I’m in the London area and the nighttime temps just don’t want to stay up. The forecast predicts about one more week or more of sub-12 degrees C nighttime temperatures and I’m hesitating putting out my tomatoes/peppers/eggplants because I worry about fruiting potential. Also I don’t have any ground cover thick enough to cover them up at night at the moment.
What are you guys doing? I’m curious about your philosophies/strategies to mitigate cold nighttime temps this time of year.
I planted tomatoes and peppers into biodegradable film. Plants were already 3 ft high and flowering but in only 3 inch pots. They were well aclimatized under a roof, but open to all of the night time winds and still doing well. When I planted into the ground, I dug a hole size of a round shovel and filled it with potting soil and well watered to help them get started. Also put on foliar spray. slow to take off but so far so good.
Thanks Eric! I’m more worried about fruiting potential as some of my plants have already begun to flower, and last night was a balmy 3 degrees celsius here in London.
Should have mentioned that if you have those 16 x 24 webbed crates, they make great wind breaks and sun screens. Also,. And I am starting to use this big time is in the fall, sow Fall rye with a seed drill in strips to create windbreaks and even sunscreens for veggie plants to be planted between rows of the taller rye at this time of the year. Later, either harvest the rye for seed. I mow rye that is in the way with either a larger lawn mower, or I have a sickle bar mower for my BCS tractor.
Hi Denis, personally I haven’t planted any of my hot crops yet and don’t plan to until next week. I too would be concerned about damage to the flowers affecting fruit growth if yours are already flowering and they get hit by cold temps. We had frost warnings here a couple nights ago and that is way too cold IMO to risk it!
As well @eric_jelinski - the wind can actually help keep frost from settling, although I do appreciate a good natural windbreak! Fruit farmers will often run huge fans in their orchards to keep the frost from settling on trees and damaging fruit buds.
I hear you! I’ve got flowers on some of the tomatoes and peppers as well. I was planning on pinching those off right after transplanting this week. I’ll be doing peppers last after tonight’s 11 degree C low temp has passed.
However, low temperature can affect fruiting even before the flower is formed, so be careful with that too, not having any flowers or buds doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods with low nighttime temps!
This handy OMAFRA page lists the temperature ranges:
