I can't believe the date when I write this, but we really just had our first hard frost this week. It is so very late for us, I can't remember it ever even going into October, let alone this far! The result was that during this busy month of activity and travel, I got a bit of a grace period at the end for getting the garden in. Monday was a scramble of pulling up and out and in as much as we could manage before the frost really hit.
Though there is still so much more to be done, the first real frost like that surely puts the brakes on the whole endeavor and slows it down at least. I still have garlic to get in and the beds could use some cleaning up and putting to bed, and of course the frost hardy goods are still out there for the taking!
Beets, which seem to always do so well for me, were great this year. And carrots too, though that's not as common (I have such germination trouble with them). This year, I'm trying to store them in cardboard boxes in layers of damp sawdust, and then storing those into the coolest part of our basement. I'm hopeful that this method will find me enjoying those root veggies longer than usual. Someday, a proper root cellar will happen, but for now, improvisation is working!
Has frost hit your neck of the woods? Is your garden season wrapping up too? I'm always reluctant to say goodbye to it at the end of the season (May planting seems so far off!), but it's a hopeful thing too. Oh, that reminds me! Time to order some more daffodils.
