Attention @thistlebloom

[digitS']

Did I get up and go out in the dark to protect the garden?
No.
Somebody must have turned the gravity up under the couch, because I knew I couldn't possibly struggle out of it to do my garden duty..!

Okay, you have been granted another chance.

The Weather Service says Sandpoint will have lows of 35°f Tuesday and 33° Wednesday.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Whew! I feel really lucky so far this season, but I'm being proactive now!
I picked the last of the peppers, except one bush of jalapenos to see if they'll red up, and all of the ripe and almost ripe tomatoes. Then got the frost blankets on. Could be that all those green tomatoes will end up as ripe ones this year. Thanks for the heads up Steve.

 

[digitS']

Weather forecast changed abruptly today, @thistlebloom . Today's gusty wind wasn't predicted last night. With so much air movement, frost is possible under clear skies as the wind dies away.

I think I'm okay here. The neighbor has the irrigation turned off for the final cutting of alfalfa. He's late but I don't have water to turn on for frost mitigation. I do have water for the dahlia garden but the forecast is 38° - so, here's hoping!

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

I've already seen some damage in the kids garden, the tops of the cosmos got nipped, and the corn looks a little burned.

My tomatoes are all fine except for where they were sticking out between the two frost blankets I wrapped around the cattle panel they are growing against. Stayed pretty quiet and indoors today with a bad headache, so the final picking and cleanup I planned didn't happen.
Hopefully we'll eke a few more days out of the season.

 

[seedcorn]

Corn burnt? Tops dying? If so, anthracnose top kill.

 

[digitS']

One year I made two, final pickings .

The first was unnecessary but I really felt that the second was a reward. It was gravy on the season of growing and harvesting.

Usually, a final picking feels more like a lot of work. Clean up can be leisurely.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Corn burnt? Tops dying? If so, anthracnose top kill.

Anthracnose? Are there other symptoms? I thought it was a result of frost since the flowers and some of the tomato tops were wilted and frosted looking also.
I haven't watered the corn for over a week, or anything in the garden for that matter, and was thinking that the slight dehydration, together with the sudden temp drop would do that.
I don't know anything about anthracnose...it sounds like a bad thing to have tho'.

 

[seedcorn]

No. Gives appearance of frosted corn. Nothing you can do about it. Usually hits when plant is close to maturity then you get heat and dry weather. IF other plants show frost damage, then it could be frost. In commercial corn it will affect test weight and over all yield.

 

[digitS']

Dang.

The Weather Underground station at the school a couple miles from one garden has 32ºf right now.

The Weather Service hit it on the nose with their prediction for 38º but it's 30º in Sandpoint and 21º in Cheney! Shoot, to think I once imagined myself retiring to that little college town ...

If'n it's going to be a little cooler tonight, I better find out about getting that water hooked back up.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Yeah. There was a little ice on all the animals waters this morning, but the lawn wasn't crunchy.
My cheapo window thermometer in the west window read 32 at 7ish, and the remote in the east facing covered entry said 38. I haven't really trusted that remote thermometer all summer. Should probably replace it with something more accurate.