Pretty soon, central Minnesota’s passing cold snaps will settle in for a solid stretch. This week’s overnights are wintry.
I had to bring in all of the remaining tomatoes from the vines. There are way to many to set on a windowsill to ripen, so I’m reusing some packing paper to help them get their blush on. I take them out of the wrap as they ripen, each in its own time.
I’ve been freezing cherry tomatoes. They will store that way for up to a year, although they will be more suitable for using in sauces. So far, we’ve been eating the oxheart tomatoes as they’ve grown, but now I’ll have to store some.
It’s probably not time yet to wrap the beehive for winter. Reflectix is a great solution for shorter periods of cold. I Gorilla taped shims to the inside of this diy wrap. That is to create air space, so that the Reflectix can act as a bit of insulation as well as a wind block. I use heavy duty Velcro at the edges to close it around the hive.
The bees are still at their birdbath during some days, so each morning, I make sure their water isn’t frozen.
Five-gallon buckets of water are helping to keep the greenhouse from freezing. I’ll be starting a small compost pile in there too, once I figure out where to place it. The peppers that are growing in there have been fooled, so far, about the season.
The garden has the usual fall mildewy leaves and wilting vines.
That always makes me sad. But the spaces that held the oranges and reds of pumpkins and tomatoes are filling up with the kinds of oranges and reds that accompany woodfire smoke and sweet treats. This season, like summer, is a blessing.
