The FREEZE. Last week we not only had a frost, which we prepared for by covering all crops we could with plastic tarps, but it FROZE. At temperatures down to 27 degrees, plastic is not enough and all our frost-sensitive crops’ vines and stalks froze to death. I couldn’t sleep at night, knowing it was getting too cold. It seemed like I could hear my garden freezing to death. In the morning, I went out to see if maybe some of them had survived under the plastic. No such luck, other than the peppers in the hoop house that were severely burned but not killed. Corn, squash, cukes, melons, and tomatoes — all black and drooping. We knew the freeze was bound to come, so I’ve been canning like mad for a couple weeks, often more than one crop a day. But now that it came, the corn will soon turn to tough starch and be no longer edible, so every day I can corn, corn, and more corn. Plain corn, corn and peppers, corn and carrots, corn and peas and carrots, corn relish, corn salsa. Today I’ve got another batch husked and ready.
We were surprised a couple days ago. Will’s step-mother, Joyce, and her friend Janann were traveling across country in Janann’s RV and stopped for a visit. Will hadn’t seen Joyce in years and I had only talked to her on the phone. Not only did they visit us, which was wonderful, but they pitched right in with chores and canning! Now that’s company we LOVE!
But we couldn’t work them to death, so on their way East, we took a day off and took them for a quick tour of the Echo Trail, which runs roughly east and west along some beautiful wild lakes, through the Superior National Forest. We’d hoped for moose or bear viewings, but only saw a chipmunk! But we had a nice picnic lunch and great time, although all too short.
They went on East and we returned home.
The garden is droopy but oh-so-productive yet! We got a whole truckload of Hopi Pale Grey squash — mature, huge ones, too. And there’s probably another truckload of tomatoes. Mostly green ones as we were late this year, but they’ll ripen indoors in tubs. Of course we’re saving seeds and canning like mad as they ripen. We were blessed with a wonderful garden; I think the best I’ve ever had. Now we’re hustling to save as much of it as we can. — Jackie
Glad to you see did put mom in the blog! She had so much fun!! Maybe I will be able to get out there one day and visit with big bro and sis-in-law too!! I will be doing a paper on homesteading this quarter so will be using your info a lot! <3
Brenda,
Thanks for the tips. I WILL make the spiced apple juice and jelly. Mmmm sounds great!!! I’m a huge fan of cinnamon and then it’s good for us, too!
No frost yet here on the Wyoming/Montana state line however, the end of this week, if the forcasters are right, our garden will be done also. Will be putting our pannels up on the front porch to make our semi/greenhouse warm enough to keep tomatoes ripening. Not sure what to do about the hoophouses. May try to make it through with a propane heater to try to extent the lives of the plants in them. I purchased a Mehu-Liisa also and love it. Was given the great gift of picking apples (both crab and pie varieties) at a neighbors place and the first batch of pulp went to the chickens but second batch went thru the Victorio and is now making fruit leather for hunting packs. Thankyou so much for giving me the idea to make sauce out of the pulp leftovers from steaming for juice. Try making the spiced apple juice from the Mehu-Liisa cookbook it is wonderful tastes just like a baked apple made the juice into jelly it is like eating a baked apple on toast. Happy canning!
zelda,
We did cover our peppers and melons in the hoop houses, but they still suffered quite a bit of damage at 27 degrees. I’m sure covering them sure helped though and got us by a week with living plants.
Cindy,
We are plumping up our pantry after eating exclusively from it for the first three years we were here. Once plump enough, we’ll slow down on some crops as no, we don’t eat everything we put up one fall over winter. I try to keep two years worth of food in storage….just in case. You just never know.
Howard,
You might try some Hopi Pale Greys; they ripen very quickly here and we only have 90 frost free days. It sounds like we have about the same weather as you do! And the Hopis are much better tasting than acorns. We had bizzare weather this year too. One day it was 90 and the next, it frosted!
David,
We are planning on starting to sell a few of our favorite open pollinated seeds this winter, including Hopi Pale Grey squash, as we’ve had so many requests and it seemed like an easier way to go and cheaper for folks. Keep tuned to the blog and we’ll let everyone know after we’ve harvested seeds.
Rick,
Yes, that sounds good to me. Just don’t leave them too long and have them frozen! It’s happend to me. I’m tickled that your Hopi Pale Grey’s did so well for you as well as the Cherokee Purple. They’re some of our favorites in the garden.
I wondered how your garden was doing! I’m one zone south of you, and we got into the low 40’s. It’s been up and down all over the place. I even picked a few chickpea stalks just in case they froze. Those are in my “long-distance garden”, so I couldn’t get out there to cover them in a frost. They’re inside drying out right now, I’ve had pretty good luck during damp years bringing beans inside to dry as soon as they turned yellow, we’ll see if it works with the chickpeas.
Looking forward to the squash harvest. Mine isn’t as impressive as yours, but for only having 3 plants I think I did pretty good. Next year should be better, I have black plastic laid out so I can expand the garden. I’m hoping to eventually have 1/4 acre, with the rest of my land for orchard and wilderness.
