By Clint Thompson
Monday night’s sub-freezing temperatures in South Georgia impacted the region’s vegetable crop production. The effect of the impact varies from crop to crop, according to Tim Coolong, associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He discussed the early-season freeze event, which impacted crops planted in the summer and fall.
“I think we’re for the most part okay. Maybe some growers in South Georgia had some warm season fall crops that were maybe hanging on a little bit, and obviously this freeze finished those off,” Coolong said. “With that said, those crops would have been pretty much towards the end any way. Then of course all the cool season crops that were planted in the fall, they’re good to go.
“Maybe (the freeze) was a few days early. When I was in Tifton, many years we would have our first freeze right around Thanksgiving, so maybe we’re a week or two early this year.”
The first freeze event in South Georgia varies from year to year. While this week’s sub-freezing temperatures definitely ended the fall vegetable season, most growers were likely already done and moved on, Coolong noted.
“Some years we would get a decent freeze around Thanksgiving and then in other years, it’d be Christmas time before we got anything approaching a freeze. It’s real hit and miss this time of year,” Coolong said. “In those years where it stayed warm, most of those growers were finished long before their crop froze out.
“Unless prices are really high in a particular commodity, by this time of year, they’re ready to rip that stuff out anyway and start laying plastic for spraying.”