Will the Arctic Cold Front Cause Severe Weather and Damage to Crops?

In summary, the weather is gradually changing from cold to warmer temperatures. The forecast for tomorrow predicts that there will be winds between 20 and 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. This will create significant blowing and drifting of snow with near blizzard conditions possible at times. Visibilities will be reduced to below one half mile, making roads near impossible to travel on. The cold wind chill values will be widespread, ranging from 20 to 30 below zero. There is a potential for life-threatening situations due to the dangerously cold temperatures. Additionally, my aunt and uncle own a large strawberry farm and citrus orchard near Tampa, FL and stand to lose the entire crop due to the hard long freeze.
  • #246
I love that song. Its Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald right? On topic though, I wish it was colder here... Its burning up in Delhi!
 
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  • #247
Evo said:
It's 55F and raining here too.
:cry: And raining, and raining ...
 
  • #248
dlgoff said:
:cry:
how's your garden dl?
 
  • #249
Evo said:
how's your garden dl?
Remember turbos garden last year? Now I see why his plants are going on big hill rows this year. I'm thinking rice next year.
 
  • #250
dlgoff said:
Remember turbos garden last year? Now I see why his plants are going on big hill rows this year. I'm thinking rice next year.
Oh no.
 
  • #251
Evo said:
Oh no.
Extra-high beds and rows will be the rule from now on. I can't afford to lose my crops to overly-wet weather. It's not a matter of financial loss, but of the loss of good, organic, trustworthy produce that I can freeze and can for next year. That's a big deal. Our weather has gotten very unpredictable. I can't call it climate, since it is localized and restricted to a few years, but the trend is troubling.
 
  • #252
turbo-1 said:
Extra-high beds and rows will be the rule from now on. I can't afford to lose my crops to overly-wet weather. It's not a matter of financial loss, but of the loss of good, organic, trustworthy produce that I can freeze and can for next year. That's a big deal. Our weather has gotten very unpredictable. I can't call it climate, since it is localized and restricted to a few years, but the trend is troubling.
And I like how you are using the cattle panels. Like you, the food aspect is what's important.

I'm hoping that the current trend will not last too long.
 
  • #253
BTW, this could go into the Garden thread, but the erratic weather the past few years is why I amended the soil so heavily. 14 yards of composted manure to add nutrients and improve moisture-retention. AND 14 yards of coarse sand to improve drainage. Those, combined with hilling up high rows and beds should give me a cushion against heavy rains, and allow me to water effectively in the case of extended dry spells. I don't know what to expect any more, in regard to weather patterns. I haven't had a decent chili crop since 2008, and I need to catch up on my canned salsas, chili relishes, and frozen chopped chilies for sauces, stir-fries, etc.
 
  • #254
did you put drainage tiles under your garden when you did that other lateral work?
 
  • #255
dlgoff said:
And I like how you are using the cattle panels. Like you, the food aspect is what's important.

I'm hoping that the current trend will not last too long.
Thanks. I needed a better solution to the trellis problem for vining plants and indeterminate tomatoes, and the cattle panels and T-posts stuck out as a very long-term, easily configurable solution. Indeterminate varieties flower and fruit all season, and can provide fresh, ripe tomatoes for much longer than the bushy determinate varieties.

For anybody thinking of trying this type of trellis, hit Tractor Supply during a sale, buy the cattle panels, and cut them on-site with bolt cutters before loading them. For every T-post you buy, you'll get 5 clips, so that's taken care of. Buy a post-driver. You'll need it!
 
  • #256
I don't know what the official total was, but I put a planter outside last night that I wanted washed and there was 3 inches of water in it this morning.
 
  • #257
turbo-1 said:
Thanks. I needed a better solution to the trellis problem for vining plants and indeterminate tomatoes, and the cattle panels and T-posts stuck out as a very long-term, easily configurable solution. Indeterminate varieties flower and fruit all season, and can provide fresh, ripe tomatoes for much longer than the bushy determinate varieties.

For anybody thinking of trying this type of trellis, hit Tractor Supply during a sale, buy the cattle panels, and cut them on-site with bolt cutters before loading them. For every T-post you buy, you'll get 5 clips, so that's taken care of. Buy a post-driver. You'll need it!

now if only some company would come up with a variety of tomato with tendrils --like grapes have
 
  • #258
rewebster said:
now if only some company would come up with a variety of tomato with tendrils --like grapes have
That would be nice. I recently cleaned out a bunch of worn T-shirts and socks, so I have plenty of fabric for ties. Indeterminates need pruning, so I'll carry a nail-pouch full of cotton strips on my belt and take care of both at the same time.

Here is a very good, informative article regarding pruning tomato vines, and topping off to optimize late-season growth. Good solid advice.
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/pruning-tomatoes.aspx
 
  • #259
Yo-yo weather, BTW. Yesterday was 55 (high) with drenching rains. Today, we've topped 80 and climbing in bright sun. The black flies are brutal, but I got my kale in the ground and moved my determinate-tomato bed farther from the indeterminate row. Now I need a shower badly.
 
