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Old December 23, 2017   #9
habitat_gardener
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: California Central Valley
Posts: 2,539
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bower View Post
...I was astounded to see the tomato plant remains I hadn't clipped/dumped have stayed alive and flowering in the greenhouse through mid December, with daytime temps no more than 40's and plenty of nights that dipped below freezing - just not enough to freeze the soil.

There's one key treatment that has emerged here mainly through Vladimir's research and work, which is do not water the plants before a freeze. They do much better and endure much lower temperatures if the soil is fairly dry. I have confirmed that myself by watering some outdoor plants and not others. And the plants in my greenhouse this year haven't been watered since October, this is why they kept on. I also wonder how much the maturity of the plant plays a role - late season hardiness always seems more robust than early....
That's surprising! I thought the rule of thumb was to keep plants hydrated to protect them during cold snaps!

I have a bunch of pepper plants I'd like to overwinter. It has gotten as low as 28F at night, though daytimes it's still in the 50s-60s. They're on a patio with fences and walls nearby, and a couple nights ago I threw a sheet over them. This is a new climate for me -- a bit colder than what I'm used to.
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