In coastal areas that fall into U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 8, 9 and 10, frost damage is not as common because of the warm winter temperatures. Once spring planting begins, threat of frost has usually passed. Still, cold weather can damage new plants and cause the decline of mature plants. Protecting tomatoes from winter's chill will extend the life of the plant and increase crop production.
Symptoms of cold damage
Wilting is only one of many signs of damage from cold or frost. Newly transplanted tomatoes may have olive green and yellowing leaves, with a purplish underside. Leaves on more established tomato plants will turn black and wilt. These blackened leaves may be pinched off, but leaves that are still green will recover when warmer temperatures return.
Protecting tomatoes from frost
Frost damage is only a threat at the beginning of the growing season, and at the end. If you planted tomatoes very early in the spring, or if you wish to extend the growing season of your tomato plant into the fall, you can prevent frost damage with tools like blankets and specialized covers. Although household blankets are a common tool used to protect plants, blankets may exacerbate the problem by trapping cool air beneath them if they become wet. Specialized garden covers do not have this effect. Some covers are designed specifically to absorb heat during the day and will radiate heat at night after the sun has gone down. In addition, some specialized garden covers can be left draped over a plant for many days at a time. Checking nightly forecasts will tell you when these covers should be used.
Sheltered locations prevent damage
If you're a gardener who knows that you would like to grow your tomato plants later into the growing season, container gardening may be appropriate for you. Containers allow you to move tomatoes to safety on cold nights. If you prefer to grow your tomatoes in the ground, you can plant your tomatoes near a wall with a southern exposure. Southern exposures receive the most daylight while the sun is out, and at night the wall will radiate heat back into the air near the plant.
When to plant
To avoid the possibility of frost damage at the time of planting, tomato seedlings are best planted when soil temperatures reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit, notes the University of Missouri Extension. You can measure the temperature of your soil with a soil thermometer, available at nurseries and home and garden centers.
Even though indeterminate tomatoes are technically perennials, they are grown as annuals because of their extreme aversion to cold. Not only do tomatoes stop producing as temperatures sink, they are killed completely by hard frosts and freezes.
Tomatoes' natural climate
Tomatoes were originally bred from subtropical plants originating in an area covering parts of Peru and Ecuador and spread northward to Mexico before Columbus set foot in the Western hemisphere. In these areas, tomatoes grew abundantly, bolstered by the steamy, but frost-free temperatures that frequently fell within their optimal temperature range. Tomatoes spread to Europe, where they were at first feared, then later adored for their sweet fruits. Unfortunately, these plants are still adapted to those climates where they originated, making long periods of cool temperatures -- below 55 degrees Fahrenheit -- often as damaging as frosts. Tomato plants grow and produce best between 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
How frost kills
Frost generally occurs on still nights when the ambient temperature drops near or below freezing. Exposed plant tissues are damaged when water vapor in the air condenses on plant surfaces, then freezes. Condensation forms because plant tissues are initially warmer than the surrounding air, though they cool quickly in the night. Often these events happen quickly in the coldest part of the night, creating frost only briefly. Unfortunately for tomatoes, even a brief stint of freezing is enough to end the growing season.
Protecting tomatoes from light frost
If a light frost is predicted, you may be able to protect your tomatoes from the chill injury or freeze damage it can cause. Depending on the size of your plants, you can use a variety of covers to insulate your plants from the colder air outside, from large cardboard boxes for smaller patio tomatoes to large, clear plastic tents for larger garden varieties. Remove the cover in the morning to prevent accidental overheating.
Ripening tomatoes indoors
When frost threatens, some gardeners uproot their plants and bring them indoors to ripen the fruit that remains on the vine. This will only work with fully formed fruits that are just barely beginning to turn red, so if you decide to hang your tomatoes upside down in the basement, pick off any underdeveloped fruits. Your tomato plant will die, but the vine creates a handy place to store fruit as it finishes ripening.
Cold temperatures can damage or destroy your tomato plants. Protecting tomatoes from frost and freezing is important to having healthy crop – both at the beginning of the season and at the end.
What’s the difference between a freeze and a frost?
A freeze occurs when the temperature dips below 32ºF (0ºC). Usually a freeze affects an entire region and may last several days.
Temperatures associated with a freeze are lower than temperatures associated with a frost.
Surprisingly, tomatoes can survive a light freeze if it is not accompanied by frost, provided temperatures don’t dip below 28-30º F.
A frost, on the other hand, is localized. Low temperatures may or may not reach freezing, but moisture must be in the picture for frost to develop.
A frost typically falls overnight but during the following day, temperatures warm.
How does frost develop?
In very dry, cold weather, it’s temperatures (not frost) that can damage plants. Cold temps darken leaves and stems. That’s why the condition is called “black frost.”
Symptoms of cold damage
Wilting is only one of many signs of damage from cold or frost. Newly transplanted tomatoes may have olive green and yellowing leaves, with a purplish underside. Leaves on more established tomato plants will turn black and wilt. These blackened leaves may be pinched off, but leaves that are still green will recover when warmer temperatures return.
