User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Autumn -- changing temperatures, sunrise, etc.

I brought in the first of many container plants inside yesterday -- the tropicals that can't take what, to me, feels like wonderfully crisp mornings. As usual, this involves repotting and some pruning, and pruning is inevitably accompanied by at least a pot or two of cuttings on the heat mat. (jasmine, chenille plant, trifoliate orange, and geranium... so far :wink:).

This morning, it's slightly after 6AM now and I was checking to see if I set the timer right -- outside is still dark and I want the lights to turn on when it's starting to get light outside. Well, the lights hasn't turned on yet, and it's still grey-ish out there so I think it will be OK -- I'll go check again after coffeee -- and dark enough in here that I had to turn the kitchen light on to see by.

6AM! In the summertime, I was outside puttering around by 5:30AM. Yeah, autumn is almost here....

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

yup... it's dark when I get up these days and I'm busy drying/ distilling herbs, canning stuff, freezing stuff... It's fall.

User avatar
tomf
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3233
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 8:15 am
Location: Oregon

Someone said the days are getting shorter, I said no they are just as long, the sun is just not up as much. :lol: :wink:

User avatar
Halfway
Green Thumb
Posts: 600
Joined: Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:48 am
Location: Northern Rockies

We had overnight freezing temps for a couple days and the last of the garden is on life support. I love this time of year for the crisp breezes and putting the garden to bed. The last of the containers are still on the porches gobbling as many photons as they can get.

Gonna be seed catalog time before we know it!

8)

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Overnight forecast was "low to mid 30's with frost warning"

DD's and I harvested what we could, dug up and brought inside what we could, and found rooms for the containers around the house and in the garage. We covered two of the beds, and I put a bucket over a basil plant that I want to have finish making seeds and covered the oregano which I didn't get to harvest at the last minute.

-- well, @6:45AM, my porch thermometer read 28.9°F. So I guess that's it. :(

Now, I jus have to wait for sunrise to assess the damages. I guess this weekend is cleanup.

Ironically, forecast for tomorrow is 70's/60's :roll:

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Yes fall is definately here. The garden is just aout cleaned up except for a few sturggling tomatoes one pepper plant and some volunteer garlic. I'm going out this morning to get some free maure, I hope they are there to load. Need to ammend the beds and get garlic in.

Time to move the garden indoors. I aslo still have a bunch of lettuce, arugula, spinach etc. growing in pots on the driveway.

Just hear on the news the other day that our average first hard freeze is Oct 20. It will warm up a bit after that though.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Well, I went out for a walk-around. Solid hard frost on the front lawn as expected. The dwarf nectarine's lush leaves yesterday are totally limp and frozen.

Picked some frozen green tomatoes and baby Tromboncinos that were missed, sampled some red ripe, icy cold Matt's Wild Cherry tomatoes that I had no intention of picking any more, then harvested a good handful of frosted cilantro (which will recover I think).

Came inside with frozen handsful, and made a bowl of guacamole with this morning's bounty and yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, jalapeño, etc. that were harvested yesterday. Used one of my mom's trifoliate orange for the juice. It was excellent -- the baby Tromboncino added a nice nutty flavor and softer crunch texture vs. the peppers -- and I practically ate the whole bowl before remembering the chips. :lol:



Return to “What Doesn't Fit Elsewhere”