# Frost damage to potatoe plants



## BJ (Aug 8, 2004)

Saturday night it got down to 32...frost on everything. Our potato plants have been in the ground about a month...have about 6"-8" top growth. Now that folage is black. Will new folage grow...will the tubers continue to grow? Now we are not sure what to do...start over? Getting late in MO for cold crops like potatoes.


----------



## Bruce in NE (Dec 12, 2002)

I think they will come up again. That's why I don plant potatoes early. I usually get them in about May 1.


----------



## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

Ours got nipped Friday night (24 degrees) and they should come back okay. We always plant cold tolerant crops early, because 3 out of 5 years or better they will not be frosted or at least not heavily damaged, and we always plant a later planting anyway, so if we don't get the first planting to survive we haven't lost much, and if the early first planting does make it to production, we have earlly potatoes, peas, lettuce, cabbage, etc.

Jim


----------



## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

I have a row of Carola potatoes with several inches of growth right now. Simply hilled soil over them to prevent any frost damage this past weekend. Several years ago, I wasn't prepared for frost and the leaves were quite black after a frost. The plants simply came back bushier. Frost will damage any leaves but the ground itself would have to freeze solid before the plant would be killed. 

Martin


----------



## Mr. Dot (Oct 29, 2002)

I second the opinions above. My potatoes are _still_ not in the ground (temps in the upper teens forecast for the end of the week) but try as I may to plant at a safe time I always get first (or more) green knocked back and they generally take the hit and come right back when the conditions say "grow!" again. Goodluck.


----------

