[James]

Radio 4 is predicting frost tonight in sheltered parts of the distant parts of our land.  Cover your tomatoes otherwise they'll never go red, but instead black & mushy.  Courgettes and beans too.

Anything will do - a bed sheet will just keep the frost off.

[Heather_S]

Us softies in the south are laughing. It's 16C out there tonight  
Should be no less than 7C tonight here

[John]

Maybe as low as 5 here

[jgsmuzzy]

well, the mercury in my thermometer never dropped below 10c last night.  It would have been a blinking early frost!

[John]

Shows what the Scottish contingent have to cope with -

I visited Norway at the end of February and stayed about a third of the way up the country. There was a good metre of snow on the ground and one night it fell to minus 28. On the TV they were showing people planting potatoes (very exciting Norwegian telly) in the south west . That was a little weird.

[Heather_S]

Shows what the Scottish contingent have to cope with -

I visited Norway at the end of February and stayed about a third of the way up the country. There was a good metre of snow on the ground and one night it fell to minus 28. On the TV they were showing people planting potatoes (very exciting Norwegian telly) in the south west . That was a little weird.

There's apparently quite a revival in the US for winter planting seeds and such. I guess they think the stratification of the seeds makes them grow quickly and takes out some of the guess work. Plus the snow does a good job of insulating (fluffiness creates more insulating airpockets etc) some things like kale etc.

-signed the girl who lived in new hampshire for most of her life and is still overjoyed by green grass in winter over here in the UK

[James]

In summer 2001 and 2002 my tomato plants in Cambridge were frosted in the middle of August.

This may have something to do with the CLAY soil that he was trying to grow them in - any physical geographer would advise him against this since clay soil is the most prone to frost!!! Silly boy. RB the patient GF

But still, the middle of AUGUST!

Yes, you're in a continental climate, for crying out loud,  WITH CLAY SOIL!  

Yes, I grew them in the greenhouse as well, fortunately.

YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN.


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Will you please keep your arguments to your kitchen, this is a nice quiet friendly forum.  Thanks, John.