Kitchen Garden Forum

A minus two, predicted for us tonight, been covering everything i can, potatoes, runner beans, lettuce and french beans.

I'm sure it will be fine!

Predicted Minus 3 here tonight

Not as hard as predicted, thank-goodness.

Dear Donedigging, your warm personality will see you through these chilly times.

Frost this morning. [Wed]

And here
-4C forecast thei evening.

Greenhouse with low paraffin heater min temperature of 5C.

Nasty frost last night here in Surrey and my beans, marrows, courgettes and spuds are all dark and drooping. Does a degree or two of frost actually kill them, or just put them back a bit? Shoud I Ieave them or replant?
John N

I've got a couple of potatoes that have gone black as well, so would be interested in reply to above query. Lots of people on my allotment site got caught out last night - whoops!

Just avoided a frost last night and it is raining now

JohnN
I suspect your marrows courgettes and beans will have had it; sorry. Once frosted they will not recover.
Potatoes may resprout from below ground if they are not too frosted (I think).

Well that's encouraging! have earthed them up again in case of more frost.

Hi Victoria

I said "I think" - at least that has been my experience with slight frost damage in the past,

JohnN

Further to my discouraging reply - resow now and you will be OK - a little later but you will get crops of French beans and courgettes. Last year I made a second sowing of courgettes on 19th June and got a welcome late crop. My French beans for the polytunnel were sown this year on 24th April and the outside ones are still in their packets for a while yet.

I got caught by the frost last night - I covered most things, but in all the excitement of watching Gordon and David coming and going ( or going and coming) I forgot to put 3 of my 4 potato tubs back into the greenhouse! Any other night probably would have escaped with it - but hey ho!

Dear Elle, sorry to read that you got caught by the frost, as well as your potatoes.

Seems to make it a long day uncovering everything in the morning and covering it back up again at night. I wonder what people passing by think of the washing line festooned with drying fleece. They must think we use very threadbare sheets! I wonder if they have noticed they are there every day.

Very white out there this morning, it must have caught something despite my best efforts.

White here again, but this being tropical north-west Wales, only down to +1C in the tunnel. Potatoes are now too far through to earth up again, but seem untouched. Tomatoes still indoors with the heating on. Looking to plant them in the tunnel within the next few days.