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My Tomatoes Were Hit by a late Frost in April

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I Was Sure All the Tomatoes I Had Planted the Weekend Before Were Dead

When it warms up in April here on the California Central Coast, gardeners often throw conventional wisdom out the window. Surely when you're in the midst of an April heat wave the frost season is over. April 24 seems an arbitrary last frost date when its triple digit weather on April 17. So I planted the wonderful heirloom tomatoes I'd been buying at Farmer's Market for two weekends. Even when the nights got cooler, I didn't worry too much. High 30s didn't seem too dangerous. So I didn't worry about getting the row covers on. Then Jack Frost paid my lovely tomatoes a visit. The picture shows what he did to my tomato transplants the weekend after they were planted.

The Gruesome Discovery

I didn't even suspect.

Sure, I knew the days had gotten cooler the last week of April, and I had felt the chilling wind. The weatherman, however, kept silent about impending frost. I was, after all, busy. We had discovered some termite damage that week, and I was busy moving books around to allow access for repairs. (See lensroll at right to read more about the termite fight.)

After the heat wave ended and I wasn't in the garden every day to water, I wasn't keeping close tabs on what was happening in the raised beds. I was more worried that the lettuce would wilt or bolt from the heat, and I had put some dead branches with the leaves fanned out flat over them to help shade them. I watered about every three days when it started to cool off. The last Friday in April, which just happened to be the 24th, I was busy elsewhere. When I went out to water on Sunday, all the tomatoes but this one lone Celebrity, appeared to be dead. The only green I could see was the the lower part of the stems on the others -- even the other Celebrity planted only two feet away.

What the Well-Dressed Tomato Gardener Wears

Always think positive!

Save the Tomatoes shirt
Save the Tomatoes by courtney2


Farmers Market Tomatoes Shoes kedsshoe
Farmers Market Tomatoes Shoes by

The World's Greatest Tomato Grower hat
The World's Greatest Tomato Grower by theworldsgreatest

Has frost ever killed your plants?

This year is the first time I lost vegetables. About three years ago I lost some flowers when we had an usually cold winter. I thought then my gazanias were gone forever, but most grew back again from the roots.

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I Was Devastated.

If you've ever planted something, cared for it, and lost it, you know how I felt.

I didn't pull up the ten plants I was sure were going to die. Hope springs eternal, I guess. I did water well and I did put up row covers to keep any other late frosts away. I made daily visits, but it looked pretty hopeless. All I saw were partly green stems and brown leaves.

On the next Saturday, I went back to Farmers Market and went straight to Ralph Johnson's booth. He had sold me the tomatoes and I wanted to see about getting more. He's the only one that brings heirloom tomatoes to sell. I told him my sad story and he told me all was not lost. He told me that if there was even one green leaf left on a plant, it could survive. He told me to keep watering and that although the plants might get a two-week set-back, they would probably come back if there was enough root in the ground.

I was pretty sure I had plenty of root. I normally pick off any blossoms when I plant and then I pull away the four bottom leaves and plant the stem deep into the ground. I bought just a couple more tomatoes, another sage, and some golden squash. I decided to go home and wait it out.

After another week, this is what I found under the row covers.

It was hard to believe the resurrection I was seeing.

This Early Girl still looks mostly dead, but there is a tiny bit of green there at the bottom. There is hope.

This Early Girl still looks mostly dead, but there is a tiny bit of green there at the bottom. There is hope.

This Early Girl still looks mostly dead, but there is a tiny bit of green there at the bottom. There is hope.
You can see a lot more new shoots on this plant. I think it is the other Celebrity.
This is probably the other Early Girl.
I'm not quite sure what variety this is, but it might be the yellow pear.
I don't' remember this one's name, but it is getting green and that's what's important.
This is the Mortgage Lifter. It's making a lot of progress, and I think there is even a blossom or two. It looks like Ralph was right. I did, however, buy two more Anna Russians from him today, because I'm pretty sure those two are beyond hope. I don't want to wait any more because I have nowhere else to plant the new ones.

My Favorite Gardening Books

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Where There's Life, There's Hope

It pays to be patient.

