Protecting Plants from a hard Freeze

Well guys here it is a week before Easter Groundhog has been sent to prison and ole winter showing her colors, what do you do to help your cold sensitive crops survive?

In this video I will show you what I did to prepare for the coming freeze. In the video I say it is suppose to get to 32 wrong 27.  This is a serious freeze. I will show what I used to prepare for this weather change and protecting my crops. What I used I had on hand, some old dog fence (used to grow climbing beans or cucumbers) and plastic we had from old painting jobs.

You can use anything such as a gallon milk jug, tin cans, even cut water bottles. The object it to trap heat from the sun to warm the area enough to keep the temp from falling to freezing or below 32. If it does might as well start over. I can't afford to spend 100 to replace mine so I started Friday after work worked till dark got up at dawn Saturday and finished up Sunday.

I also covered all my corn, and potatoes with mulch. the way to cover your corn (mine is about 1-2 inches in height) is to support both sides so the corn stands up straight and then cover them with a thin layer of mulch, enough so you can't see them but not so much you crush them.

I covered 40 tomato plants, 20 pepper 10 herbs, 60 ft of potatoes and 160 ft of corn. How it all turns out is yet to be seen, but I did all i could the rest is up to the lord. I will post Wednesday after work on the status of the plants. It is forecast to be 27 tonight, 32 Tuesday night and in the 40's Wednesday.

Hope this helps you survive a late freeze wherever you live.
Joe

Just gonna update this page on the freeze. The temps we got to were just about record lows 25. I lost all my pepper plants and about 10 tomato plants but that is about all. The expensive herbs are fine. Corn looks ok it got burned some but will wait another week and then make the decision to replant or not.

Weather Alert

Just to let all those know the low this Sunday is projected to get freezing 32. I am in South west Arkansas. Be sure and check your local weather.

I strongly encourage all that have tomatoes, peppers, beans any cold sensitive plat to get them covered Friday evening if possible or be sure and get them covered Saturday. Covering them early will help heat the ground more and they will do much better during the cold. I would leave them covered until after work Monday. Use anything that is large enough and allows sunlight through to cover them and the leaves don't touch the covering service. If the leaves touch the covering surface they will be killed from the freeze.

Little worried looed at the extended forcast this morning the low Sunday was 36 that is ok, but looked just a few minutes ago and it has been lowered to 32, sure hope it won't get much lower. Take care cover.

Little update on the weather looks like it is going to be a hard freeze Sunday and Monday so prepare all you can. Most of the blooming trees will lose their fruit I will look at trying to save one of my Plum tree if I have any cover left over.
 Joe

Planted Tomatoes, Peppers and Hebs

March 17th planted 28 tomato plants, bunch of different pepper types and herbs. Be sure and plant the tomatoes deep as you can, if you can turn them sideways and bury them up to the top.

 

 

 Plant all your peppers ground level they do not like it if you cover the sprout leaves and will die if you plant them to deep, so be sure and mulch around them. I mulch around everything as you will see in the video.

 

Asparagus is my love and in the video I have some coming up, nothing sets me on fire as picking some tall sweet asparagus, going in the house putting them in a pan and having them for dinner.

 

If you want some tips or help just ask, post a questing in the comment section and i will be more than happy to assist you in getting your hands dirty.

 

Easter is here remember him when you plant life is precious.

Planting corn March 9th 2013

The wind is blowing really hard so sorry for the sound in some sections of the video. I am planting my corn a little early but with the forecast calling for 70% chance of rain and the week ahead looks warm I decided to get the corn in the ground.
Here is a good tip. The corn I planted was purchased last year. I bought to much so I put the extra in the freezer, take them out plant and if there is any left over put them back in the freezer. Always good to have seed never know if there will be a bad year and seed it hard to find.
Here is another good tip when planting corn. The corn ear is fertilized by the top or tassel. When planting always plant at least three rows this helps ensure the ears are fertilized. It is better to plant short rows and more of them in a small garden.

Planting Times in your area

Click on Image to see what zone your in.

First thing you do is get the planting zone your in. I am in 7-8 here in southern Arkansas, Texarkana
I guess I have been planting so long I forget the fundamentals of planting time for crops if I am just getting started.

This is my normal planting times for crops based on my zone.

Thing ya have to remember- you can't predict the weather so be smart and get the feeling of growing. Breaking of a seed is life figuring how to keep it alive to produce is the feeling. The times I put here aren't on a calender I just get the feeling, take a look at the weather as far out as I can, and plant. I have lost crops but for the most part God has favored my work.

