Beets

We have a major storm coming in tonight, followed by very cold temperatures.  So I figured it was time to harvest the beets.  I had just one row, and many of them were very small, but I pulled them all up and I'll can them tomorrow.   I guess next year I'll plant my fall crop a couple of weeks earlier.

I also pulled about half a row of carrots, because they'll be too hard to pull when the soil freezes.  I still have two rows in the ground, but I'm hoping they'll handle the freeze o.k.

Pizza Night

Broccoli, zucchini and pesto.

Silver Falls

Andrew, Janine and Sydney were visiting for Thanksgiving and requested a trip to Silver Falls State Park, so off we went.  It turned out to be a lot colder than any of us expected, probably near freezing, and many parts of the trail were too icy to walk on, so we did a short hike.  But it was beautiful.

Asparagus

The asparagus fronds are all brown, so I decided it was time to cut them off.

Before:

 After:

There were a few weeds among the stalks, but not bad.  All of the roots that I planted came up, but some were a lot heartier than others.  I hope they all make it through the winter.

Big Freeze

We've just entered the first real cold snap of the season.  Tonight the forecast is calling for it to be 19 degrees.  The only things I'm really worried about are my two new citrus trees.  I've wrapped the pots in bubble wrap.  Then I set a tomato cage around each one and covered it with plastic.  I stapled it in place, except for the top, which is just clipped.  I can open it during the day if it's sunny so they don't cook.

The dahlias have finally frozen, as have many of the wildflowers and cosmos which re-seeded themselves.  The broccoli and cauliflower are still fine, and so are the rows of carrots, beets, chard, and kale.   I think the peas are done.

Back Home

We've returned from our Hawaii cruise, and things are still rather fall like.  I had expected to find winter, but the rains were gentle.

The little paper bark maple in front still has some red leaves on it.

The squash is finished, but the peas still look great.

There's a nice big head of broccoli, as well as two large heads of cauliflower and one more small one coming.

The salad greens, chard, and kale are also looking good.

The strawberry keeps trying, but most of the berries get moldy before they're ripe.

I picked a handful of red raspberries, and the Prime Ark blackberry is producing fruit, and it's still blooming.  This is exciting, because it really will stretch the berry season once it's established.