Wow, that is a lot of tomatoes still on the vine! By next growing season, will you and Will have eaten all the stuff you are putting up now or do you put up for several years in case you have some bad gardening years?
I hate it happened so fast but man what a harvest you have got from it according to your blog. Our garden washed out in August and harvested onions and potatoes this year and that was it. Hubby planted turnips a couple weeks ago in preparation for the cooler temps. He loves thos turnips! We put eight bushel of potatoes in the cellar and four bushel of onions in the smokehouse. We’ll move them to the cellar when it first frost. It got down to 35* one morning this week. I love the cool weather of fall. Glad you were able to salvage some Jackie!
Have just had one gentle frost so far here but a big one is expected soon. This weekend we’ll be busy harvesting as much as possible. Too bad about your freeze Jackie but glad it’s been a great garden year for you! Always enjoy your pictures.
Here at kenny lake, alaska frost held off unusually late. The potatoes just froze a couple nights ago. All of out frost sensative stuff has to be in the hoop houses or green house. A tank top propane heater keeps our 12 by 24 hoop houses from freezing down to the mid 20s. The green house has a wood stove. I usually check the temp when I get up at night and start the heaters at 35. It was a weird year here too. Snow through mid may then suddenly 80’s and 90’s. Very dry until the last of August then lots of rain. Awful wet for digging potatoes. Wish I could grow hopi squash. We got all of 4 short season acorn types. The best year yet.
Good gardening
Howard
We had frost here Monday night and it killed all the tomato plants and most of the squash. Of course, now it’s back up to the 60s! I’ve been picking all the tomatoes I can.
Jackie, how can I obtain some of the Hopi Grey squash seeds for next year?? Are there any seed companies who grow this variety?? Thank you!!
Jackie and anyone else with a plastic covered hoop house, if you will cover the plants with floating row cover that is draped over some kind of frame – internal low hoops, a wire or wood frame – they will not blacken or freeze during temps in the mid 20s. See Eliot Coleman’s books on four season gardening for more information on using row covers in a hoop house. Gallon plastic jugs painted black and filled with water will warm up during the day and release the heat at night. My 6 mil greenhouse plastic accumulates a layer of ice on the inside that also provides insulation. I’m trying to keep my sweet potatoes going until October, too. They are planted in black plastic with an Agribon heavy frost blanket over them at night now. Maybe gallon jugs of water would help them too. Sometimes a few degrees makes a huge difference. In two days we also went from daytime temps in the low 90s to a freeze.
O the pain of losing things in the garden to cold nights. When we have so faithfully worked, tilled, weeded, harvested and canned and there is still a bounty out there, it just pains me and I assume all of us share this feeling…It happened here on Wednesday night in my valley. Thank God there are still the cabbage family crops, turnips, lettuce, collard greens, red beets and such to grow a while longer. After the foliage was killed I found my Hopi Pale Grey squash were even more abundant in their production than I had hoped. I have 30 mature ones and many are big in the 15 to 20 pound range. As I have never grown them before I am planning to store them in my barn for a week or two, temps permitting, until they have cured some more before canning and storage. Does this seem like a sound plan??? I found some small green ones and have been frying them after a dip in egg and corn meal as we would summer squash. I think they are so good and they remind me somewhat of a fried sweet potato. Normally we would have had about 2 or 3 more weeks before killing frost….My Cherokee Purple tomatoes have been great too and large often a pound or more, more than big enough to fill a slice of bread for a yummy sandwich, and they can up great too. Everyone who tries them have asked where I learned of them and I refer them to your blog. Bless you dear friends. Rick
I have several boxes of old bedspreads that I use to cover plantings when frost is forecast. So far I’ve had pretty good luck with using them. We have not had a frost warning yet this year even though 9/15 is not unusual frost date here. We always cover our sweet potatoes and try to keep them growing thru the first week or two of October. Doesn’t always happen.
Love the smiling faces in the kitchen! That is really neat that Will’s step mom stopped by for a visit.
I feel your garden pains, ours looks rough as well. Such a weird year for gardens up here in Minnesota. We went from scorching weather to a freeze in just a few short days. Gardening is such an adventure, you never know what your going to have from year to year. I love your energy, you inspire others so much!
Love Holly
Yes, your garden looks sad but look what it gave you!! This was not my best garden (boo hoo) so I am looking forward to next year. I already have mini plans in my head how to make it better. I might as well face it and accept, I am on my own in the garden from now on. Due to hubby’s health he wouldn’t be out there weeding etc. Tractor work yes, but no more manual labor. So I feel better already that God is working in my heart to accept these changes in life. I also have to learn to pace myself since I’m not a spring chicken either.
Now to clean this garden out while I finish canning is a full time job. I am canning lots of grape juice. Yes, the juicer is wonderful! So much easier and a better tasting juice with no pulp. And it’s a darker purple color. Thank you for sharing about your juicer!
Now I need to get that garden cleaned out and start all over for next year. thanks for all the inspiration you give and your readers too!
Such a bittersweet time of year! I love your photos! We are a bit south of you (near Cloquet) and have, thus far, only had a couple of mild frosts but it is coming!
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