summer. (go figure) If there is a frost warning I will gather the big ones and try and keep the others warm by covering them. Some are in pots so I will bring them in at night. I am hoping for a week or two never know!


Hope that helps
Reply:I would pick all of the ones that are very close to being ripe, because they can be ripened a little sitting on your window sill in the sun, and cover all of the ones that still need to be ripened more on the vine, as long as you don't get frost, you should be OK, but I would cover them all just in case!
Reply:You must be in the inter mountain region! If the temperature stays in the 40's, your plants will be fine. If you are concerned, though, cover them with a tarp over night and they will be fine. As long as the temperature doesn't drop to a "hard freeze," meaning sustained below-30 temperatures, this method will work. When the weather gets really cold, you can bring your tomatoes in, wrap them in newspaper, and keep them in a cold area of your home, preferably the basement, and they will keep for several weeks (as long as they aren't too ripe when picked.)





By the way, I live in Utah and for the past two nights we have had a light frost, but our tomatoes have been just fine, plants and all.
Reply:you have some great answers here.just be sure to uncover them as soon as the temp warms or the sun is hitting the cover.the sun will warm the plants easily.
Reply:cover them

colonial shoe buckles

No comments:

Post a Comment