Re: [tomato] I think I killed 'em...
Margaret Lauterbach (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Fri, 15 May 1998 06:54:07 -0600
At 11:02 AM 4/21/98 +0500, you wrote:
>On the subject of Re: [tomato] I think I killed 'em.., Margaret
>Lauterbach said:
>
>> did it get cold while your plants were outside?
>
>Yep, it did...quite chilly! :-(
>
>> what color are the leaves now? if they're black you did kill them.
>> If they're white you left them out in the sun too long and the
>> leaves are probably dead. Water more sparingly and see if they try
>> to re-leaf. But were I you, I'd direct seed more tomatoes in your
>> garden, and toss the plants. Margaret
>>
>The leaves are mostly their normal color...a coupel have white spots.
> Darn it all, and I put them back outside today! Well, we'll see
>what I can salvage...
>
>I can't direct seed, as I'd have to use all early tomatoes and I
>don't want to. I'm in Zone 5. <boo-hoo> Next year I'm gonna try a
>few seeds again, and give most of them to my local nurseryman so he
>can grow them for me...then I can see how well i did and ask what
>he's doing that I'm not! And I'll get seedlings either way. :-)
>
>Thanx for the advice! I'll be sure to keep my seedlings completely
>shaded for the next few days...but I have to acclimate them to
>outside (plus I have to reclaim my kitchen counters before the
>kitchen gets too cluttered to work in! <BG>)
>
>
>Blessings,
>Kimberlee
>
>"There are no accidents; only plans the gods don't tell you about."
>===================================================================
>Kimberlee Simmons, a.k.a. "Blackwood"
>spooky@frontiernet.net or blackwood13@yahoo.com
>http://www.frontiernet.net/~spooky
>
Kimberlee, your zone just means that the lowest expected temperature in
your winters is minus 10-minus 20 below zero. I don't know where you are,
but Kay Lancaster used to direct seed her tomatoes in Iowa, and get a crop.
Transplants of tomatoes sit there adjusting and acclimating for a couple
of weeks, and in about 5 weeks, direct-seeded plants have caught up. You
don't have to necessarily use early tomatoes for direct seeding.
why don't you try this with the plants you fear you've "killed"? Set them
in the ground, where they are to grow, and put one of those cheap 3-ring
tomato cages over each plant. Put a double layer of newspaper over the
top, and use clip clothespins to hold it in place. what you're really
doing is shading your tomato plant from the overhead sun, but allowing it
to get sunshine in early morning and late afternoon. The tomato ring cage
isn't good for much, but it's fine for this purpose. I also use them to
hold up chiles and to prevent accidental breaking of branches (I have a
medium-sized dog who isn't purposefully destructive, but chiles are
brittle). You should see a color change in tomato plant leaves in about a
week. Leave the newspapers on (or replace them if it rains) for about a
week, then remove them. Margaret