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| April 11, 2008 |
Special Edition: Cold WeatherGarden Friends, I woke up Friday
morning to hear Kirk Mellish's weather prediction that Monday's low
would be 31 degrees. I immediately thought of all the folks I'd seen in
the last week carrying tomatoes and tender annual flowers out
of local garden centers.
Now, Friday afternoon, Kirk says the low could be a smidge higher: 32 degrees. But he makes the point that lower elevations and "cold spots" could see temperatures a bit lower. What does this mean for you? First: bring indoors all of those Boston fern, hibiscus and Christmas cacti you've put outdoors. Kirk predicts a windy couple of nights, so if cold doesn't hit them, wind might knock them down. Second: individual plants in a garden, like tomato, pepper, basil, etc can be protected a couple of ways. #1: Cut the bottom out of old black plastic gallon pots. Press each one firmly into the ground around single plants. 
Third: tender annual flowers like impatiens,
begonia, geranium, etc can be covered with a bedsheet. Failing that,
black plastic will work if you put stakes among the plants to keep the
plastic from touching plant leaves. Using clear plastic is a bad
idea: temperatures inside the "greenhouse" will cook your plants if
it's sunny, no matter what the air temperature outdoors.
Note: If you're replacing your household bedsheets anytime, keep some of them packed in a sealed plastic tub. That way, you'll always have something on hand to use if cold weather threatens!  Fourth:
Hydrangeas have already begun forming flower heads at my house. If you
have just a couple, cover them with a bedsheet or black plastic. If you
have several, cover the ones you want to save and let the rest fend for
themselves.
Fifth: If you have tender plants that have not yet been planted, put them inside a garage or basement until cold weather has passed. You can take them back outdoors when night temperatures are above 45 degrees. As always, your best source of News, Traffic and WEATHER is NewsTalk 750 WSB. Weather information is available 24/7 at www.wsbradio.com. You can also find cold weather advice at my website. Check out the advisory I sent last year before the infamous Easter freeze of April 7, 2007! Good luck! |
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on News-Talk 750 WSB, Saturdays 6am - 10am.
Walter Reeves, The Georgia Gardener | 1601 West Peachtree St. NE | Atlanta,GA 30309