When I first saw the results of Jack Frost's visit to my tomato garden, I was sure my tomatoes were doomed. My first impulse was to just rip them out, wait until there was no chance of frost again, and replace the dead plants. But if there is one thing a gardener needs to learn, it's patience. When the Biblical writer James wants to show an example of patience, he uses the farmer: "Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain." (James5:7)

I'm glad now I did not follow my first impulse and give up. By waiting for two weeks I saved myself from buying eight new plants. I also learned that God has built into plants a way for them to heal themselves when the wound is not fatal. I have learned that if I am patient enough to wait and see, my damaged plants might very well still live to grow and produce fruit. I am hoping to post some pictures later in the season when these plants I almost gave up on start bearing their tomatoes.

Visualize Success!

Tomato Sauce or Marinara Sauce Labels sticker
Tomato Sauce or Marinara Sauce Labels by stickermad


Tomatoes mug
Tomatoes by mlane53


Homegrown Tomato Garden Slogan mug
Homegrown Tomato Garden Slogan by thegardenpages


Tomatoes business card profilecard
Tomatoes business card by graphicdoodles
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A New Threat

Almost everything in raised beds are sick now, with yellow bottom leaves. Tomatoes in pots are fine. So now I have to figure out what will save the tomatoes that were recovering from frost damage from whatever is missing in the soil in the raised beds. I will post the solution when I find it.

New pictures of once dead tomatoes on July 25, 2009

You will see that some have made a lot of progress, some not so much.

I'm not sure which tomato this is, but it is one of the ones that I thought was dead after the frost.

I'm not sure which tomato this is, but it is one of the ones that I thought was dead after the frost.

I'm not sure which tomato this is, but it is one of the ones that I thought was dead after the frost.
This may be another view of the previous plant, or it may be a different one. It's hard to label when I'm taking pictures.
This is one of the replacement Anna Russians I planted when I yanked out the dead ones. It never did do well, which surprised me, since the one I had in a pot last year was one of my best. I think it's a problem with the raised bed soil. I have fed all my tomatoes some fish emulsion and worm casting tea a couple of times to help them get whatever is missing, but the Anna Russians are still struggling. This plant has this one tomato, few healthy leaves, and no blossoms. I don't guess outr triple digit heat wave last week helped much either. I mulched all the plants this week.
This is the other replacement Anna Russian. It looks a tad better than the other and has some blossoms, but it still has some sick looking leaves. The one I had last year was lush and green and was about two feet tall by now.
This is my Stupice and it's doing better that any of the others. It's pretty healthy and green, and it's getting taller and bearing fruit. It's got a lot of little green tomatoes.
This is a view of all the tomatoes in that raised bed. These are taller than the ones in the other raised bed. A couple of those are still barely six inches high, just greener than they were. I hope the mulch and slightly cooled weather this week will help them.

Gardeners are Great Dreamers Who Always Envision a Large Harvest

But we are also practical.

These are some items that I know would make my gardening easier and they are on my wish list. Maybe one of them is just what you need to solve a garden problem you are having.
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Update on my reviving tomatoes on August 15, 2009

This is almost four months after the freeze.

This is how the tomatoes in the deeper raised beds look now. The plant with the red tomatoes is the Stupice, which seems to have recovered the fastest and was least affected by the soil problem. Since I applied the organic tomato and vegetable food, the plants are turning a healthy green again and most have blossoms or small fruits. The very hot days aren't good for setting fruit and that is probably why some blossoms just wither instead of fruiting.

This is how the tomatoes in the deeper raised beds look now. The plant with the red tomatoes is the Stupice, which seems to have recovered the fastest and was least affected by the soil problem. Since I applied the organic tomato and vegetable food, the plants are turning a healthy green again and most have blossoms or small fruits. The very hot days aren't good for setting fruit and that is probably why some blossoms just wither instead of fruiting.

This is how the tomatoes in the deeper raised beds look now. The plant with the red tomatoes is the Stupice, which seems to have recovered the fastest and was least affected by the soil problem. Since I applied the organic tomato and vegetable food, the plants are turning a healthy green again and most have blossoms or small fruits. The very hot days aren't good for setting fruit and that is probably why some blossoms just wither instead of fruiting.
The tomatoes in this picture were some of the sickest -- the Pruden's Purple on the left and the Yellow Pear on the right. The middle plant is Thai basil. I don't think the Yellow Pear will really bear very well this year, since its recovery seems the slowest. When I compare it to the yard-high thriving plants I had five years ago, it's discouraging, since it's the same variety. I'm kind of afraid we might get an early first frost in September before some of my plants get any fruit at all.
This photo shows the five small Celebrity and Early Girl tomatoes that just don't want to put on any height. As you can see, one is bearing fruit, some have blossoms, and all have turned a healthy green color.
These potted plants did not have the same soil problems as the plants in the raised beds, so they got off to a better start. The plant in the foreground was affected by the freeze, but not as severely as the plants in the raised beds. Perhaps the tall shrubs behind the fence offered some protection. The tomato plant in the background is a Shady Lady and has been bearing. We have actually eaten fruit from these plants and the Stupice in the raised beds -- just not as much as we had hoped to harvest by now.

