After sweating and praying like crazy, plus pulling in six plus crates of tomatoes to seed (just in case), I went to bed, hoping for the best. I didn’t even get up at night to check. After all, the forecast of 35 F was pretty low and we’re usually 5 degrees lower than the forecast. I figured what happened would happen without me worrying about it or not. Well, I woke up this morning to no frost. Will had gotten up earlier than me and said the low last night was only 37 degrees. What a difference a few degrees makes!
Now I have all those tomatoes out there on the porch, just waiting for me. Today I’m storing away the seeds that have been drying, rinsing the next batch that have fermented and putting away the many half pints of salsa I made out of the last batch of leftover tomato pieces. Well, I’ve finally done enough salsa, so the next big batch, I’m turning into chili. When it’s so cold, all of a sudden, I start thinking about chili! I have plenty of beans and lots of tomatoes plus a few chile peppers too. I’m going to fill up that pantry (even on those shelves Will told me were not for food).
Our dry beans are starting to come on now. I have Iroquois, Crawford, and Chippewa, many already dry in the pods, with more varieties right on their heels. I’m sure hoping we don’t get that cold night on Saturday that they’re forecasting. After that, it’s due to warm up — Indian summer, I’m thinking. That will sure be a huge blessing for us in order to get our crops finished up. Come on sunshine!
— Jackie
I can relate, we had 37 this morning…I need about a month or more as the garden went in late. I have a system to cover tomatoes. It might be time.
We had 32 this morning! It only burned some leaves on the Hopi Pale Grey squash though. I checked all 6 of the gardens. We also need more time as some things were replanted and others, just slow, due to the crazy weather this year.
We had 32 one night but it was close enough to dawn so no damage in our corner of the Copper Basin Alaska. I hoping to get three more weeks in the green house and hoop houses. I’m hoping that we’ll make beets a c carrots beg enough to use. The last were planted almost a booth later than they should but getting the weed risomes out of the beds took to long in my hobbly state. Hope you have some luck on weather.
We had 32 this morning but it only damaged some of our squash leaves. Thank God!! We also need more time. Here’s hoping for an Indian summer!!
Looking at our wood stove with missing stove pipe. Really time to fix that stove pipe. But, on the other hand, we were threatened for a high of only 103 for yesterday. Tomorrow the high is to be in the upper 70’s. Fastening my weather roller coaster shoulder harness to help avoid whiplash! LOL Here is N. Central TX we have had a cooler (and wetter!) than normal summer. Makes one wonder what old man winter has in store for us.
Us too! We had our wood stove burning all day, with a cold, rainy wind blowing at 46 degrees F for a high. Brr.
Jackie, glad to hear it didn’t freeze on your garden! We’re having warm days cool nights, temperatures in the high 80s and lows at 50 to upper 40s. This area has had a horrible outbreak of gnats or fruit flies and elm beetles. Driving everyone nuts here! The beetles spray a noxious spray when threatened and stain fabric if squashed on it. Our cats won’t kill them, through they try for the gnats and eating them if they catch them. I can’t use spray on the blasted bugs because my husband reacts poorly to it. I’ve got two homemade traps set up and may do a third. These traps use water, apple cider vinegar, a couple drops of dish soap and I add jam to it. I use large soda bottles with the opening taped to a slit. Cut the bottle about 1/3 down and put it top side down. I catch hundreds of the things. And they still haven’t gone away. They hover on our back patio and in front of the garage. Why, I don’t know. The trash can is out front by the road and closed. All fruits and veggies are in the fridge. The kitchen trash has a lid as do our bathroom trash. We’ve litter box in the bathroom. But they love wet things like sponges and wash cloths. I’ve got to make new traps and I kill as many as I can with fly swatters. These annoy little monsters are still here! Everyone is complaining about them. Do you have any ideas about killing these little beasts? I’d appreciate any suggestions. Thanks 😺
Try leaving a bowl of water out with a few drops of dish detergent in it and see if that doesn’t attract and drown them. Worth a try anyway.
Prayed for you and all others to get crops in before freeze
Thanks so much! We have 2 more scary nights, then it’ll warm up. If we can just make it until those pass.
Dear Jackie,
Yes, crazy weather for sure. We have 94-degree high today and then by Saturday night, it will drop 40 degrees into the low 50’s. No frost: but it certainly is a quick drop and sure to cause the color change even more. It’s definitely chili weather and I have lots of canned tomatoes put away for all winter. I hope everyone out there has plenty stocked up. I’m sure glad you dogged the killing frost. Maybe we all will get that Indian summer.
Here’s hoping we do get that Indian summer!! We woke up to 32 degrees F this morning and that was a shock. We were “supposed” to get only 35. No big damage, though. Whew!!
37! Chili, wood stove. All this talk while we in muggy( unusual around here) evening lows70! Daytime mid 90’s to triple digits Fall crop of peas Were coming on great. Now have to wait and see. My dry beans are about half way. Still lots of green pods. Starting to dig potatoes and pulling onions that are dried tops to get them ready for harvest. My’4th of July’ corn is looking good better than the first batch. I’ve planted on the fourth now for several years and great results. See how this weird garden season goes. So happy for you escaping that freeze!! I did salsa yesterday. Rest will be ketchup or canned tomatoes. Silly me, as cleaning up the kitchen from salsa, I Found my garlic! Still waiting to be added to the kettle!! Of course the canner was just finished timing!!. Your salsa recipe is so good I’m hoping the missing garlic won’t taste. If it’s not the weather it’s always somethin else! Happy canning!
You can always mix some garlic into the salsa when you open a jar. Heck, we always find things after we are otherwise committed or else have bought another one. Too busy I guess. I’ve got chili in the canner right now.
We were down to 44 degrees which was cool enough. I’m harvesting and cleaning up the garden which is a slow process. My potato crop is poor compared to years past. Also a number of the dried onion bulbs developed soft centers and had to be tossed (I question fungus).I believe it is all due to the excess rain. We will still have more than enough as I usually plant more for contingencies. When you make chili do you use only ingredients you grow? I do love the fall.
Yes, we pretty much use what we grow in our chili. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, beef, beans and garlic. Plus a few spices. Our onions were great but smaller than normal. Haven’t dug potatoes yet as the vines are still green. We had 32 last night and that sure scared us. But everything’s pretty okay but for some freeze-burned squash leaves.
Is that a fern amongst the Hostas????? I live in NE Washington, so my ferns, after dieback, never make it through the winter. I would like to try your variety….maybe it will work here!
Thanks…for everything you do!!
Yes. I have to weed a few out every year or they’ll take over. They’re just wild ferns. They look like Ostrich ferns but aren’t as big.
Gorgeous hostage. I’m surprised they are in the sun. My sister grows hers under her 2nd story deck. Almost full shade.
Mine only get sun for about two hours a day. They’re shaded by the house on one side and the woods on the west. They seem to like it there.
We’ve been cool too. I’m not quite sure we’ll get what you call an Indian summer but it will be a bit warmer (day and night) after this weekend.
Chili sounds good truth be told. Perhaps it will be a special this weekend when we’re visiting the kiddo. I also enjoy a chili or taco stuffed potato.
Fingers crossed your weather behaves.
Shelves are like money – shelves are meant to be filled, money is meant to spent at some point in time.
I planted zuke seeds I purchased from you four growing seasons ago. Germinated and has a couple nice zukes I’ll harvest here soon.
May we all stock up to make it through these next three years.
Yep, my thinking. Plus, there’s a whole lot more that’s unstable, including the crazy weather. I’m canning chicken and the chili today while it’s 40 and raining outside. Brr. The wood stove’s heat sure feels nice today!