It's freezing outside!!!

Literally!

Hernando County (two counties due north of here) had a hard freeze last night and will have one again tonight, which does not bode well for their blueberry crops. Apparently, farmers lost a significant number last night, or so Bay News 9 reported yesterday morning. Apparently, there is a lot of fear and trepidation in Plant City tonight. Hillsborough County alone grows 15% of the fresh strawberries grown in the United States and make our state's farmers collectively over $200,000,000 per year. Most of the strawberries grown in Hillsborough County are grown in and near Plant City in the southeastern part of the county and on family-owned farms (not agricultural corporations). Farmers will be up late tonight watching their fields. Several farmers that the local news interviewed do not plan to sleep until after 9 am tomorrow morning. According to the late local news, they have all covered their plants, either with plastic insulation or with warm water irrigation. The water freezes on the plants and holds them at 32 degrees as long as the freeze doesn't dip too low (below 28) or stay lower than 32 degrees for more than three or so hours tonight... That's right! These plants are that delicate! Aren't you glad your family doesn't depend on them for their livelihood? Farmers really are American heroes for what they do, pinning their ability to put food on their families' tables on their ability to put food on ours. Citrus farmers are doing the same thing, irrigating their orchards. It's much more difficult for them though because they have to coat the trunks of their trees, averaging 15 feet in height, as well as the branches and fruits (strawberries are much smaller, see). As long as they get them covered and it doesn't get 28 or lower, they should be fine for the most part. They all have oranges (or whatever citrus they are) on them right now. The fruit that didn't get taken off in the fall is pretty much ready to pick now before the spring buds come on. Which reminds me, I really have to pick the rest of our grapefruit and start cranking out that marmalade...

We are not irrigating out plants tonight. Our sprinkler system would not reach all of them and it's far too cold outside for me to go out and mess with them at this hour. We covered our non-established apples, pears, peaches, blueberries and my prize rosebush. Everything else has been left to fend for itself. It will probably get to be between 30 and 32 degrees at our house tonight, despite the fact that the local news and the Weather Channel both say that Tampa will only get down to 33 degrees. We're so far inland and just barely suburban as opposed to rural in this part of the county. Two days ago we had frost on our roof and the official word was that Tampa only got to be 36 that night...