Our first frost was last night. I covered my tomatoes with a blanket and tarp. They seem to have made it through the night. It is supposed to be 25 degrees tonight. I plan to do the same thing again. The rest of the week is supposed to be mild, not falling below 40 but not going above 70. Should I water with warm water to try to get those green toms to turn red? They aren't budging. I need more time.
Water temperature will make no difference in the growth and ripening of tomatoes. You need heat and concentrated sunlight for that at this time of year. How large an area are your tomatoes in? Are they close to your house? To buy enough time for the tomatoes to start turning,,go to the dollar store and buy a couple of clear plastic shower liners and use them to make a temporary greenhouse. Couple of sticks and a crossbar over the tomatoes and drape the clear liners over weighing down the edges with odd bricks or rocks ,,anything heavy. Leave the ends open for now but throw that blanket over the tent at night. Pick the tomatoes at the pink to orange stage and let them finish in the house !! If it gets cold enough to need heat inside the tent use a regular old heating pad set to medium high and place it on a non combustible surface ,,extension cord to electrical outlet for outside use only !
That is good advice from Mart isn't it, especially about not using warm water on the roots. In the spring and during mid-season warmth on the roots is important...but now it's the temp of the air surrounding your plant that is important. Do what you can to get and maintain what warmth you can. Good luck kiddo!
Thank you all for the great advice and well wishes. They made it through the first night, but not the second. The tomatoes themselves look fine, but the plants are terribly withered. I guess it is time to pull and hang them in the basement. Maybe I'll just have to learn how to cook green tomatoes. I've heard so much about fried green tomatoes but never had the nerve to try them.
