Fruit, vegetable producers get steamed over Easter cold snap
BY LELAND ACKER STAFF WRITER

Easter cold snap brings snow l Chris Davis hurried outside Saturday as an Easter snow blanketed the area. He tried to cover his recently-planted tomato plants to save them from a possible freeze. Temperatures hovered around 33 degrees, and experts believe that most plants will survive.

East Texans were surprised to find snow falling on Saturday. While some enjoy walking in a winter wonderland, area farmers scrambled to protect this year's fruit and vegetable crops.

Cherokee County Extension Agent Jack White said the weather service recorded temperatures between 37 and 39 degrees, but noted that the accumulation of ice led him to believe the actual temperature was closer to freezing. The Web site www.weather.com recorded temperatures as low as 33 degrees in Rusk. Such weather had many farmers concerned their crops would not survive the weekend.

Wanda Guinn, owner of Guinn's Plant Farm, said the tomato plants, which were planted by her son, appeared to have survived the cold blast.

"If we don't lose the blooms in the next couple of days, they'll be fine," Mrs. Guinn said. "We sprayed them with anti-transparent to keep the heat in the leaves. They were too big to be covered with dirt."

Mrs. Guinn said the tomato crop was too large to cover.

Mr. White said a concern was fruit trees. Eastex Farms is a big fruit tree producer. Owner Barbara Bradshaw said their fruit trees were doing just fine.

"The weather didn't hurt them," she said. "There was no frost and the temperature wasn't cold enough."

Mr. White said the Slocum community, just east of Elkhart, experienced some accumulation. Never the less, Mr. White said the vegetable crops should have no problem and the full effect the snow would have on the fruit trees would be determined later this week.

He said the conditions were worse in the southern end of the county.

Weather.com's temperature reading of 33 degrees would be a record in Cherokee County. The previous record low for April 7, 36 degrees, was set in 1971.