OMG, absolutely dreading going up to the lottie this evening after this morning's frost, fingers crossed it hasn't killed too much.. :-\
It seems to have got to my young potato plants, but nothing else. I didn't realise you need to protect them from frosts. Does anybody else cover the potatoes in fleece to protect from frosts?
Normally if there's going to be a frost and you are forwarned then the best thing to do with potatoes is to earth them up so that the leaves are covered. Or if they are too large then cover with fleece. Even frosted potatoes will still grow back - may be a little later and a little smaller if the frost damage was severe.
Quote from: Davidberry on May 04, 2011, 10:50:46
It seems to have got to my young potato plants, but nothing else. I didn't realise you need to protect them from frosts. Does anybody else cover the potatoes in fleece to protect from frosts?
Yes, but it does not have to be fleece, which is fairly expensive. Plastic sheets, decorator's dust cover, old sheets, even newspaper will work well. Doesn't matter how translucent the cover is, it will only stay on for a short time.
Potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, Runner and French beans, squash/courgette/pumpkin, melon, peppers and aubergines are all frost tender. Strawberry flowers get a black centre and will not develop into a berry, although the plants survive fine. Potatoes do grow back, but harvest is delayed.
Broad beans and peas can stand a bit of frost, lettuce/rocket/cress can stand a bit of frost, as can turnips, cabbages, beetroots and parsnips.
Ths is not a comprehensive list, just a little idea of what needs protecting and what does not.
Thanks for that info. galina. A big help to me.
No damage here of any note,all the cold frames were closed and spuds covered with fleece.It`s amazing what just a light cover such as fleece does-the covered spuds were fine-the odd or two one growing in last years patch were touched.
My potatoes are a bit shriveled two but glad to no there going to be ok
we had a no warning minus 4 last night all 21 rows look as if they are seaweed cos of last years manure thay were all of to a flyer and earthed to about 2 feet high with 4-6 growth above that ridge im so so gutted i aint going back to the lotty for at least a month cant face it to be honest
2 years in a row last year a no warning -6
Quote from: flitwickone on May 04, 2011, 12:59:42
we had a no warning minus 4 last night all 21 rows look as if they are seaweed cos of last years manure thay were all of to a flyer and earthed to about 2 feet high with 4-6 growth above that ridge im so so gutted i aint going back to the lotty for at least a month cant face it to be honest
2 years in a row last year a no warning -6
Flitwickone,
Here is some help with next years weather and frost and anything else weather related.
http://www.xcweather.co.uk/
You have to keep your eye on this as it will change even by the hour.
thanks for the link landi - hadn't come across that site, and it does seem to give a more detailed picture. be interesting to see how accurate it is over time.
Oops! Covered stuff at home but forgot my potatoes at the allotment. Got builder in at the moment so can't check today.
This time of year, it seems to be very finely balanced and as much to do with the wind as the clear sky. So we've had cold nights with a clear sky and a light wind = no frost. Last 2 nights: same conditions and wind drops a bit = frost.
This morning on the plot my spuds (partly covered) not too bad. Elsewhere some unprotected spuds untouched but some were toast so perhaps variety plays a part. Very sorry to hear your story Flitwickone, you are not alone.
Thanks galina that is really useful to know, will take up some covering up tonight and hope there is not too many casulties and Landi thank you for your brilliant website :)now added it to my favourites for easy access.
thanks for the website i was signed up for emails with just about all of em etc lol
does anyone know the best revival for them except sunshine and no frost ;D
ive just been onto the enviromental agency who have infomed me twice now because some of my fellow neighbours doubted the info that i can extract 20 cubic metres of water a day for them (20000) litres itold him they are spuds not rice :)
will water water water help they are loving the manure they are in as they were planted 12 inches deep and were showing as good as they were before the frost arrived
as always im grateful for the help
All my potatoes are black this morning - so is that it, potato finito, or do they recover?
I put fleece over some things but, sod's law, I was away on business all day Tuesday. Didn't get back till late, no time to cut fleece to size and put over potates before darkness fell.
we will get a reduced crop and a little later than most im told im devastated like you m8 chin up
at least we will get something fingers crossed
It worked in my favour as it happens, I've just been to B&Q where they had trays of frost damaged bedding plants reduced from their usual £5 per tray. I got 2x24 trays of lobelia for £1 each, roughly a third of which were dead and a tray of 24 busy lizzies for £2, superficial damage only.
Best of all, when I got to the till, the 'buy 3 for £12 instead of £15' discount applied and knocked off a further £3, so all 3 for £1!
Happy bunny. ;D
lost all my courgettes :( all my potato plants are black but with a bit of luck they'll be back :) broad beans and lettuces seem positively loving it, sage, marjoram, pumpkin, and runners have all brought it :'( but will try again, luckily have loads of seeds so will get them in this week end. :)
Thin layer of ice on the water butts...taps frozen.pototoes looking very sorry for themselves.....and one chap put fleece on his but the frost still got to them!.
Spuds had to go in when they did...no use trying to save them until mid may!.I know from experience never to put things like beans,pumpkins,courgettes,peppers etc out too early.A very late,hard frost devastated my stuff on the 17th May 2009......once bitten twice shy!
Quote from: Fork on May 05, 2011, 10:52:13
.A very late,hard frost devastated my stuff on the 17th May 2009......once bitten twice shy!
Here on the 'spine' of England, on a high plateau in Northamptonshire, I had a lot of stuff lost to frost in June and again a few years later, in the night 31st May to 1st June. It is not so bad nearer the coasts where these isolated sharp late frosts don't occur.
With all the fleecing, my potatoes were ok and other stuff too, but some of the young new shoots on the grape vine are frosted. Can't win them all. I guess some of the newly set fruit on the trees will be turning black and fall off too.
Yes potatoes do regrow. They have a good store of food from the seed potato in the ground. The frost was not sharp enough to get deeply into the ground, so the shoots will regrow and only the tips were killed. Take heart! :)
My potatoes were all frosted and blackened despite being under fleece, fortunately I'd earthed up two of the rows.
Given the temperatures we had last winter and the continual snow I think its testament to the potatoes durability that so many volunteer plants are coming up. Frost wont kill them but theyll just start again.
:-\
My Rocket spuds got done a bit by the frost yesterday, only a few of them though, and the ones which were nearest to the houses and I thought they would be the best protected!
It happened last year too, they did recover, but most people on our site said they had a slightly reduced crop and a little later than normal.
Nil Desperandum!
Phew!!!!
Pleased to hear the potatos will survive!
Have just been up to the allotment and the screech when I saw them sent the birds scattering for cover ;D
Thought it must have been the frost but dashed back to google "Black leaves" just in case :(
I got lucky as a combination of tall plants, earthing up and tree and shrubbery cover next to the fence saved me, others on site weren,t so lucky, only odd plants here and there, the lowest plants seem to have been affected. :(
no frost here in Lincolnshire.................
everyone`s potatoes on our site have been badly damaged. (mid Staffordshire very open site!)
The bed of spuds I had covered with fleece were affected, all the others around weren't ???
Quote from: manicscousers on May 06, 2011, 16:19:56
The bed of spuds I had covered with fleece were affected, all the others around weren't ???
They wouldn't of been of the irish variety ? ;)
Apparently we had -5.8C on Monday night. it took out not just my potatoes but also about 2/3rds of my gooseberries, damsons and the fig leaves. strawberries look fine.