I live in Chicago and I started my planting late, I guess =, for it is now August and my tomatoes, pumpkins, cantaloupes and watermelons are just growing now. Will it be a wash with them this year? I started with plants I bought at a nursery in early June.
2007-08-11 14:29:00 · 3 answers · asked by mattysmom 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
Did you plant them in June or did you just plant them? I lived in Chicago for a great many years and never put my tomatoes in until June. The trick with the tomatoes is to mulch very heavy...six to eight inches of mulch. This will keep the ground warm which is key to tomato growth. Tomatoes want ground temperature of 60 degrees. It is not so much a matter of covering the plant as it is to keep the ground warm. This is done by heavy mulching. Covering the plants will help if a frost arrives early but tomatoes are real susceptible to frost. I kept a sprinker system close to the garden and if the weather called for an early frost, I set the alarm for 4 am and went out and turned the sprinkler on. This kept the plants from freezing and thawing. Good luck. I had plenty of tomatoes planting them in June. Pumpkins may be fine as they are not ready until frost occurs. However, the blossoms won't tolerate frost. The weather in Chi is tricky but we often had ongoing good weather through early November and the sprinkling saved my garden through a few light frosts. Mulch heavy and cross your fingers. Global warming might be on your side right now if there is anything good to be said for global warming. By a sprinkling system all I mean is as wand or a halo not an installed system.
2007-08-12 15:09:09 · answer #1 · answered by juncogirl3 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe. Tomatoes and squashes start showing temperature problems when nights get into the upper 40's, maybe with your humidity lower 40's. So be prepared to cover the plants with cloth, not plastic, overnight and remove it when temps get back up into the 40's in the a.m. This will be impossible if you leave the house within a hour of sunrise.
2007-08-11 21:49:06 · answer #2 · answered by fluffernut 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since most tomatoes say approx 60 days, you stand a chance of them making it. I wouldn't count on the others as they take a longer growing season.
2007-08-11 21:37:39 · answer #3 · answered by daisybell 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