Quote:
Originally Posted by Durgan
Frost seriously damages tomato fruit. The morning after a frost the fruit appears to be fine, but it rots quickly where the frost has damaged the skin in patches.
The best way to utilize all those green tomatoes is to pick them and eat them fried in a bit of butter. They should remain in good shape for about a month.
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Durgan, the degree of damage is dependent on how heavy the frost is, as to temps, and how long it lasts, so just saying that frost seriously damages fruits is something I can't agree with.
It also helps if you have a weedy tomato patch since the weeds, usually tall in the Fall if not removed earlier, get hit first and thus protect the tomato plants.
And the advice to never use any plastic covers is good as well. The inner side of the plastic builds up condensation and when that freezes the plastic sticks to the plants and fruits and can cause even more damage.
Carolyn, who remembers when growing up on the farm that if frost was expected, especially in late Spring, her father would take lots of old tires to the fields , put them in piles and set them on fire. The black residue would land on the foliage and serve as ice nucleating particles,not known by that name back then, thus protecting the foliage.