Hi folks;
Yes, we had a tomatoe fashion show. We planted the tomatoes in 5 gallon pots in our hot house two weeks later than last year as they were overgrown last year waiting to go out to the garden; the hoophouse was not closed in yet. However, this year winter refused to let up and once again, the tomatoes were overgrown in their pots. They don't transplant well when they get older. I finally put them out in the hot house and prepared for a cold dip which came on Sunday night. I was prepared with garage sale sheets and two 1500 watt heaters. The hoophouse only dipped to 32 degrees and all the tomatoes survived. My wife has given up on my "crazy" endeavors but I will persist in my efforts to get the earliest tomatoe in Douglas Co. Anyway, we also learned something else. In the fall when the temps drop, the hoophouse remains somewhat moderate as I think there is plenty of stored heat in the ground. Unlike the spring, we don't have that stored warmth and the interior of the hoophouse rapidly catches up with the cooling temps each night. At this point, I don't much advantage with the spring and cold sensitive species like we get in the fall. We are harvesting much lettuce, beets, chard, and bok choy right now. Cheers; Ed