Wow, what a difference a row of mountains can make. The lowest we've dropped overnight in a few weeks now is upper 30's, and this morning when I got up, 50F. (43F yesterday morning though, it was a little colder then with skies more clear)

I'm glad you have backups, you've worked so hard making that space (spaces) around you beautiful. And I hope that was the end of your frost for pete's sake with June tomorrow! Years I've kept notes, I've noted light frost more than once on MAY 1, my elderly neighbors birthday...never later.

Boy. We almost turned on our air conditioning yesterday. We got up to 90F, so I'm struggling to keep what I have in pots from frying. Gardening is not for the faint of heart or those who are not diligent.
Martha

Frosted again this a.m.!!! Sick of this crap! This time I had no pre-warning and didn't cover anything up! Even had my cactus/X-mas Cactus, Brugmansia, Jade, Coleus, Lemon Geranium, Amaryllis and my backup tender annual seedlings on the deck. It's just about 5 a.m. and I was just outside an hour ago and it wasn't frosting then....I hope I saved what I could. Not so sure my already weakened/previously frosted tender planted annuals will though! Just planted my Medusa peppers day before yesterday too.....DAMN this mountain!

Btw....yesterday was close to 75F so who would be thinking it's gonna be frosting come morning. Today will get around 78F.....I guess I should have to cover my plants and bring plants in and out for the entire flippin season. Good grief

Also we have no local weather news, so that means guessing games. I have to guesstimate based on Spokane, WA krem2 news and see what they forecast for Grangeville, ID which is about 1000 ft' lower than us here. Sometimes are lows match those down there pretty closely...but apparently not too close these days.

Darn. I think about all you can do is give them a couple of days and see what kind of damage - hopefully its minimal or none.

We're in your same shoes with forecasting here on the coast...Seattle's weather isn't accurate for us on the edge of the ocean, neither is Portlands and those are the only television forecasts we get....we can be 10F or more cooler in summer, that much warmer in winter with the marine influence. I can't even tell you how many times I've driven the 55 miles to Costco in jeans, jacket, to arrive to parking lots full of tank tops and shorts - like I came from another planet or something ;)

They installed a new Doppler radar just a bit north of here three years ago, and still don't publicly forecast weather for those of us living at its base.

Doppler radar? Ha...we don't even have cell service here. Yeah I know what you mean about dressing all warm. Anymore when we go down the mountain, I make sure I can peel off the layers LOL!

Happy to report that that frost wasn't around long enough this morning to damage anything....everything unharmed :)

Whew :O

Vera

Sorry you are having frosty mornings and some plant damage. Ah, I remember cold mountain mornings the summer we worked at Glacier National Park. Our tiny off the beaten path store did not have any flower beds so no plant worries.

Have family in Spokane and drove south through the Idaho area. Some beautiful country there.

Have you tried internet weather, Weather Underground, the Weather Channel, National Weather Service?

Hi mswsgal :)

Yeah, none of those places have our actual weather....for instance if I type in Elk City, ID the weather report is coming out of either Grangeville or McCall. We are so tiny and isolated.....at the end of Hwy 14

To change to sub a bit......Found a source for high altitude/cool weather, short 55-65 dtm tomatoes this a.m.....a lot of Siberian and Russian types! Otherwise the only other one that everyone grows around here are Early Girl.

I brought a tomato plant with me that summer and remember that it did not do well as I had no idea just how cool the weather stayed all summer. Good luck with the early varieties.

This year I am trying Stupice and last year planted Matina. Next year I will try Moravsky Div. I find it fun to read about tomatoes on the tomato forum and try new varieties.

I got some Stupice from a late trade last week of May and sowed some a few days ago, we'll see if I have enough time yet, but if not I'll give another go next spring:)
Anyhoo that website is here:

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatoes

Thanks for the link. Lots of interesting tomato varieties. I didn't plant Whippersnapper this year though have grown it for years. I put two plants in a large tree/bush pot. The plants are very short with the thick vines hanging slightly over the pot edges. It has been a reliable producer for me. This year I am growing Sunsugar and Sungold to compare. Have grown each separately other years. Also have a grape tomato, Reinsentrauben, which I rather like. Enough small tomatoes for this year.

I'm growing thirteen tomato varieties this year, the most ever for me.