Garden thread

@MsCzar, I vote that the green is not a sign of a live plant. Whether it's mold or something else (algae, lichens, early-stage moss . . . .) I don't know, I'm not expert on those. But that sure looks like a dead stem underneath.

Pepper plants are quite sensitive to cold (might over-Winter in roughly 8b or warmer in the US) . Even if we could somehow protect them over Winter in a colder climate, I don't think they'd thrive. I'd start over with new plants.

MsCzar wrote: »

Thanks Ann - I would have thought that if the roots weren't so good looking. I'll chop into it after I mulch. I do have pepper seedlings started. We only had one bad cold snap here. Surprisingly, my kale, beet greens and Swiss chard all made it through the winter and have new growth.

If you want to try an experiment, sure, leave one and see what happens. Even if it lives, I'd expect it to be not very robust, but I could be wrong.

Kale, beets, and chard are quite hardy. Kale can tolerate temperatures well below freezing, and with coverage, the roots reportedly will survive to as cold as zone 2, and sprout again in Spring. Chard can survive somewhat below freezing, but I believe not quite as cold-tolerant as kale.

Beets are also quite cold-tolerant, especially the roots. In case you're not aware, most beets are biennial, i.e., grow leaves and nice roots in year 1, then flower in year 2. I believe the leaves are still edible in year 2, but I don't know if the flavor is impaired when they flower, or whether the roots get woody in year 2. (Some other biennial plants get bitter during the 2nd season or roots are less acceptable texture.) Here - previously zone 5b - I'd always planted beets early in Spring, or occasionally in late Summer for Fall/early Winter harvest. I love beet greens, but would usually harvest the greens when thinning the plantings, since they have those funny multi-part seeds so plants end up closer together than ideal for root growth.

Just my experiences here, though.

If you're in the US, what zone are you in? Knowing that could let others give you more tailored advice. The map got updated recently, BTW: I used to be 5b, now 6a, and there have been more dramatic shifts elsewhere.) If you don't know, you can look up by zip code here:

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

Here, even in the 5b years, quite a few root crops or the tougher leafy greens like Kale can be harvested well into the Winter if not all the way through, with some straw or other mulch, some row cover, a mini-hoop setup, or something like that. Some taste sweeter after a frost.

The tender things like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, most of the vine-y things (cucumbers, squash, melons) for sure are done out doors here with hard frost or freeze, even with some protection.

MsCzar wrote: »

6b here with the east facing plants within 8 feet of the house which provides a good wind break.

Then the kale, chard, and beets don't surprise me. I still suspect the peppers are goners, but like I said, maybe leave one and see. If it's going to re-grow, that'll show up once consistent warm weather arrives. If nothing happens, there'll still be time to plant some fast-growth thing in that spot if you wish.

Baby brassicas 😃

It's been so, SO windy here for the last few weeks, everything is drying out super fast after I water. My tomatoes are all droopy and sad! On a better note I've finished the first crop of pak choi and debating planting more, and starting to harvest small amounts of spinach as well.