Wednesday, October 16, 2024

First Freeze

The temperature was 22F on my outdoor thermometer, which may be a degree or two low, and the bird bath (shallow platter with water) was frozen solid. Yep, it was our first freeze. 
The frostiness is lovely. Earlier I harvested the remaining carrots, which are perfectly imperfect, 

and taste so crunchy and sweet. Delicious!
A final frosty photo

Monday, October 7, 2024

A Minnesota Desert?

A beautiful morning! I'm not sure what to do...Keep covering everything? Clean it all up? We're living in a desert-like environment with no rain (note the brown lawn). The days get warm, the nights get cool, and we'll have some nights of frost with no freeze in the forecast. We've had one frost, but a lot has survived. My two rain barrels are drying up. I'm going to focus on keeping my perennials, shrubs, and new tree hydrated to survive winter. I enjoy this weather, because it cools off so nicely at night for good sleeping and it doesn't get so hot so I can work longer outside in the garden longer. Climate change is bad, of course, but it's keeping Minnesota temperatures a little more moderate. The lack of precipitation is a problem, though, and I'm wishing I had yet another rain barrel.