How the Tomatoes Looked on September 2, 2009.

This is an overview of the raised beds that had both the freezing and the soil problems. You can see I've mulched them, and that did help during the heat waves. None of them have produced more than blossoms.

This is an overview of the raised beds that had both the freezing and the soil problems. You can see I've mulched them, and that did help during the heat waves. None of them have produced more than blossoms.

This is an overview of the raised beds that had both the freezing and the soil problems. You can see I've mulched them, and that did help during the heat waves. None of them have produced more than blossoms.
These two were planted in containers. The middle container is basil. They look very odd because I have used snippets of pantyhose to cover the tomatoes where I could to keep them from being eaten. My first developing tomatoes were all eaten from the top, and I thought this might help. It did. But it sure makes the tomatoes look ugly. The pot on the left side is more of a cherry tomato type, and it's been the best producing of all the plants. It did freeze a bit, but the planting soil was good, so when it came back it did thrive.
This is a close-up of the large raised bed. The only plant which actually bore fruit in the one dressed in orange. That bag is there to keep the birds from pecking at the few fruits that are under it. It does produce a little, but the fruits are smaller than a Stupice should be, I believe. They don't quite make it to ping pong ball size.
The slant is strange because I'm trying to avoid the shadow and still get that last plant in the lower right corner to show . It was blocked by the bag on the Stupice before. You can compare the heights of the plants with the August pictures taken about two weeks before these.

Links for Tomato Gardeners

Preparing the Raised Beds for Planting
This short blog shows the preparation of the raised beds where these tomatoes were planted. We knew the soil in the beds needed amending because our tomatoes and other vegetables planted there last year simply weren't thriving until I added fish emulsion or milk to the beds. This year I decided to start over, and it's made a big difference. The tomatoes I planted this year stayed green until hit by frost, and even then the stems were still green. When I first planted last year's tomatoes, they turned almost gray/green and didn't grow much until I gave them the needed nutrients the soil in the beds had run out of.
The Organic Homestead and Gardening List
This is an email discussion list with hundreds of members who garden without chemicals and pesticides. It is also like a big family. People share their gardening successes, experiments, failures, and homesteading joys and sorrows. If there is a problem with a sick animal or plant, one can get lots of seasoned advice on how to deal with it. If one needs inspiration, this list will provide it. It's a large list and can be a bit overwhelming while you get to know the regular members, but you can post who and where you are and your gardening objectives when you join and you will get a warm welcome. This list is very practical and has many child lists for seed sharing, selling garden related items, and even a list for people who just want to talk to others on the main list about off-topic subjects. There are several list moderators who deal immediately with spammers, flamers, and other list violators, and to keep peace certain topics are off-limits. It is a thorough G-rated list. I think it's the best one out there.
Tomato Gardening Guru
This is a great site for information whether you are a beginner or an old pro at growing tomatoes. It tells you how to get started, suggests varieties for special needs, and provides plenty of tips and tricks for improving your yield.
Tomfolio.com Vegetable Gardening Category
Sometimes you may want a used book from a reliable source. Or maybe the book you need is out of print. Example, until it sells, my own offering of Terrific Tomatoes: All About How to Grow and Enjoy Them, is listed for only $12.38. The lowest price I saw at Amazon for this book was over $100.00. I have no idea why the sellers there are charging so much for this out-of-print book that's been my tomato growing Bible. You will find many other wonderful books there from professional used book sellers and your satisfaction is guaranteed. You can look up any topic imaginable through an extensive category system. The booksellers place their books in the categories they believe are the best fit, so it's not a computer deciding, but the one who has the book in hand. Try tomfolio.com next time you need a used or out-of-print book.
Gardening by the Moon Calendar from the Farmers' Almanac
Some experienced gardeners whom I respect swear by letting the phases of the moon govern your planting times. I have started taking this moon calendar into consideration when I plant, and respect it when all other things are equal. On the other hand, there is no definite scientific evidence to support this, and my dad, who grew great tomatoes, had never heard of it. If I have transplants that will suffer if they are not planted immediately, I will go ahead and plant them regardless of the moon phase. But if it doesn't matter either way, I plant by the moon.

