Cooler temperatures and frost are impacting parts of the state this week, marking the end of the growing season. And while there may be some corn, eggplant or peppers floating around, most farmers have harvested their crops.
At garden centers across the state, it's mums and pumpkins. These are obviously more tolerant when it comes to the cold. Most indoor plants and other sensitive products have already been brought inside for the year.
While most haven’t seen anything widespread yet in terms of frost, there are freeze warnings and frost advisories issued for different parts of the state overnight Wednesday.
A warning, per the National Weather Service, is when the temperature dips below 32 degrees for an extended period, it could kill plants left outside. An advisory is issued when temperatures are just above that freezing mark, which could damage any plants outside.
“They don’t like below 45, so your palms, your ferns, anything you want to over winter, you should bring it in now before it gets too cold,” explained Heather Chapman, the manager at Sunnyside Gardens. “You can always cut them back and give them an insecticide or fungicide because they’ll usually have bugs from the outside.”
Many people like to display pumpkins right now or decorative gourds this time of year. These can handle cooler temperatures, but there are some things to keep in mind.
“We sell a lot more decorating in the beginning of the season, and as we get closer to Halloween, we sell a lot more carving pumpkins,” Chapman said. “They’ll only last about a week carved, depending on the weather, but if you don’t carve them, they’ll last a pretty long time.”