So we put up a bunch of Wall o’ Waters and their generic equivalents. These are the connected circle of tubes made of thick plastic that are filled with water and set up around a plant to warm the soil and thus extend the growing season. We put them around 6 tomatoes. So far so good. Now it’s getting warmer and the tomatoes are getting larger, so we’ll want to get the cages on before too long so we won’t damage the roots by waiting.
So my questions, unanswered by the more-or-less English and less-than-helpful literature included in the packaging:
Is there much of a chance of a freeze still happening in your area? If not, then take them out. Wall o waters are essentially a protection against freeze damage. Its a long story, but in essence they absorb the cold before the plant does.
If you are past the point of freeze damage, get rid of them. The extra sunshine they get will more than offset the damage cold will have on them.
The other thing is, if your plant extends above the walls then they won’t offer much radiational freeze protection (the frost we get here occur because of it). So, your tops will freeze off, but the stems would be fine.