First Frost - Good-bye Garden

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October 2009

First Frost - Good-bye Garden

Today it snowed like crazy. Some global warming! I’m with physicist Freeman Dyson on that one.

For the past two days, while there has been no frost, everything is beginning to die. It makes me sad because I wanted more time to enjoy it and I didn’t accomplish all the things I wanted to. But at least the bones and hardscape of the garden are there so I can get a big early jump in the spring.

Zinnia blossoms turned brown while the leaves remained green for the past two day. But last night’s cold temps turned the leaves grayish brown. Tithonia is shriveling; cosmos is disappearing.

But Love-Lies-Bleeding is looking marvelous and beginning to cascade. I will definitely plant it again and again, plus more of the showy amaranths. I cut several long stalks and brought them inside to enjoy.

Dug the Florence fennel. Now I have to cut off the feathery tops and store both in the fridge to eat within a week. I’ll see if I can freeze it. As it turns out, I have a nice boneless pork roast waiting to be cooked and I just found a recipe online for roast pork and fennel. I’ll make it tomorrow.

The garden will die tonight. All that’s left to eat is the rainbow chard and one pumpkin. I’ll start to clean it up tomorrow.

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