For tropical species, I believe a plant actively pumping juice is much more tolerant of brief cold + wet in the fall than in the spring. Several nights of cold should not have much if any impact especially if it warms up during the day. Chilly fall evenings do not worry me. 3 chilly days in a row with rain would worry me. Winter growers are generally much more tolerant of cool wet conditions and some will even thrive. I know I've said this before, but the best way to figure out what your plants can handle is to experiment with sacrificial specimens. Get some cuttings to root during the summer, and leave them out in the cold and rain and see how they fare. There is another way to end the shuffle without moving to California or South Africa. Just accept the fact that tropical and subtropical species will not grow as quickly and not gain as much biomass than they would somewhere else. And more importantly, come to the realization that this is not a bad thing - an extended dormancy does not have to negatively impact the health and vitality of the plant. Just bring them inside when the time is right, and leave them there. If that happens to be next week, then call it a day and let them sleep. How much would you really gain with a few more days of warm sun anyway? Maybe pick a handful of your favorites and shuffle them while leaving the rest inside. Don't drive yourself nutty. x

I have had some of the thorny Asian eggplants and decided that I didn't care for any use I could think of for them ... Maybe, Morellel De Balbis is similar. This year, I tried growing Chinese Lanterns as an ornamental. Wow! If some in the family can take a frost, Chinese Lanterns proved that they wanted only the most pleasant conditions and my June garden didn't provide it. I'm not sure if they will ever bloom. They barely survived the seesaw temperatures in the early season. Anyway, here is an article in Mother Earth News about the Marellel De Balbis. They say, "will take light frosts to as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit without much damage" so there's some confirmation on frost hardiness. I wonder if I'd had that inadvertent test of tomato cold tolerance by 2010 when I wrote the above post ... those were plant starts and I moved flats of tomatoes out of my heated greenhouse into an unheard plastic hoop house just in time for a light frost. Those tomatoes had never experienced anything below 60°f. Those wonderful Bloody Butchers, which can produce so early, died! It was only 37° ! I know it was that temperature that killed them because they were sitting right beside the thermometer. Here's the strange thing: the Bloody Butchers were in the middle of the hoop house. Some tomato plants were much closer to the plastic film. Branches died, leaves died ... no other plants died amongst the others! So, later maturing varieties survived the near-frost conditions better. I really think that setting fruit is what is often being taken into account when accounting for early maturing. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with hardiness ... maybe in a few more years of plant breeding, it will. Steve

Hi I'v already brough some of my peppers inside to overwinter them. depending what you are growing some will take the cold better than others, like Rocotos which will take near freezing temptures so long as they are not hit with Frost which will kill pretty much any pepper as they are tropical or near tropical plants, that are grown as anuals here in most of the states, where as they are grown pretty much as perennials in Florida and other much warmer states. I had a Rocoto that I had in a five gallon bucket for several years that would grow back from being heavely pruned and get to be over 6ft. tall and just load up with really nice red apple shaped hot peppers, I have yet to be able to overwinter a bell pepper though. At any rate keeping them from being hit by frost will extend their life. George W. Z5-6

hi,they have no direct frost tolerance as such,but can take temps into the 30s easily. i have many here in CA,all do fine,but if you think you will get a frost/freeze,just cover them with a sheet of plastic,or a cloth. gary