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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: aquilegia on April 27, 2017, 12:01:22

Title: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: aquilegia on April 27, 2017, 12:01:22
Will they be ok. Only slight frost, and some of the smaller plants look ok, but the taller ones have gone a bit floppy.

I know I should have earthed them up. I was planning too with the lawn clippings, but then it's been too cold and I've been too tired to mow the lawn!
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Plot 18 on April 27, 2017, 12:08:40
They usually grow new tops, although it sets them back a bit.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Flighty on April 27, 2017, 13:34:47
So did some of mine.  Thankfully they generally grow back, but it does set them back a week or two. 
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: johhnyco15 on April 27, 2017, 13:43:35
mine seem to be fine will know for sure in the morning as said they will soon recover and be strong and healthy once more
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: aquilegia on April 27, 2017, 14:01:30
Sounds like it isn't too bad then. Thanks for the replies.

Looking forward to the warmer weather. brrr.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Paulh on April 28, 2017, 20:04:35
Mine got frosted ten days ago just as they had come through. All burnt off, but most had new growth within the week. They've now got fleece on them!
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Digeroo on April 30, 2017, 16:16:01
Mine got caught last Sunday was not expecting frost, they then got covered in lawn clippings and black weed suppressing fabric.  Took it off today, could not believe it, they are already up and green.  I think I will use it again next year, it seem to keep them warm.  Only took it off to let in the rain the water is supposed to go through but it seems to sit on top.  But the rain has not arrived.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: johhnyco15 on April 30, 2017, 19:00:08
had a look at the plot today my backs gone so can hardly walk my early Charlotte are growing well  despite the frost
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Seacarrot on May 01, 2017, 14:10:20
My potatoes in pots got a bit frosted as well, they will be ok.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: small on May 02, 2017, 15:38:43
I was well prepared for the frost. I lovingly covered the tops with grass clippings, unfortunately I used 2 day old ones off my compost heap, and the potato tops got burned off instead. I'm trusting they will come back!
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: johhnyco15 on May 02, 2017, 17:40:59
all my tubs got away with no damage i think the heat from the compost just helped to keep the frost at bay
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: saddad on May 02, 2017, 20:59:09
The volunteers all got badly frosted...
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Squashman on May 10, 2017, 17:11:18
I lifted my first new potatoes today just over 1kg. As I was due to go into hospital for my 2nd open heart surgery on the 10th Feb I set 3 rows of Rocket on the 7th using my long handled potato planter, covered them with heavy duty fleece ( I did not want to lose out on new pots).  I spent 5 weeks in hospital as the op went wrong. Whilst at home recovering and not being able to do much let alone go to the allotment one of my fellow allotment holders kept an eye on them, earthed them up when they needed it and recovered. Although we had a fairly heavy frost mine were not affected while most of the other plot holders were. I went down to day and was very pleasantly surprised. Next year I will set them under fleece again early Feb. I took a photo on my phone but cannot seem to download it.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: cudsey on May 10, 2017, 18:00:15
Mine have been covered in netting so I thought they would be ok but I looked earlier and some of the tops have been frosted but hopefully they will be fine
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: BarriedaleNick on May 11, 2017, 09:45:57
Oddly some of ours got frosted even though there was no frost - I think the north wind rips down our long North South aligned plot and it just nipped the tops off.  Some that are a bit sheltered did fine..
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: galina on May 11, 2017, 09:58:00
Oddly some of ours got frosted even though there was no frost - I think the north wind rips down our long North South aligned plot and it just nipped the tops off.  Some that are a bit sheltered did fine..

Full moon, radiation frost,  there were no clouds.  Doesn't actually have to be 0C.  Plants can get frosted by less than 4C. When I first heard about the connection between frost damage and full moon I thought it was an old wives tale, but I have since learned by experience that the time around full moon in October is more often than not when plants get killed in autumn.  Makes sense that spring full moon has the same effect.  But spuds recover :wave:
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Vinlander on May 11, 2017, 10:41:21
If you can actually see the moon in April or October then frost can hit.

BTW the Romans used radiative cooling to make ice in the deserts of N. Africa - dig a hole, put the water in and cover it with a big, really thick mat before dawn. Takes a few days but it still works apparently.

Cheers.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: squeezyjohn on May 11, 2017, 11:14:24
It was really weird!  Some of my potatoes got frosted and some escaped it completely ... in a seemingly random pattern. The picture attached shows two neighbouring potato plants, one frosted and the other got away scott free!
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: BarriedaleNick on May 11, 2017, 13:28:23

Full moon, radiation frost,  there were no clouds.

I don't think it has anything to do with a full moon per se, just the fact that the sky is clear.  Anyway thankfully they have already recovered and are looking quite good!
It was really weird!  Some of my potatoes got frosted and some escaped it completely ... in a seemingly random pattern. The picture attached shows two neighbouring potato plants, one frosted and the other got away scott free!

Same here all over our site - even in the same bed.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: ancellsfarmer on May 11, 2017, 18:49:53
Mine covered in fleece cloches, caught where the leaf tips touched the fleece. They must have grown 75mm in a day to reach it. Cannot be on hand day and night to lift on and off. Think they will be Ok. Hopefully (cloches crossed!!) we are into warmer, cloudy times for a few days. Its always difficult to guess whether one is out of winter or just back in.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Beersmith on May 11, 2017, 23:26:28
The frost got mine too.

Kicking myself. My earlies were too high to cover, and I didn't have any fleece to hand anyway. So I was expecting a bit of damage here. Not too bad - some untouched, a few damaged, some totally black.

But in the few days between my last trip to the plot and the frost the second earlies had emerged. I could have earthed these up and avoided damage, but they were hit hard.  Ho hum. Mea culpa.

Like many others I'm hoping this will delay growth rather than ruin it altogether.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: ACE on May 12, 2017, 08:00:07
Some of mine were hit a fortnight ago. You would even not know now. Nice looking plants.
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: ancellsfarmer on May 12, 2017, 08:19:12
Heads up for night 19th-20th.
www.theweatheroutlook.com
 gives a low 0deg for Northeast hampshire. Time to get yer blankets off the bed and down the plot!
Title: Re: My potatoes got frosted
Post by: Vinlander on May 13, 2017, 10:51:22
Radiation frost doesn't require air below zero (just fairly close) - but then it makes it.

That freezing air then slides downhill. A small slope can mean a considerable buildup of cold air against any obstruction to the flow, even fences. The effect may look random.

You really want that air free to run down to someone else's plot.

This is why it was a mistake to put my polytunnel across the slope; everything just above it gets much more frost damage.

If I have to rebuild it I'll put it the other way round, maybe even a curved end uphill - like houses in the Mistral.

I'm seriously considering a temporary fence of thin plastic in a big V to act as a baffle - that's if I'm stupid enough to still have tender stuff there in October, without being stupid enough to forget. Big if, that last one.

Cheers.
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