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Bedford Ramblings
Steve Mills
Steve Mills and his wife have one daughter. They previously owned two coffee/ice cream shops, currently operate an internet sales company and teach classes, but his primary job involves the paper industry worldwide. Hobbies and interests lie in gardening, photography, recorded music and of course, their pets.
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If we gardeners can just make it through the next two nights!

Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at 11:45 AM

I should be OK up here on the hill but I am not going to take the chance. All frost sensitive plants will be protected but I am concerned about the fig tree.

We can cover it but I am not sure if PITA will let it stay covered. Just have to wait and see I guess.

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  • Our garden is doing so good, we are really crossing our fingers. I was being optimistic, thinking that we wouldn't have a frost or anymore colder weather.

    -- Posted by PrpleHze on Tue, Apr 10, 2012, at 3:04 PM

  • I never enjoyed roller coaster rides and it looks like this Spring will bring us one. Next Wednesday night/Thursday morning looks like another possibility for plant killing cold.

    If you survived last night, don't put away your protective gear or at least don't put it too far away. We have tires and buckets of all shapes and sizes scattered across the yard.

    One nice surprise is that PITA has left our covering over the fig tree alone. I really expected to see it ripped to shreds.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Thu, Apr 12, 2012, at 5:54 AM

  • Thanks for the update. Unfortunately, I don't have enough covers for all the things that are blooming or have buds, but I covered a couple of things...

    -- Posted by espoontoon on Thu, Apr 12, 2012, at 5:58 AM

  • So far, the only thing that we have lost is a couple of marigolds that we planted around the garden. But we have no idea what to do for our apple tree that is blooming as well as our grape bush. Anything that is growing in a pot, we have taken into the garage to protect them.

    -- Posted by PrpleHze on Thu, Apr 12, 2012, at 7:41 AM

  • Two weeks ago my brother had a beautiful Magnolia tree. Now all the blooms are a shade of tan.

    Your tree plants might have missed the cold because they are slightly above ground. If it gets that low again, you might try what the orange growers do, spray them with a mist of water to create a frozen pocket of water.

    Apparently they can take the 32 degrees but lower is what gets them and the ice protects them, for a few degrees.

    Others use smudge pots that somehow create a barrier from frost. I am wondering if that is why the frost sensitive plants survived in my garden this winter.

    I burned wood continuously from late December until February. Did the smoke and heat from the furnace create a protective pocket? Curious.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Thu, Apr 12, 2012, at 8:21 AM

  • So much for the forecast, at least on this site. They did not predict the cold that we actually got and next week looks safe again. Either they are practicing weather forecasting or I am practicing my clicking ability.

    It may be that the forecast is only good for one day at best. If my rock could predict temperature, I would be OK. you know, the rock that shows when it is raining, snowing, etc. I have it hanging, so it even shows when it is windy, but with temperature, it just sits there. :-(

    -- Posted by stevemills on Sat, Apr 14, 2012, at 5:41 AM

  • Mine survived the chill, but during those 3 nights a rogue cutworm took out about 6 of my beefsteaks. >:( Oh well, that's why I planted over 30 of them

    -- Posted by craftin_mom on Sat, Apr 14, 2012, at 11:03 AM

  • Did you "beef" up your defenses for cutworms?

    -- Posted by stevemills on Sat, Apr 14, 2012, at 3:39 PM

  • Try sprinkling cayenne pepper around tomatoes.

    -- Posted by cherokee2 on Tue, Apr 17, 2012, at 4:27 PM

  • That is the first time I heard using cayenne pepper for cutworms but it makes perfect sense and it probably does not wash away as quickly as some other methods. It "flavors" the soil. THANKS!

    -- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Apr 18, 2012, at 6:07 AM
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