The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning in San Luis Obispo County from Monday to Tuesday morning. Temperatures dipped below 30 degrees in some inland areas, prompting local farmers to plan accordingly.
The National Weather Service cautioned that frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation.
Shane Lovell, with City Farm SLO, explained that low temperatures affect the water inside plant cells.
“The water in the leaves freezes, expands a little bit and shatters the cell well,” Lovell said.
According to Lovell, the extent of damage depends on each farm's location and the types of plants grown— since some are more cold-sensitive than others.
At City Farm SLO, they only plant tomatoes, zucchinis and cucumbers in the spring, knowing the winter frost will kill them at the end of the year.
“Whatever gets killed by the frost, that's the end of that plant for now– and then we plant it again in late winter,” Lovell said.
Meanwhile, San Miguel Olive Farm Owner Richard Meisler said he only plants olive trees that can tolerate low temperatures.
But even with cold-tolerant trees, Meisler said last night’s frost already caused the olives on his trees to wrinkle.
“We can't use them, and we're going to have to let them go,” Meisler said.
Besides scheduling plants around cold spells, local farmers use other methods to shield their crops and trees during frost, like using insulated greenhouses and covering plants with a blanket at night.
“Sometimes mother nature plays tricks with you, but you’ve got to weather the storm,” Meisler said.
