Three weeks early

Three weeks early

We are getting a taste of winter this week.  And it isn’t early for a frost.  Mid October is typical for a first frost.  But this isn’t a frost it’s a freeze.  Not just a freeze but a HARD FREEZE (28 or below).  Our average first hard freeze date is November 7th.  This kind of cold is here three weeks early.

It will certainly be the end for the pole beans and the peppers, which is fine and to be expected.  But I’m worried about some of our cold hardy crops, too.  Freezing can make broccoli and turnips pithy.  It can damage lettuce leaves.  It wont kill the plants, but it may destroy the eating quality.  Especially when cold weather comes quickly, without giving plants time to adapt.  We will know in a few days.

Getting ready for the cold

Yesterday we spent the day harvesting and getting ready for the cold.  We disconnected and drained waterlines.  We took the shade cloth off the greenhouse, turned on the blower to inflate the walls, and tested the heater.   I put a new light bulb in at the well.  All the sweet potatoes are stowed in the warm tomato room.  Except the ones that are still in the ground.  I had wanted to dig them Monday but the rain over the weekend made that impossible.  So they are covered with a frost blanket with the hope that it will protect any exposed tubers from freezing.  We covered up the lettuce, too.  I might put another layer of row cover on before the extra cold night tonight.

The waiting is the hardest part

The not knowing is agonizing.  There are so many things that impact a plant’s ability to withstand the cold.  How healthy the plant is, the duration of the cold, the soil temperature, the wind chill, the humidity…  Should we have covered more?  Harvested more?  Is the frost cloth even going to make a difference?  There is no way to know until it happens.  Wish us luck.

Small Shares

• Rattlesnake Pole Beans
• Beets
• Green Butter Head Lettuce
• Radishes
• Green Cabbage
• Purple Kohlrabi

Full Shares

• Broccoli or Cauliflower
• Beets
• Green and Red Butter Head Lettuce
• Green Cabbage
• Purple Kohlrabi
• Kale