Effects of frost on tomatoes

[SharonRossy]

We've had some cool weather in Montreal and had frost warnings. My plants were looking pretty ratty so I basically picked what I could and left a few on the vine but the cold weather combined with wind has done its damage. I'm leaving black cherry to fend for itself and black from Tula but everything else is pretty much done.

[NarnianGarden]

Several fruits left on the vines, some large ones (which shall be picked in a couple of days) and some 'late bloomers' that do not seem to grow beyond the cherry/saladette size. I hope they'll be fine to ripen indoors, if an early frost will force me to pick them.

Otherwise, my plants are protected and at night they're wrapped in sheets. My balcony is always warmer than the general temps outside, so i should have at least a week or two before any serious concern.

[cythaenopsis]

We've had a few nights dipping into the mid to upper 40's... no frost yet, thankfully.

It's interesting to see how the plants do react to the shift in temps. The last new blossom appeared a few weeks ago, but nothing since (nor expected, given the odds of growing into anything useful). I've got a few pea and berry sized tomatoes still pushing forward, but the bulk of my crop is in the mid to late stages. Hopefully we'll stay frost free by the time the most of it has been picked.

[discoprincess]

Originally Posted by cythaenopsis

We've had a few nights dipping into the mid to upper 40's... no frost yet, thankfully.

I'm on the other side of the Hudson from you, and this past week's weather had been making me nervous. I wasn't expecting this until October!

[cythaenopsis]

Originally Posted by discoprincess

I'm on the other side of the Hudson from you, and this past week's weather had been making me nervous. I wasn't expecting this until October!

The weather has certainly been wacky around here. How about that bump up into the upper 80's last week? So yeah, who knows--we may find ourselves hit with an early frost, then a flashback of summer in late October.

[greenthumbomaha]

Cythaenopsis, your wacky weather made a stop here before heading east. We had 90 degree days earlier in the week, but the temp is dipping down to 46 tonight which is normal but seems cooler given the warm daytime temps. I find tomatoes exposed to these low temps lose some of their flavor. It tastes like a supermarket tomato stored in the refrigerator. Some warmer weather is expected mid week, but the days of the juicy delicious summer tomato ended yesterday with the cool evening. Sending warm air wishes your way - Lisa

[cythaenopsis]

^ Thanks for the heads up, Lisa. I hadn't known that about lower temps affecting tomato flavor. We've been getting many consecutive nights in the low 50's. We just got a major dumping of rain last night and a bunch of my tomatoes developed cracks. Fortunately not deep wide ones and they healed quickly. But if we get another dumping I'll be pulling a bunch ahead of time to avert any possible detriment to flavor. Good luck with the rest of your harvesting. Which tomato varieties pleased you the most this year?
~Gary

[RobinB]

We have started on the downward spiral already. Looking out across our front yard, I look up at the Sierra and there is snow up there as of last night. The last two years, we've been so lucky and not had a killing frost until late October. Last night, it was 38°, through Tuesday it's going to be around 40, then Thursday and Friday it's supposed to be around freezing, but then back up to 45 or so. I doubt we will see 80s in the daytime again. It's always hard to know when to give up. I will probably choose a few plants to try and save, but pick most others... maybe. I know there will be crates of green tomatoes inside to ripen, it's just the way it's always been. It's kind of nice though they will still taste better than the supermarket tomatoes, and I'll have them for quite a while. I'm really not ready for it to be over! Oh well, there's always green tomato relish and fried green tomatoes!

I'm hoping and expecting our first frost is at least six weeks away. I must admit it would be nice to look out my window and see snow on top of the mountains. It is barely late enough in the season to remove my sun screen on many of my plants. The hot, glaring sun seemed to take a heavier toll on many of my plants this summer than most years.

Ted

[cythaenopsis]

While we haven't had frost yet, I've noticed a few changes to my plants. One of them is suffering from a gradual dying of leaves. They're just withering up and browning, mostly in the bottom region. Another is having a heavier case of leaf curl than it did before. And on several, I've seen black fringes to the leaves... In a couple of cases, an entire leaf turned black, without contaminating neighboring leaves. I'm not so sure it's a form of blight, as it's not rampant. Maybe this is just signs of a plant nearing the end of its life?

After thinking about it, I might be willing to trade my potential six weeks of good growing weather for six weeks of looking out the window at snow on the top of mountains. It sure sounds appealing.

Ted

[NarnianGarden]

I don't think you'd like that after all... In here, we have got six months of snow, and the other six months waiting for the summer to arrive...

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

I don't think you'd like that after all... In here, we have got six months of snow, and the other six months waiting for the summer to arrive...

Yes, but you have smoked trout and saunas to make up for it. I could sit around eating smoked trout in a sauna with someone beating me with birch branches as I looked out the window at the mountains.

Does Finland have mountains? I know the French Alps, Italian Alps, and Swiss Alps; but I don't remember any Finnish Alps.

Ted

[NarnianGarden]

No, we do not have Alps. There are some hills and valleys thorough the country, and something called 'tunturi' - fells - in the Northern part of Finland (Lapland). They're our mini mountains

Lower mountains that do not reach the tree line are called 'vaara' and they are quite common here in the East where I live.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fell