You can stagger your planting to 1/2 row wait 3 weeks and finish the row out for a staggered harvest. I plant to put up so I plant whole rows. Choice is yours, canning freezing is another topic for latter.

What I plant in January.
- Onions, cabbage family, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, garlic, and you can pant greens ( I usually do them in the Fall ) collards, turnips.

What I plant in March.
- I will be getting in Corn, herbs, sugar peas, spinach, lettuce, carrots, and beets planted. If any of my January plants didn't make it replace them. I planted 120 feet of January Crops and we got some nasty weather so I lost a few.
Late March I will get the tomatoes they do like it cool but can't stand a frost so if ya get them planted and a frost/freeze is coming you have to protect them. Lost a many from an March/April freeze.

What I plant in April. Coming next edit.

March is here things will be heating up

February is gone March is in were are you at in your garden? Since my last post here I have planted my carrots, beets, and sugar peas.

The weather here is pretty darn cold lows have been in the upper 20's. You ask why on earth would you plant when it is so cold, the answer my friend is moisture.


Spinach Breaking the Surface

I planted during the very cold snap due to looking at the next 10 days it will warm up and be dry. The wind has been blowing and cold ideal drying weather. It doesn't have to be hot to suck the moisture out of the soil, wind will suck it out like a sponge.

With the seeds so very small they are planted close to the surface 1/4 inch or so deep. Right now 1/4 inch has some moisture but it is drying out fast. The seeds I planted will sprout at a lower temperature than grass and most weeds. Knowing this I want my plants to sprout 1st so weeding and identifying the plant is easier. If you have ever tried to weed carrots with weeds around them you know what I mean, so plant now. Beets, carrots, spinach etc to help them beat the weeds.

The cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower plants I bought can stand the low 30's but a hard freeze will damage them, so for the last week I have them covered up with straw. You can use a gallon jug, cup, plastic, and so on to cover them if


Covered Plant Protect From the Hard Freeze

you so chose. With so many planted I used straw this will hold the heat from the ground enough to keep them from the hard freeze. The lettuce and spinach seed I planted had started to sprout so I covered them up last week and will remove the straw today hoping the cold has not killed them. I know I will lose some but will replace them next weekend.

With March here all the activity around the garden really hits high gear. I urge you to get your plan ready and if possible get the ground ready. Check the weather avoid planting if there is heavy rains coming in a the near future. Heavy rain will wash them out and away.

How I prepared were I plant my carrots is next. Have a great day God Bless Joe

Living off the Land!! (Gardening 2013)

Jan asked me to post on my gardening skills, so I thought why not share what you've been doing for 40 years. I will begin regular posting on my journey in this 2013 season. It is a journey.

Jan posted earlier on what I have planted here, so with that said here we go.

Planning a garden is an important part of a successful season. What I mean is don't plant tall crops next to a short crops that could block out the sun and remember were you planted the last year crop. You want to avoid planting the same crops over the same ground this builds up pest and disease in the soil. Plant climbing vines like cucumbers on a fence line or build a way for them to climb. This makes weeding, picking, and watering much easier. For new gardener's breaking new ground is an experience but well worth the effort. Start small the 1st year ,unless ya got plenty of back, and you can keep growing it until you either run outta land or it is just plain big enough.

My garden is 6000 sq feet but on about 1500 of it I planted an asparagus bed, blackberry bed, muscadine vines, and most recent a blueberry bed. 70 feet of asparagus, 70 feet of blackberries, 2 muscadine vines, and 9 blueberry bushes.

Test your ground see what ya got and begin the process of building new ground. Always give back what ya take. Add compost, mulch, ashes, and anything else that will add good organic matter back in the ground. Planting in the same spot without taking care of the land sooner or latter your done. I have been planting the same area for 24 years and the ground is better now than when I started.

Not wanting to be long winded I will cut here and add a new one tomorrow. Till then take care God Bless, Joe

Gardening tips..February

 

It is February in southwestern Arkansas and Joe is getting the soil ready to plant. He has tilled it up and added compost from our compost pile that we have added to all year.(coffee grounds,banana peels etc). Then Joe planted cauliflower, brocolli, spinach, onions, garlic, lettuce and cabbage. The garden was then mulched with hay that was left over from the goats and cows. The potatoes have been cut and will be planted in the next couple of days