the 10 pm headlamp run (let's skip it this year)
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It's October, and the nights here in Central Oregon have that bite to them now. You know the feeling: crisp mornings, chilly evenings, shorter days, and plants that have slowed waaay down. Which means the first frost is coming, whether I'm ready or not. (Usually not. I watch the forecast like a freakin' meteorologist and have STILL ended up in the garden at 10 pm with a headlamp, throwing covers over my tomatoes.) So this year I'm getting ahead of it. I wrote up the seven things I do in early fall so the cold doesn't catch me (or you) off guard: ​The First Frost Warning: How to Prep Your Garden for Cold Nights​ A couple of them tend to surprise people. Like watering your beds the day before a freeze. Sounds backward, I know, but moist soil soaks up more of the sun's heat during the day and releases it at night, keeping the air around your plants a little warmer. Pair that with frost cloth and you've got a cheap, simple, surprisingly effective setup. Another one: topping your tomatoes about three weeks before your first frost date. Any flower blooming now won't become a ripe tomato in time, but the plant will keep feeding it anyway. So snip the tips, pinch the flowers, pull the tiny green fruit, and the plant pours everything into the tomatoes that can still make it. The post also covers what to harvest before frost (and which crops taste sweeter after one), how to pot up herbs for your windowsill, and the real difference between a frost advisory and a freeze warning.
Seasonal tipsP.S. If you only do one thing this week, look up your average first frost date and count back three weeks. That's your tomato-topping day. The rest of the checklist is right here. P.P.S. Want to remember this year's first frost (and every other date your garden cares about)? My Ultimate Garden Diary is a customizable planner and log you can use year after year. |
Garden Betty
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