Fickle Mother Nature

Windy in Kansas · #1 04/14/08, 08:09 AM

Well I wonder what fickle Mother Nature has doled out to us? We had nine hours of overnight temperatures at 30º and lower, with the lowest reading at 24º?

I moved all of my tomato transplants inside from the hardening process. They spent the night before out but I made sure to wash any frost off of the leaves before the sun came up. Didn't chance it last night, too cold.

Expect my apricot tree will once again have no crop or a very small one. I have to wonder about the wheat fields with there already being shortages throughout the world. I don't think the wheat is far enough out of winter dormancy to get damage. Last April it dipped to 16º and gave major damage, such that only about 40-50% of the crop was cut here and gave a quarter to third of normal yields.

I guess this is just Mother Natures way of telling us to slow down and not get in a hurry. Any one else have the cold front come through? How did your area fare?

momlaffsalot · #2 04/14/08, 08:20 AM

We had frost on the gorund, too, Windy...up near Topeka. Good thing I am behind on my gardening :-). I do hope the wheat is okay, and I hope you have more apricots than you expect! I didn't know we could grow apricots here?

mnn2501 · #3 04/14/08, 08:45 AM

We had frost as far south as parts of Dallas too. Didn't get a chance to look at my garden before work, hopefully its ok. I've already replaced my green peppers once due to the cold killing them. Crazy weather the last year!

How Do I · #4 04/14/08, 08:53 AM

We're to expect low of 29F tonight with widespread frost. Nothing last night but cold and rain. Guess I had better get in gear today preparing for it. I'm expecting low yields again from the strawberry beds with them already being in bloom. Glad I didn't put out the potatoes early again like last year.

Oldcountryboy · #5 04/14/08, 10:38 PM

I got up at 4:30 am and sprayed all my fruit trees and resprayed at sunrise. It didn't seem to help any. By noon all the white blooms was a rusty brown color. But check out my thread "Frost Prevention 101". If I had found this info earlier I would have tried my luck at it. Maybe next year.