Frost On

Dateline: 11 October 2016 AD
(click pictures to see larger views)

Frost on kale.
Frost came to Upland last night. It is normal for this time of year. The first frost kills off less hardy vegetables, and then we typically have a period of time (days or weeks) that are frost free. So it makes sense to cover any of the less hardy vegetables that you want to last a little longer.

Frost on lettuce.

Our concern was tomatoes and peppers. Marlene harvested all her peppers last night, while I covered the tomato trellis...


No frost on the tomato trellis.

That tomato trellis has been remarkably productive this year. It is the same trellis I showed in This YouTube video. Painter's drop cloths, occultation cover plastic, tire sidewalls, and clothespins. Whatever it takes. The tomatoes will live!

Frost on mustard.
(a cover crop)
Frost on field peas.
(another cover crop)
Frost on parsley.
(oat cover crop in background)
Frost on strawberry.
Frost on Carrots.
Frost on comfrey.

9 comments:

  1. No frost in northern West Virginia yet but we did drop to 37°F yesterday morning. Won't be long.

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    Replies
    1. Enjoy it while it lasts.

      Do you get much snow in northern West Virginia?

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  2. Frost up our way last night but it was the second hard frost we've had. And I surely do love your pics. Living vicariously this year.
    And for what it is worth, tell the Lovely Marlene that I envy her the industrious mate she married. I love my mate but one must accept others the way they are for surely they do not change and thus I have been making do all these years. Twenty two of them to be exact and on Sunday will be the anniversary of our first date/meeting since it was a blind date.
    Faithfully,
    Pam

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  3. I agree with Pam, I love the pictures. Makes me want to start quoting James Whitcomb Riley . . . . . . "When the frost is on the punkin', and the fodder's in the shock . . . . . . . "

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    Replies
    1. It would have been nice to have "frost on pumpkin" for this post, but I didn't grow any pumpkins this year. :-(

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  4. Elizabeth L. Johnson said,
    What can I say. I live in the most peculiar, amazing area. Because our mountaintop (1,500 ft. elevation)is in a temperate zone, aka banana belt, most years we get no frost up here. Down at the bottom is another story. I have brand new onions, beets, and carrots coming up. The beans, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes are basking in the fifties at night and eighties by day. My daughter lost her whole garden to frost a few days ago in central Oregon, elevation 3,000 ft. What can I say??? We are definitely spoiled here on Johnson Mountain!!

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    Replies
    1. Well, that's pretty special.

      I Googled "banana belt" and read the Wikipedia entry. I learned something new today. Thanks.

      P.S. I guess that's how you are able to grow Eureka lemons.

      Delete
  5. Well now I had to look up "banana belt" also and found that my aunt and uncle's place in Buena Vista, CO is in one - who would have ever known?

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