Frost wilt

[evelyn]

I got up this morning to a beautiful frost coverd garden, it look's rather magical.

But on closer inspection i have descoverd that both my sprouts and parsnips have wilted! this has never happend to me before as for the last few years (as long as i have been ish) Manchester has not realy had any frost just rain in the autum and it has been very mild.

Will they recover? or is my Christmas dinner going to be missing a few bit's?

Eve

[Odsox]

Parsnips benefit from a frosty spell, the leaves will die down in stages but the parsnips turn a lot sweeter.
Sprouts should recover without any problems, they are very hardy and can take many degrees of frost.
So either way, nothing to worry about other than when to eat all those sweet parsnips.

[Millymollymandy]

All winter veg might look a bit sorry for themselves when a frost hits them, but as soon as it thaws out they will perk up again. Just don't pick them when they are in that state. After all they are completely hardy and that means seriously cold in some places (down to -10C or -15C) but they will still be fine.

[Annpan]

I was thinking the same of my leeks, they look a bit sorry for themselves and some of them are so small anyway that it would be pointless picking them.

We had a full day frost yesterday and I expect the same today... it is awfully early in the year for that

[evelyn]

Thanks everyone,

It is lunch time now and they are looking much happyer.

I can't beleve how early the frost has come this year either, maybe we are going to get a propper winter this year insted of the prolonged autumn we have had the last few years.

Eve