An Early Frost Made Me Dress My Tomatoes in Row Covers

Don't they look like ghosts for Halloween?

These are two of my most productive tomatoes. The tall one produces sweet, cherry-size orange tomatoes. After last weeks storm the tomatoes started to be more productive and also larger. The short one, which I moved next to it so they could share a row cover, produces medium red fruits. It is really loaded since the rain. We got word this week that we would have a freezing night or two, so I decided I'd try to save my plants. I was really lucky that the Farm Supply Store actually had row covers in stock. They usually don't, and I didn't have time for mail order. <br /> <br /> Halloween update: The row covers saved all but a few leaves at the top of these plants, but the wind blew almost all the little tomatoes, ripe and green, off the tall one. I found them on the grourd this morning, still looking healthy. There are still a lot of green tomatoes on the plant which I hope will ripen. I left these uncovered for the middle of the day since it's very warm -- about 80. I will cover them again tonight. Even if it doesn't freeze, tomatoes don't really like cold nights.

These are two of my most productive tomatoes. The tall one produces sweet, cherry-size orange tomatoes. After last weeks storm the tomatoes started to be more productive and also larger. The short one, which I moved next to it so they could share a row cover, produces medium red fruits. It is really loaded since the rain. We got word this week that we would have a freezing night or two, so I decided I'd try to save my plants. I was really lucky that the Farm Supply Store actually had row covers in stock. They usually don't, and I didn't have time for mail order.

Halloween update: The row covers saved all but a few leaves at the top of these plants, but the wind blew almost all the little tomatoes, ripe and green, off the tall one. I found them on the grourd this morning, still looking healthy. There are still a lot of green tomatoes on the plant which I hope will ripen. I left these uncovered for the middle of the day since it's very warm -- about 80. I will cover them again tonight. Even if it doesn't freeze, tomatoes don't really like cold nights.

These are two of my most productive tomatoes. The tall one produces sweet, cherry-size orange tomatoes. After last weeks storm the tomatoes started to be more productive and also larger. The short one, which I moved next to it so they could share a row cover, produces medium red fruits. It is really loaded since the rain. We got word this week that we would have a freezing night or two, so I decided I'd try to save my plants. I was really lucky that the Farm Supply Store actually had row covers in stock. They usually don't, and I didn't have time for mail order.

Halloween update: The row covers saved all but a few leaves at the top of these plants, but the wind blew almost all the little tomatoes, ripe and green, off the tall one. I found them on the grourd this morning, still looking healthy. There are still a lot of green tomatoes on the plant which I hope will ripen. I left these uncovered for the middle of the day since it's very warm -- about 80. I will cover them again tonight. Even if it doesn't freeze, tomatoes don't really like cold nights.
This tomato is a Principe Borghese. It produces small, sweet red fruits that can actually dry on the plant for dried tomatoes -- if the frost holds off long enough. I have never done this, because we also enjoy them in salads and in cooked dishes. It is now disguised to fool the frost.

Halloween Update:The tall plant in front lost almost all of its leaves to the frost, but the little green tomatoes are holding on and look good. I picked half of them and left half on the plant to see which, if any ripen. The Shady Lady in the small pot behind survived the frost well -- even its blossom. Unfortunately, it has no tomatoes. It's interesting to note that I was using a row cover I've been using three years on these plants, and it's not as thick as the new ones.
This is my large raised bed. Some of the tomatoes here are just producing their first fruit of the season. The rain lat week seemed to bring them to production. Such a shame if that fruit doesn't have a chance to get big enough to pick. The Stupice is here, a yellow pear, and an Anna Russian.

Halloween update: everything under the tent, which was another new row cover did well.

You can protect your crops, too.