Protecting tomatoes from frost
Frost damage is only a threat at the beginning of the growing season, and at the end. If you planted tomatoes very early in the spring, or if you wish to extend the growing season of your tomato plant into the fall, you can prevent frost damage with tools like blankets and specialized covers. Although household blankets are a common tool used to protect plants, blankets may exacerbate the problem by trapping cool air beneath them if they become wet. Specialized garden covers do not have this effect. Some covers are designed specifically to absorb heat during the day and will radiate heat at night after the sun has gone down. In addition, some specialized garden covers can be left draped over a plant for many days at a time. Checking nightly forecasts will tell you when these covers should be used.
Sheltered locations prevent damage
If you're a gardener who knows that you would like to grow your tomato plants later into the growing season, container gardening may be appropriate for you. Containers allow you to move tomatoes to safety on cold nights. If you prefer to grow your tomatoes in the ground, you can plant your tomatoes near a wall with a southern exposure. Southern exposures receive the most daylight while the sun is out, and at night the wall will radiate heat back into the air near the plant.
When to plant
To avoid the possibility of frost damage at the time of planting, tomato seedlings are best planted when soil temperatures reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit, notes the University of Missouri Extension. You can measure the temperature of your soil with a soil thermometer, available at nurseries and home and garden centers.
Does frost kill a tomato plant
Tomatoes' natural climate
Tomatoes were originally bred from subtropical plants originating in an area covering parts of Peru and Ecuador and spread northward to Mexico before Columbus set foot in the Western hemisphere. In these areas, tomatoes grew abundantly, bolstered by the steamy, but frost-free temperatures that frequently fell within their optimal temperature range. Tomatoes spread to Europe, where they were at first feared, then later adored for their sweet fruits. Unfortunately, these plants are still adapted to those climates where they originated, making long periods of cool temperatures -- below 55 degrees Fahrenheit -- often as damaging as frosts. Tomato plants grow and produce best between 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
How frost kills
Frost generally occurs on still nights when the ambient temperature drops near or below freezing. Exposed plant tissues are damaged when water vapor in the air condenses on plant surfaces, then freezes. Condensation forms because plant tissues are initially warmer than the surrounding air, though they cool quickly in the night. Often these events happen quickly in the coldest part of the night, creating frost only briefly. Unfortunately for tomatoes, even a brief stint of freezing is enough to end the growing season.
Protecting tomatoes from light frost
If a light frost is predicted, you may be able to protect your tomatoes from the chill injury or freeze damage it can cause. Depending on the size of your plants, you can use a variety of covers to insulate your plants from the colder air outside, from large cardboard boxes for smaller patio tomatoes to large, clear plastic tents for larger garden varieties. Remove the cover in the morning to prevent accidental overheating.
Ripening tomatoes indoors
When frost threatens, some gardeners uproot their plants and bring them indoors to ripen the fruit that remains on the vine. This will only work with fully formed fruits that are just barely beginning to turn red, so if you decide to hang your tomatoes upside down in the basement, pick off any underdeveloped fruits. Your tomato plant will die, but the vine creates a handy place to store fruit as it finishes ripening.
Protecting tomatoes from freezing and frost
The most important step to protecting tomatoes
The best step you can take to protect tomato plants from frost is to pay attention to the weather forecast. When you hear a frost or freeze warning, take appropriate steps to protect your plants.
The best step you can take to protect tomato plants from frost is to pay attention to the weather forecast. When you hear a frost or freeze warning, take appropriate steps to protect your plants.
What’s the difference between a freeze and a frost?
A freeze occurs when the temperature dips below 32ºF (0ºC). Usually a freeze affects an entire region and may last several days.
Temperatures associated with a freeze are lower than temperatures associated with a frost.
Surprisingly, tomatoes can survive a light freeze if it is not accompanied by frost, provided temperatures don’t dip below 28-30º F.
A frost, on the other hand, is localized. Low temperatures may or may not reach freezing, but moisture must be in the picture for frost to develop.
A frost typically falls overnight but during the following day, temperatures warm.
How does frost develop?
- Frost requires clear skies and calm winds in order to accumulate.
- Heat radiates from the soil, leading surfaces to get colder.
- Moisture comes into contact with soil and plant surfaces.
- Moisture crystallizes on the tomato plant, destroying the plant cells when it melts. When damage is severe, the plant dies.
In very dry, cold weather, it’s temperatures (not frost) that can damage plants. Cold temps darken leaves and stems. That’s why the condition is called “black frost.”
What to know about protecting tomatoes in a frost
- Frost can occur when temperatures are as high as 40ºF. Moisture, rather than temperature, is the determining factor.
- Low-lying areas, where cold air settles, are more susceptible to frost. If your tomato patch is in a low area, pay special attention as temperature dip into the 40s.
- Tomatoes cannot withstand frost. When a frost warning is forecast for your area, choose from various types of frost protection to safeguard young plants in the spring and mature plants in the fall. Tunnel row covers
, floating row covers,
water barriers
, individual plant covers
– even sheets, blankets, and plastic – can help save tomato plants from frost injury.
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