Threw the frost covers back over the 3 raised beds, getting below freezing tonight...watching that allium leaf miner pest report so I will spot them if I get them. The oregano and its weeds are super healthy...I need to trim it back again. Fed the birds, but even the skurrels aren't out today- their appetites are less while they go into torpor with the cold, I am sure. Onions and onion chives doing really good- as well as many of the beets and cilantro.

Huddle up, Kat!!!

Dang. We were only supposed to get down to around 32F last night/this morning...it was 30F this morning. Now we're looking at a 31/24/27 for the next three nights. Then a few days later a similar temperature cycle occurs. Now, I know some of you nawtheners are probably chuckling at these temperatures but these temperatures just ain't right for this south Alabama boy!!!! Now I've got to scurry around in the cold making sure faucets are dripping and pipes are "kind of wrapped". I think this summer a project is going to be to super-insulate my outside pipes (I've got four places I have to look out for)....of course, I've been saying I was gonna do the insulating thing for the last 30 years...

Guess we will have to remind ya Ed, it is hard to remember to cold insulate when 100* is settlin on you. I made NYT choco chip cookies and need to get out and run a check on systems as 30* looked at me at 7 am... sunny today tho, so chilly still.

For all you temperature woosies out there; it's 7:16 am and the temp is 14!
I promise you would come in right quick if you were here and stepped outside. I don't have a reason to go outside, at least not until it warms up a bit, like 25 or so.

it's 18 here. Amazing .

Cilantro finally showing- under lights. I wasn't sure if I should crunch the little balls that are 'cilantro seeds' , if they were actually tiny seeds inside a pod.. but since cilantro grew like crazy last year I have a million seeds to experiment with. and fully expect it volunteering too.

Before y'all ask:
Yes I tried the online (here) seed swaps once Then I made a list of pros and cons and decided there are more cons!

The Great American FREE Seed Give-away

First come, first served. Send SASE with a cheap/used greeting/Christmas/et al card enclosed to cushion seeds during mailing. Tree-mail for: my mailing address and your selection(s).

CUCUMBER
County Fair Improved – dual use, NOT downy mildew resistant, almost 100% female flowers
Southern Delight Hybrid – slicer, NOT downy mildew resistant, both male and female flowers

TOMATO
Atlas Hybrid – d65 3-5' semi-determinate, compact/container friendly, red 1-lb beefsteak
Ballada – 2' determinate dwarf from Moldavia, mid-early season, red 4-7 oz oblate

Watermelon
Cal Sweet Bush – d90, 14-18" short vines, 10-12 lb red flesh sweet icebox
Crimson Sweet - d80-85, 6-8' vines, 15-25 lb red flesh very sweet icebox, round green stiped

MISC
Bouquet Dill – d60, compact/container friendly
Prizehead Lettuce - vendor freebie (Seeds n Such)
Delta F1 Yellow Crookneck Summer Squash -*seed pre-treated with fungicide*

Lots of seeds to give away Pat. This year I'm thinking of growing Sugar Baby in the front, it will be hiding among all the tall plants so the HOA won't mind, but it will be in pots too.
Today we have very strong Santa Ana Wind, I really don't like it, everything is blown away. I have to wait for the wind to die down before I do a clean up.

Here I go again, think they hatched overnight, this has been super bug free until today, take em outdoors and spray them down tomorrow. This is my indoor Tabasco pepper plant. Only other thing buzzing it may be a gnat or fruit fly, drafted bugs. They want my peppers!



Then this with those fall tomato volunteers


May end up not keeping them

I got a few late summer-fall tomato volunteers. One grew up to produce more fruit than any of the parent plants. It has been bitten back by frost but still has about seven or eight ripening tomatoes on it. The cold somewhat diminished the flavor on the ones I've eaten but still better than store-bought!

I'm a wee. WEE!!!!!! bit nervous tonight. I've got all the pepper plants and the lemon bush in the garage huddled around the heat lamp but they're now saying it's going to be a low of 22F tonight. Usually our cold periods are for just an hour or two before or at dawn, but this cold is moving in faster and will be sub-25F for four or five hours. One good thing is that the wind is supposed to be calm. The garage is an open-ended garage, protected on three sides with the opening facing east. The plants and lamp are in about as deep as possible where I also have another heatlamp and a regular 100w incandescent bulb burning to throw heat on some water pipes. Current temperature around the plants is 40.5F...outdoor temperature is 33F but after midnight it's gonna chill down fast and for the rest of the morning.

On the up side, we may be having stuffed poblano peppers tomorrow or Monday!!!!

And here I am mad because it's chilly and I dragged my lemon trees to the porch.

It is hard because it has been so unusually hot for January up until this point. Neither the plants nor the people are ready for this.

I haven't looked at the peppers but a little bluetooth thermometer I have babysitting the huddling plants states that the heat lamp and its neighbors shows it managed to hold things at 32.4F even though the low was 22.9F. Currently we're sitting at 26.5F outside so a ways to go, yet, we seldom hold a freezing temperature for very long after sunrise. The plant thermometer says the temp around the plants as risen to 33.4F.

Naturally I wonder how accurate the BT thermometer *really* is...supposedly ±0.54°F.

Ah well, it looks like every 2 to 3 days we're going to be having a freeze...just a regular Jack Frost Rollercoaster Ride.

I'll check the peppers later and see how they handled the cold.

Ed

I'm watching just-emerged seedlings under lights. Can hardly keep up this exciting pace..

Sally ~ What do you have growing under your lights?

sallyg said: Ed

I'm watching just-emerged seedlings under lights. Can hardly keep up this exciting pace..

I've gotta start planning for my seedlings. Need to get in the trailer and do some cleaning/straightening up... Seeding time will be here before I know it!!!

The pepper plants look good this morning. Another (much lighter) freeze tonight, skip a few days, then repeat freezing.<sigh> Thankfully, things are still growing (well, at least a live)!!! The crazy collards enjoyed the freeze...I haven't made a close inspection but they're standing back up tall waving in the sunshine!!!!

Could you put your peppers in the seeding trailer ED? Am on my way out to wash off the soap, rubbing alcohol and water the peppers and other plants got sprayed down with last night...

Lettuces, basil, spinach, cilantro, red kale, golden beets

kittriana said:Could you put your peppers in the seeding trailer ED? Am on my way out to wash off the soap, rubbing alcohol and water the peppers and other plants got sprayed down with last night...

Yeah, that's what I said I was gonna do but then I got to shuttling them into the garage figuring we'd have a regular, non-eventful winter. Seems like there's more sporadic freezes that usual, though. We still got February to go so probably might as well move'em over there...will be kind of a pain as the seedling room is way at the other end of the trailer from the entry doors. Hmmm, I might open a window and set them in through it...would save a lot of carrying!!!

sallyg said:Lettuces, basil, spinach, cilantro, red kale, golden beets

You don't need to be posting pictures of seedlings popping up!!!!.....getting me all itchy to plant some seeds!!!