  • #260
It's only 59F here, and looks like more rain.
 
  • #261
Oh, Man! 86 in the shade already, and it's going to be in the 90's tomorrow. Time to hook up the portable air conditioners. I'd consider transplanting stuff from the greenhouse to the garden, but Maine weather is very changeable, and frosts are still possible.

There is still some snow on Sugarloaf Mtn, but it was so hazy that I didn't bother taking a picture. That snow won't survive the week.
 
  • #262
turbo-1 said:
Oh, Man! 86 in the shade already, and it's going to be in the 90's tomorrow. Time to hook up the portable air conditioners. I'd consider transplanting stuff from the greenhouse to the garden, but Maine weather is very changeable, and frosts are still possible.

There is still some snow on Sugarloaf Mtn, but it was so hazy that I didn't bother taking a picture. That snow won't survive the week.
Temperatures have jumped 30 degrees here too, so normal. In a week or two, I can start the thread whining about heat.

I'm already running the airconditioner.

It looks like Evo child will be moving in on the 31st. I will have to padlock the thermostat and buy more fans. I do no want $300 electric bills.
 
  • #263
Evo said:
In a week or two, I can start the thread whining about heat.
I'll start now! It's 92 in the shade, currently, and tomorrow is supposed to be hotter with higher humidity. My little AC units are struggling to keep the house at 75.
 
  • #264
Rain today. We can use it. Despite some drenching downpours in the past month, our rainfall totals are below normal and ground-water levels are down. Plus, the rain will help clean up the air. We are downwind from some very large forest fires in Quebec and the haze and the smell of smoke are everywhere.
 
  • #265
  • #266
It's 15oF outside right now. The weatherman says it will probably hit 2oF tonight. I'm hoping my battery makes it through the winter; It's probably on its last leg.
 
  • #267
Got our first dusting of flurries. The windchill is brutal. I took took my dog out so he could get the first snow flakes of the season (a la Lucy in Charlie Brown Christmas).
 
  • #268
Evo said:
Got our first dusting of flurries. . . .
We got a dusting yesterday afternoon/evening. It's cold and dry otherwise.
 
  • #270
It's snowing and the sky outside my window is glowing orange. Someone's holiday decorations must have set off a fire.
 
  • #271
We already had over a feet of snow some time ago, not to mention around -16 deg C (that's about zero F) in the night. As usual, TV was full of people whining about clogged streets and paralyzed traffic. In Poland it is never fault of heavy snow, but always fault of those responsible for dealing with the situation. Not that they are always OK, but people expect miracles.

Today it is a little bit over freezing (so everything melts), but we expect another temperature drop starting tonight. Not that low this time.
 
  • #272
We have been overcast since last weekend, and starting Sunday into Monday, we got 3+ inches of rain. The ski resorts in the Western mountains had gotten an early start to the season, but all that snow is headed our way as run-off. This is a shot of the north channel dam in Skowhegan. The impoundment is not very large, so all the floodgates on this dam have to be opened to prevent over-topping of the hydro station on the other side of the island.

damforODS.jpg
 
  • #273
Outrageous cold and snow, temps at 7 degrees for my morning drive. The roads are pure sheets of ice.
 
  • #274
Right now we are at -15 here in Upper Michigan.
Time to through a glass of boiling into the air "Cool" literally
 
  • #275
hypatia said:
Outrageous cold and snow, temps at 7 degrees for my morning drive. The roads are pure sheets of ice.
We're supposed to get ice tonight.
 
  • #276
I spent most of the day clearing snow off my drive, patio, and back deck today. Could get another big one swinging in off the ocean by Sunday into Monday. I'd rather have the torrential rains. At least I don't have to shovel it.
 
  • #277
turbo-1 said:
I spent most of the day clearing snow off my drive, patio, and back deck today. Could get another big one swinging in off the ocean by Sunday into Monday. I'd rather have the torrential rains. At least I don't have to shovel it.
Today is not the first time this season that it has snowed here, but I was taking a nap then. So today is the first for me. So far it's just a light dusting, turning the street from black to grey. I don't expect much more so when turbo's done plowing out his living room, he can bring his leaf blower here and clear my driveway.
 
  • #278
Where not due for snow for the rest of the year. :(
 
  • #279
Evo said:
Where not due for snow for the rest of the year. :(

My heart pumps purple piss for you. Please feel free to come up here and take the 20 tonnes or so of it that are currently occupying my yard. :rolleyes:
 
  • #280
Danger said:
My heart pumps purple piss for you. Please feel free to come up here and take the 20 tonnes or so of it that are currently occupying my yard. :rolleyes:
Not fair, everyone is getting snow, except me. I'm just getting bitter cold.
 

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