Community Corner

WEATHER ALERT: Early Freeze Forecast for Burnsville

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the Twin Cities metro area will drop into the 20s and 30s tonight.

Jack Frost is coming a month early, which means that gardeners will have to scramble to save summer plants still on the vine.

This afternoon the National Weather Service in Chanhassen issued a freeze warning for both central and southern Minnesota, as well as western Wisconsin. The warning will be be in effect until 8 a.m. Thursday.

A high pressure front from Canada will sweep the area over Wednesday night, bringing light winds, clear skies and temperatures ranging from 25 to 30 degrees outside of the city centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

"Sensitive outdoor plants will be impacted if left uncovered. These conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation," authorities at NWS wrote.

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The first freeze usually hits the south metro area in the first two weeks of October.

Tonight's cold snap caps off a strange growing season full of fits and starts, said Matt Brooks, an instructor of landscape horticulture at Dakota County Technical College.

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"It's been a tricky season. We had a late start to spring then we had a lot of rain and a lot of heat extreme heat," Brooks said. "A lot plants will not set fruit if it's too hot. That was tough but then we went into more of a drought situtation with trees dropping leaves early. And now were having an early freeze."

Gardeners have few options with respect to flowers and summer crops like cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and melons: Bring the plants indoors, harvest them or cover them up.

"If people want to attempt to prolong the season for things like tomatoes and pepper plants they're going to need to cover them with a plastic sheet, but I'm not sure that will do the trick," Brooks said. "It will trap some of the heat from the ground, but quite honestly when we get much cooler temperatures those plants stop producing blossoms and fruit doesn't ripen."

If possible, residents should bring their tender summer plants and tropical flora indoors. Other things like carrots, lettuce, spinach, kale, potatoes, beets, and cabbage can take some frost. Root vegetables are especially hardy in such circumstances. 

"I wouldn't worry about them. Anything that is underground will be OK," Brooks said.

Winter squash — pumpkins and acorn squash — will actually improve with the cold.

A plant that is losing the battle with cold will have shriveled, dropping, dark green leaves and the fruit will get mushy.

"I know a lot of people are caught off guard, myself included," Brooks said. "I need to get home and pick my stuff."


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