"The Winter" is starting here
Tonight
  

• -24°C

That is about -12F but the good news is that after a week or two we shall be starting coming out of the coldest part of the winter barring arctic winds which frequently brings temperatures down to -30C (-22F) and once in decade -35C (-31F). Another good news is that a small heater is holding my otherwise unheated garage at -2.5C. That made me think as to what will happen if there is extended power failure. I guess I Will have to rush and bring the plants inside to the living room where temperatures will be dropping slowly if power does not get restored fast enough. Let us hope that does not happen.

You are certainly correct that winter is upon us, -19C in Toronto, (-25C with windchill)

Actually it went down to -25C ( -12F) in Ottawa and is still holding down there and my heater kept the garage at -5C. That should be fine because (I hope) this is the lowest we we will this year. I have sympathy for those who had to start their unplugged cars to go for work. I had done that for 34 winters in Ottawa before retirement.
I am not sure what is low temperature for killing the fruit buds on fruiting trees outside like cherries, apricots, plums and peaches.

Hi Ottowan,
similar here with garage temps.
Just saw your post so i went in garage and looked and garage temp reading is at 24F.
1-3 inches of snow expected and tomorrow 1-3 inches expected again.

Several years ago garage temps dipped to 6 to 8F for a spell when outside temps went to 23 below zero.
I use no heater but cover the 1st year plants with cardboard box and the late season cuttings went in attic . My elders hold there own  next to garage opening unprotected.
Here is picture taken Christmas day of some of them.

Akram -  Ottawan im sorry for mispelling your name in above post.

Martin, that is a big nice window in the garage. I hope you get some (or more) light through this in the early spring to get an early start on your favourite fig plants. A little extra heat at that time can help more in early start.

Akram i use that hand truck to wheel them in and out of garage onto the black top driveway usually sometimes in March.
Your right the sun helps warm things up also around that time in mornings as garage faces east.
The blacktop driveway i like as it heats up ( warm to the touch) faster than the garage cement floor during the early spring months.
You know every little measure you and some of us take i believe helps near the end of the growing season when they start to ripen.

2009 March 29th brought snow and back in a garage they went as April 5th once again brought more snow.
So we only hope for the best weather !

Funny you posted this,

I was getting worried because the temp last couple of nights have been  -12*C before windchill.  I went out yesterday around noon to check things out in the greenhouse.

I insulate my "Costco" greenhouse with bubble wrap and create a form of "drop ceiling" using wires strung across the house.  Then I cover the plants with agriculture fleece to hold in the radiant heat from the earth.  Lastly, a small space heater on a timer.  Anyway,  the rosemary, thyme, tarragon, mint and oregano are unharmed and the soil in their pots is unfrozen.  The guava and citrus plants have a some leaf curl from the cold, but they seem OK.  The citrus and guava can apparently handle -5*C.

I did less this year insulating the greenhouse than last year, but its way colder this year.  If I can make it through this year without deaths, I gonna feel alot better in the coming winters and probably wont stress as much.

One last thing: I use a minmax thermometer, but I dont think its that accurate.  It showed a low of -10 and a high of 20!  Would have loved to be in the greenhouse on that 20 degree day.  Downright pleasant!

You asked for it. 80F in San Diego today. Planning your move yet?

I would love to.  Problem is, my industry isn't there :)

I truly do miss it.  I'd move back to Poway in a heartbeat, I hear it and Rancho Bernardo are still pretty nice these days.  I remember the schools were really good, and that's pretty much been the driving factor behind everything these days....

Hey Jon, youre a zone 8 at least.  I still like discerning season to season.  In zone 8, I feel it almost blends together.  If I had my choice, zone 7b sounds good to me.  You still get a winter  fall and spring, but none of them is too harsh.  And 95% of the time, fig trees survive the winter outside too!

Still though, I have to admit, today when I shoveled a foot of snow off my driveway, SD sure did sound good.  25 and sunny most of the year?  I would take that.

