Had your first frost yet? (Frost/freeze hardiness chart, post #26)

[digitS']

Six mornings with frost, the first back on the 11th of September, then I got tired of counting.

The weather is very dry and sunny lately.

That sure beats dry and smoky!

Steve

 

[journey11]

We got frost last night! I pulled the rest of the banana peppers last night at 10pm, and cut all the parsley. I'll be processing all that today. Really sad about the peppers, the plants are so big and bushy and still covered with flowers. Not sure what to do about my broccoli. The last group is just starting to produce so I might buy a sheet of plastic today and make them a tunnel.

I'll never understand that either about the peppers. Particularly the bells. I put mine out late in May each year, but they never really get going until it's time for them to stop. :/ Any of the little hot peppers will produce for me in the summer, but they still want to keep going into the fall. The best pepper I've grown for fresh eating throughout the summer was a Giant Red Marconi. I had wheelbarrows full of them and gave many away. I don't think I'm going to bother with the bells anymore though.

Mickey, I'm hoping for some more Indian summer days too. I'm so far behind from not being able to get outside this summer. I'm just now getting a little bit of independence from my baby and I wanna go out and play in the dirt! (It's like pulling teeth to get anyone to come babysit.)

Retired, I'll be putting on a big pot of greens tonight. Now that it has frosted, they should be really tasty. Blackeye peas are a soakin'. And buttery cornbread...just right for a day like today.

 

[Smart Red]

Although a freeze has been predicted several times already, the frost has skipped this area so far. After the summer drought I am almost hoping for frost so I can put the garden to bed and recoup from this year's disaster.

Nonetheless, it won't be long now. . . .

Love, Smart Red

 

[digitS']

Peppers are perennials.

Yes, some of mine had lots of flowers before the frost put an end to 'em.

Some folks bring pepper plants in for the winter and set them out again in the new growing season. I bet they need lots & lots of winter sunlight, just so they don't drop all of their leaves. But . . . I really don't know.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

Peppers are perennials. Some folks bring pepper plants in for the winter. . . I bet they need a lot of winter sunlight, just so they don't drop all of their leaves. Steve

I have brought some inside. I already had them in pots in the garden. They did continue to finish the fruit, but did lose all their leaves since my sun room - although sunny - is heated to only 40 degrees (F) on the coldest winter nights. Still, come warmer weather in early March and the pepper plants leafed out and flowered again.

I suspect they would have done better if I'd have kept them inside the warmer house at night. After keeping them going for three springs, I forgot to water them last summer.

Love, Smart Red

 

[curly_kate]

Frosted here Sunday night & got the basil. Last night it got the peppers. I'd already pulled the tomatoes because they looked so crappy, but I'm like the others who hats to pull those peppers because the still look so pretty. I have 1 pumpkin under cover to try and get it to ripen. Other than that, it's just fall veggies out there that can take some cold.

 

[journey11]

Peppers are perennials.

Yes, some of mine had lots of flowers before the frost put an end to 'em.

Some folks bring pepper plants in for the winter and set them out again in the new growing season. I bet they need lots & lots of winter sunlight, just so they don't drop all of their leaves. But . . . I really don't know.

Steve

I didn't know that.

 

[so lucky]

I wonder if you could treat an indeterminate tomato that way, by cutting it back, maybe keeping it pruned all season? (Except for the stems with fruit)

 

[digitS']

Yes, So Lucky, there are people who do that.

The tomato is something of a "weak perennial" - I guess (and I don't even know if I have the term right ). It can live for more than one season. There's also the possibility of rooting a cutting from a healthy tomato plant.

Once again, we know about the light needs of these kinds of plants. They don't grow under forest canopies or some place like that. Taking cuttings should be okay indoors since they would have little need for very much light until their roots could support some growth, I suppose.

Now, I'll stop and maybe someone who has kept a tomato going thru the winter can tell us about it .

Steve

 

[lesa]

Looks like we will have our first frost on Friday (if the weather forecast is correct.) Picked my last bushel of peppers a couple days ago. Yep, those plants still have baby peppers and flowers. I admire their optimism! Talk about a day late, and a dollar short-my angel trumpet is just now getting ready to bloom for the first time! The drought kept it far behind. Guess I will cover it, so I can at least enjoy one bloom!