We did have a frost in central Arkansas on November 1, with a low of 30 degrees at my house. November 1 is a tad early for us to have a frost in central Arkansas, and I was surprised at the amount of frost we had in the yards,
on plants,
and on rooftops. Many who park their cars outside actually had to scrape off their windshields! I saw numerous houses who had emptied out their linen closets trying to protect tender vegetation.
I didn't cover anything, letting nature take its course. When I saw the amount of frost in the yard,
I expected all my summer annuals and tropicals to be toast, once the frost melted, but that was not the case. I had little damage to my dragonwing begonias,
and even more surprising, I have Sunpatiens that came through unscathed. Basil got a little burned on the edges, but it is still green. I harvested some tonight. I have seen light frost two or three days now, but we have not had a killing frost, at least here. I have not heard how the rest of the state fared, but I did hear from a friend that they saw some snow in Hot Springs!
In looking ahead at the forecast, it looks like our next chance of a frost is Friday, Nov. 8 when the low temperature is predicted to be 28. Gardeners need to pay attention to the weather. It is in these transitional periods from active growth to dormancy, and then again in the spring when they are moving from dormancy to active growth that plants can be a bit more susceptible to damage. We were lucky that there was plenty of moisture in the ground, and it looks like we have a slight chance of rain almost every day this week. Today was glorious, and I need a few more sunny days to get some bulbs planted and some more winter vegetables and garlic in the ground.