 Cheers

Yes Jon 80 sounds great.
After growing up here i had it with cold weather and cold eveything let alone the snow.
Just waiting on my better half now to retire.
If i miss the snow or cold seasons i can always take the drive until i hit a cold state and get out of car get a good Shiver then turn right back around.
Personally im doggone tired of it.
Also it would be nice to grow my trees in a nicer climate along with everything else that it has to offer.
Now the wait.
So in the mean time you folks in the nice warm climates please keep the pictures coming so i can dream of what lies ahead hopefully.

I wish I could move the North American continent about 900 miles south so you people in subarctic climates and weather could grow not only figs but other sub tropicals without extreme arctic air mass !  Like a lot of people here I hate extreme cold!

I think we are zone 12 or something. I can always visit snow. It is much harder to get snow to go home when it visits you.

On the down side, I did have to water my yard yesterday. On the up side, ate a few figs, as well. They weren't bad for January.

Oh, did I mention the fresh, ripe bananas?

Jon,

Zone 12? Or more like cloud 9.

Too bad you have to go through so much trouble to see snow. I feel your pain.
Just exactly how far you have to drive to see snow?

We all have our advantages and disadvantages.

I simply sit next to my window and watch it fall while sipping hot cocoa.
What a beautiful sight.

Need snow!! It's making it's way East now. Got 12+ inches of dry snow. I checked on my little figs last night when I was filling the bird feeder. They are going great in the garage, but not a single fig popsicle to eat.

Caution everyone in the Northeast. The night between Sunday and Monday (Jan 24) will be a killer in some areas. Forecast for Ottawa is:

Mon

• -18°C  (on Monday)
• -27°C / -16.5F (Monday night)

Edit: Low forecast for Monday changed to -28C ( -18.4F)

Akram please stop sending down your artic blasts our way, it did not get above 5 degree's today but on the bright side its 3 above and will hold steady thru out the night.
Last night it was below zero and toasty in the house but cold in the garage for the figs.
Thanks !

Martin
Yes, I can turn off the Cold Generator but I have to drive an hour to Maniwaki which is Zone 3 in the following:
http://www.tdc.ca/gardencalendar.htm

(which is a link in the following fine website for info on Eastern Ontario
http://www.tdc.ca/farmgate.htm )

telling us that "In and around Ottawa there are five hardiness zones."
A narrow strip along the St. Lawrence River, Wolfe Island  and on Picton Island: 6a
Kingston and Belleville :  5b
Peterbough, Perth, Cornwall and Ottawa : 5a
Ste-Agathe, Pembroke, Haliburton : 4a
Maniwaki : 3b

(For reference, Kingston is closed to Watertown N.Y. and Ottawa is clos to Massena or Ogdensburg in N.Y.)

rafed, you sound like my brother in Tenn. He told me last week while it was snowing his wife kept looking at the window really depressed. He said if it snowed one more night he might have to let her in.

Haha. y'all enjoy it and keep it. 43 degrees in the balmy south.
"gene"

Well. last night it was -47F (Minus 47 Farenheit, temp not windchill). OK, it was in International Falls, not San Diego. Man, that is cold. Would make you feel like a flash-frozen steak.

Yes, Jon.
That will really freeze and crack every body's figs, protected or not !!

Gene, It's going down to 27 here, tonight.  It's supposed to be 29 in Houma.  I've got to go throw the sheets over the babies out front, I think.

noss

It is the coldest morning so far at 2°F, but with the windchill it -7°. Will be cold until  Monday at 1°F. This will be a good test of cold hardiness. a few figs were left unprotected in my area. My dad's Brooklyn white is 15'-20' tall, so was left unprotected this year again. 

It is freezing here in Toronto as well man I hate the cold. Ficus Afghanistanica from forestfarm was left outside until Jan.9th pot 3/4 buried brought it home that day and its as dry as a matchstick oh well there goes my Bonsai plan I had for it.