Brrr… It’s been more like September or October the past couple of days, with our cool, wet, windy days and chilly nights. But more than it being out of character for a summer day, it has an effect on our veggies too.
I’ll make this short and to the point, the Twin Cities are expected to have lows reaching 52 degrees tonight which means your tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are vulnerable to blossom drop, meaning the blossoms will drop off the plants prior to being pollinated and not produce fruit.
Tomatoes and eggplants are susceptible to blossom drop when evening temperatures drop below 55 degrees, peppers below 58 degrees.
Although it seems crazy to be saying this at the end of July, it would probably be worth covering those plants tonight (and possibly the next couple of nights) to limit the risk of loosing the flowers and missing out on tomatoes in a few weeks.
Just remember to pull the covers off later in the morning so the flowers have the opportunity to be visited by our pollinating friends.
Kate
Walnuts n Pears 