Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in The Garden!

[bobm]

Then there was FROST ON THE PUMPKIN this morning ! First one of the season . Went outside just before 6 am and the plants had this white stuff all over them. I went past the cars and ran my finger over the roof and found ice there as well as all of the windows. Mere minutes later, I looked at the weather underground site, that has their weather station just a mile from here and it reported 40 degrees.

 

[digitS']

The weather underground has all sorts of volunteers with their online "weather stations" (along with the government sites).

I'm not sure about the station at the middle school nearest my garden. It isn't a middle school this year!

I forget what the school board called it: rolling the dice, I think :/. Anyway, they are in process of eliminating their middle schools and consolidating. I doubt if it has anything to do with a decreasing population - saving $, I guess.

So, the school is only used by the music department for awhile. How that could possibly save $ in the short run, I have no idea. Without the "science guy" there - who is monitoring the weather station?? . . . . The Department of Transportation has information online about the same distance away, including "road temperature" . The "Temp." always seem too high during daylight hours . . . I think they've also got that thermometer too close to the pavement!

Steve

 

[bj taylor]

that's a beautiful pumpkin! I bought some pretty pumpkins - does that count?

I threw out what seeds I had for cover crops a few days ago. the buckwheat is coming up, i'm waiting for the red clover & hoping for some oats to come up. if any of it can get some tops before freeze, it'll all be good.

 

[digitS']

Abso-TOOT-ly, BJ. That is where this 48# beauty went - somebody bought it .

I was surprised what it went for :

Double sawbucks!

Steve
edited to ask: oh hey, BJ, can you relate how you grew a cover crop of oats early in the tomato growing season and then pulled those oat plants for use as a mulch???

 

[digitS']

And, now what with a wheelbarrow load of pumpkins that remain, some still in the garden under frost-killed vines -- DW says "pie." I can only remember using a pumpkin, rather than a squash, in a pie one time, just as an experiment. These aren't "pie pumpkins;" they are jack o'lantern pumpkins! Pie? Am I in trouble here?

I have a recipe for Butternut Bevy Soup that I used the last time I grew butternut squash. That was real good. Rich but real good! I've used another creamed squash soup recipe (or just winged it). There is also a Pumpkin, Bean & Sausage Soup that I haven't used since way back when .

These things will have to go in the freezer if I make very many. What would you do?

Steve