Cold night a "warm up" for more freezes ahead
Reporter: Craig Smith
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - It may not be the hardest of hard freezes, but if you still have plants that are flowering -- and you want to keep them -- there are some things you can do.
A lot of people turn to Mesquite Valley Growers for advice on how to keep plants healthy. Late Sunday afternoon, they felt like it will be just warn enough so their plants will be okay, but they have some advice if you want to be extra cautious.
Jon Childers from the nursery says, "If you're nervous about it, cover it."
At Mesquite Valley Growers they say this early cold snap is a good time to prepare for deeper cold. You don't want to cover plants with plastic.
KGUN9 reporter Craig Smith asked Childers: "So you want something breathable and if it's touching you're probably going to have thermal pass-through?
Childers: "You're going to have pass through where it's touching. One of the more important plants tonight or in the next couple nights as we get colder is tomatoes. A lot of people grow a fall tomato and that's the plant we don't want to freeze."
But how about keeping yourself warm?
That's where your furnace comes in.
Tucson Fire Captain Barrett Baker says if you've fired up the furnace for the first times in months you may think something's burning.
"That could be some of the dust that's left over that's accumulated over the last several months without being used."
But don't hesitate to call if you think something is on fire.
It also important to make sure there's nothing close to your furnace that could catch fire--items like paint you may have piled near the furnace during warmer times of the year.
The fire you welcome in your house---the one in the fireplace---needs care to stay in the fireplace. Keep the screen closed to keep sparks from getting loose.
Keep the damper open or smoke will go through your house, not up the chimney.
Later, let the ashes cool and put them in a closed metal container and move it at least ten feet from anything flammable.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.