October 10, 2018
October is the beginning of what we call the holiday season. I guess we need excuses to dress up and party during the bleakest time of the year. Just because it's cold and rainy weather doesn't mean the gardening is done though. Gardeners find lots to do in the winter time, besides sitting in the greenhouse listening to it rain. In between cloud bursts we rake leaves, and try to store some for the summer. We get to attack some of the overgrown spots and poke around in the planting areas. Poking around is one of my favorite things to do..
It's like engaging in your environment without committing to any activity. Finding some bare earth leads us over to the compost pile for a bucket load of black gold. The vines that got ignored all summer because there were better things to do, now get our attention. We find areas that need clean up that can become new planting zones, and we find messy spots that were hidden from our view by the abundance of producing crops. As the garden becomes more barren we wax philosophical, making untold comparisons to the cycles of life..
October 11, 2018
We have a patchy frost advisory in effect. That means your neighbor can get a frost and you won't. Micro climates are common in rural areas because the coldest air flows down hill, around hills and large bodies of water, and causes a freeze as it flows. The thermometer on our deck registered 45ð one morning but there was frost in the garden. It's hard to believe that the height of the measuring device can be that critical..
We must also be getting reflected heat off the house, and a reduction in air flow. It's a shame that even if we get four more weeks of fair weather, the frost damage is done, and all the summer crops begin to die. I'm looking at you bush bean row. I need to cover it tonight because there are tons of baby beans ready to ripen..
October 12, 2018
Well the beans survived last night's frost under a sheet of plastic, draped over an eight foot long 2x4 that was resting on top of two 5 gallon buckets. It's a redneck mini greenhouse row cover. The frost was a mild one and didn't affect the squash, tomatoes or corn, but tonight's forecast is a freeze warning, which has significantly more damage potential. The evening temperatures for the next three days are in the low 30's so I didn't even bother to take the plastic off the beans. I just opened up the ends so air could flow through and I'll close them up at night..
They will enjoy the warmer daytime temperatures too. Putting an empty garbage can over one of the tomato towers would be a good idea too. Extending the harvest into November might be possible. The zucchini are too big to cover but the cold nights will probably stop production even if the plants don't get burned..
