The asparagus is gone, the corn is at risk, and the greenhouses are quiet.

Last week’s cold, gray weather in the area brought gardening to a near-halt and caused concern for farmers.

“There hasn’t been any asparagus to pick. Anything above the ground has died,” said Karen Pendleton of Pendleton’s Country Market, east of Lawrence. “We just need some sunshine and some warmer temperatures.”

The potato plants at Cathy Mowery’s farm north of Lawrence in Jefferson County were about 6 inches high before frost zapped them.

“It looked like somebody set them on fire,” Mowery said. “They were just brown and droopy.”

Mowery, who has a booth at the Lawrence Farmers Market, said it was too early to tell whether any of the potatoes would survive. Her beets, turnips and sugar snap peas weren’t harmed.

At Vinland Valley Nursery near Baldwin, foot traffic has been slow. But co-owner Amy Albright said she expected people to make up for it once the weather gets nicer.

Bill Wood, a local extension agent, said a frost or two didn’t necessarily hurt corn plants this time of year. But the longer corn sits in cold, damp soil, the greater the potential for rot.

“Is what’s happened so far going to hurt our yield? Probably not if we have some warm weather soon,” he said. “But if we go another week being cold and kind of damp, then I’d be real concerned that our corn is getting hurt.”

Pat Ross, who lives northeast of Lawrence, looks over some of his corn that has been affected by the recent frost and cold weather. Ross examined his fields on Friday. A late cold snap is taking a toll on plant life in the area.

On April 23 there was a record-low temperature of 26 degrees. As the week went on, the temperature never topped 65 degrees.

A frost advisory was again in effect this morning.

Local forecast 6News video: Farmers Market opens to frosty weather

Although the threat of frost usually passes by mid-April, 6News meteorologist Jennifer Schack said the late frosts weren’t unprecedented. The latest reading of 32 degrees in the area is May 6, a record set in 1944.

“This is about as cool as it ever gets this time of year,” 6News meteorologist Matt Sayers said.

Sayers said the cool weather likely would continue until midweek.