Floating row covers can protect crops from early frosts, allowing you to start your garden earlier, or it can help extend the growing season. They also help protect young plants from insect damage until they are old enough to defend themselves. You can see in my pictures that I did not just float them. I used rocks to weigh down the edges and corners and I used clothespins to close gaps. I did this because we also got 50 mph winds with our cold snap. We often have fairly strong winds, and it just doesn't make sense here to let the row covers float without support.
Dalen HG25 25' X 5' Harvest Guard Row Cover

Dalen HG25 25' X 5' Harvest Guard Row Cover

Amazon Price: $9.05 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now

I spotlighted this because these row covers have helped me in the past to start crops earlier and keep them growing later . They let light and water through, but keep the crops a few degrees warmer by holding in heat during the day and keeping the frost at bay by a few degrees. Depending upon the thickness, they can raise the temperature by 4-6 degrees. Had I had these in the early spring this year, my crops might not have frozen in the first place, but I didn't think ahead last fall, and in the spring this year, none of the local nurseries or farm supply stores had any in stock. Think ahead. Get yours now. You can cut them up for container plants, or huddle a lot of containers together under one, as I did. You can also cover an entire raised bed as I did. If your raised beds are larger than mine, you could use close-pins to join two in the middle.

Help from Blogs on Keeping Frost from Your Garden

Protecting plants for freezing weekend temperatures
By Olivia Vidal - bio | email Freezing temperatures are expected for the weekend of Feb. 11-12, and protecting plants from the cold is advised. The end of January and beginning of February temperatures started off mild allowing early blooming for ...
Smaller containers appeal to veggie gardeners who don't have lots of space
Container gardening is growing smaller. Suppliers are downsizing this season with easier-to-use trough planters, raised beds, pots or bags. It's an effective way to produce edibles or blooms in tight spaces. One of the leaders in this less-is-better ...
How to Protect Your Plants During Cold Weather Snaps
With the predicted cold snap coming in this weekend, homeowners across the state should protect their plants from the frost and colder weather. The experts at Pike Nurseries take the guesswork out of gardening and advise gardeners to adhere to the ...
Jefferson County gardening program returns to Ranson
Tabb and other garden organizers will erect a deer fence to protect the garden from local deer after gardeners finish planting their crops. The garden typically continues until October when the first "killing" frosts set in at night, Tabb said.
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I grateful I can buy tomatoes in season at Farmers Market

Since I don't always have a good gardening year, I really appreciate being able to buy lot of different heirloom tomatoes at my local Farmers Market in Templeton. This bag is great for shopping at Farmers Market or anywhere else. Show your support for your local farmers. Farmers Market bag
Farmers Market by kimchikawaii

Other accessories you might need

I have featured here another brand of row cover that some folks prefer, and some of the other things that make them work better for me.
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Are you a tomato expert? Or are you still a novice?

Find out with this short quiz that challenges you on a wide range of tomato facts.
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May 11, 2010: A New Start and August Update

I put all those new plants in yesterday, working even as it began to sprinkle. Everyone in the nurseries and at Farmers Market has told me they are fairly sure I won't encounter any late frosts now. I hope they are right. I'm already envisioning this year's crop of yummy varieties of heirloom tomatoes. I will continue my adventures with this year's tomatoes on another page of this lens or in a new lens. I haven't decided yet which. I'm hoping to have some pictures of a colorful and delicious harvest about August.

Update: This year's tragedy is a ground squirrel invasion. I have moved every container tomato I can lift to our property in Paso Robles, thus saving some of the tomatoes. Tos see the pictures and the full story of what these destructive animals did, check our blog link below.

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In my life I've been student, public library clerk, English teacher in public school, elementary teacher in private schools,card buyer for Logos Bookstore... more »

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Innoculate your tomatoes against the cold 

Liquid Fence 1010 32-Ounce Concentrate Liquid Fence FreezePruf Frost Protector

Liquid Fence 1010 32-Ounce Concentrate Liquid Fence FreezePruf Frost Protector

Amazon Price: $24.39 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now

This new breakthrough, if applied to your seedlings before you plant them out, can raise their tolerance to cold by almost 10 degrees. It is non toxic and needs to be sprayed on well before the frost strikes so it has a chance to work through the plant's system. You can't just spray it on right before a frost and expect it to work. Unfortunately, it may be too late for me this year. I just planted out this year yesterday, May 10, and was assured I'm late enough this year to avoid frost. but are night temperatures are still hovering between the high thirties and low 40s. Next year for sure I'll try this during that period when my plants are bought but not yet in the ground. That way I won't have to worry whenever the forecast predicts temperatures approaching 32.

What I See of God's Work in Nature 

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