It's even chilly down here in S. Fl. The cool is nice after a long hot summer, but 30's burr. Good luck with your veggies.
Nancy

Besides a blanket over the orchids, I'll probably cover the mussaenda. I knew I would have to baby it but didn't expect it to happen so soon this year!

Kate

I helped my neighbor water and bring in a few of her plants, geraniums and such, and I watered all of mine. I'll be working on setting things up to bring some things in, but to be honest, not much is coming into the house.

I'll bring in orchids and tender plants, like the little things I just potted up, but most of the rest will stay outside. Brugs will go on the back porch, as usual. Unless it gets below freezing, I don't put them into the house or garage.

I'm only covering my tomatoes, eggplant, and my two COT's. I'll up-end a garbage can over the Tutti-frutti plumie, because I'd like that to one day get big enough to bloom. It's just a tiny baby now. I don't want to dig it up unless I have to. I'll do it if it gets below 30, but otherwise, just cover it. I might put a garbage can over the jaboticaba, because it's been struggling so hard to stay alive, I'd hate to see it die now.

Things that have survived the cold before will just get moved up against the back of the house, where it's warmer.

I can't believe I used to haul every single one of these things indoors. Now, it's about 1/4 indoors, 1/4 on the back porch, and the rest just have to take their chances.

I've learned what will survive, and what won't.

Here in the Gainesville area we're predicted to go to twenty five so the container stuff is going back into the workshop again. The peppers in the garden are already covered and I'll cover the young citrus tonight as well.

We've already had our first frost back on October 30th and a patchy one yesterday. I'm kicking myself for not having the greenhouse rebuild finished yet, but we normally get our first frost in the first week of December so this year has upset the garden cart. I'll be spending the coming weekend getting finished so I can get my cold tender stuff squared away.

.....Alan.

I knew I might have to do it sometime this winter, but didn't think it would be this soon, but I have to ask what would be the best way for me to protect a young (prob between 6-7 ft tall) foxtail palm? It is in my front yard and it is pretty much out in the open, so nothing to really block the wind. I'm in the Carrollwood area (north) of Tampa. They are saying upper 30's w/ some wind. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Here in Citrus county it probably will be in the 20's since they are predicting low 40's in Tampa area. We have a beautiful tomato plant with 10 tomatoes on it, planted on a budket. Got to move that onto the porch where it will be warmer.

The foxtail palm should be fine, as long as the wind is blowing. Might get some frond damage, but probably won't die.

Wish I could move my tomatoes, but they're in the ground.

Ok, thanks! If anyone has any ideas on how to protect it if/when it does get colder this winter, I'm definitely all ears.

Hey Junky, remember our one and only "killer" night we had back in January 2nd or 3rd? That one put a hurtin' on me. It killed everything in my veggie garden, plus two passion fruit vines. I had to tear everything out and start over. I'm glad I'm not depending on growing things for survival!

Brute, I think I'm in a microclimate, because it never gets as cold here as it does elsewhere in North Port. Still, that night my plumie almost bit the big one. Surprisingly, though, my jatropha had no damage at all, and they're the ones that usually show it the most.

I've got to work something out so I can protect my plants easier than turning my house into a jungle.

tamparookie,

Hey, we are neighbors! I am just East of you in Forest Hills. Our forecast has become considerably better than it was this morning. We were supposed to hit 31. Now it's more like 36. I can deal with that. 36 will not damage a lot more plants than 31 will. Also, this area of town seems to escape the worst low temperatures because there are so many lakes around here. I think you'll be fine tonight. Tomorrow may present more problems, as the wind will be greatly diminished, and we will probably get frost.

I hardly have any plants that die above freezing. I am shortly going out to water some things, to prevent as much suffering as I can. My veggie crop got a late start this year. And so far, this has been a bad year for a late veggie start. Coldest November in a few years at least.
My tomatoes were just starting to really get going.

I'll do what I can and call it a night. Natural Selection!!!

So, how did all of your plants fare overnight?

I kept watching the predictions and ended up not covering anything. According to my outdoor thermometer the lowest temp was 45 at my house. That's on the east side of Orlando.
Hope everyone else made out OK.

Kate

Things look okay here. Veggies and tomatoes look like they made it through. Something ripped two of my young papaya plants out of the ground. Coulda been a coon, armadillo, or even a pair of sandhill cranes that loitered in that part of my yard until sunset yesterday. They sometimes behave like hooligans.

Musicman,

I actually live in Forest Hills as well, so it looks like we really are neighbors!

whoa! crazy!
I've probably walked by your house, not realizing it. I've always said this neighborhood is filled with eccentric-gardener-types.
i guess I'll look for foxtail palms in front yards the next time I go for a walk. If you ever pass my house, it's the one with Blue Sky Vine covering latticework at the end of the driveway. we should hang out and talk plants sometime.

Last night we hit thirty, the night before twenty eight and the possibility of anothe frost come Friday where they are predicting thirty two.

Had one pepper plant in the garden that I didn't cover as well as I should have, but everything else came through OK. I got the ends of the greenhouse framed, the doors made and hung so this weekend we stretch the plastic and I can stop doing the container plant shuffle.

.....Alan.

I will have to keep an eye out for that! Not sure what I would bring to a conversation about plants other than a lot of questions as I'm a newbie, but I do have fun trying to improve the look of my house by maintaining a nice landscape!

alright then :)

hey, this topic is relevant again, since tomorrow night brings another bout of near-freezing temps and frost. NWS predicts 34 for North Tampa. This has been a remarkably cold Autumn we've had here. I'm not complaining at all. We even had a nice rain today from the cold front coming through.

Probably be out there yet again tomorrow night, bringing stuff up against the house. Probably not covering anything in-ground. It needs to dip into the 20's for that to happen.

Yep, I'm predicted to go to 31 Tuesday night, but the greenhouse is finished with everything moved inside!

I've given up on the peppers. It's been so cool with three frosts in the last month that they haven't grown an inch since the first one. I've already got cabbage, collards, Chinese cabbage, and pac choi to replace them with.

.....Alan.