We had light frost this morning. I covered my eggplant that continues to flower and set fruit even with all the chilly rain the past week. If you can keep things going, the extended looks very mild with highs here back in the mid 70Fs and lots of sun. Only problem now is the noticeable shorter days.

It says 33 at the airport tonight, but what with the higher elevation, the trees and the houses, here we are usually 5 degrees up. So I guess no frost in most of the Detroit area except in very few open low spots. The Thumb and higher latitudes will probably frost. I am bringing in my 30 houseplants today, though. They are green and shiny and ready to spend a winter in semi-darkness. Incredible what a shovelful of compost a year, partial sun for four months and water can do for them.

Yes, I think it's been the lack of sun that's slowed down the garden more than the temperatures.

A month ago, I couldn't turn my back on a green bean for a day without it turning into a huge swollen monster. Now I say, "I'll come back tomorrow," and the next day I say it again.

Ah, I'm just going to risk it. They say 35-39 tonight, with some clouds and winds. Frankly getting sick of hauling houseplants in and out, most of them, if they were to go, well, meh.

I've rushed out to throw sheets and towels on tender plants a couple of nights when possible frost was forecast. I'll probably do it again when temps dip into the mid 30s this week. The hard freezes will come soon enough.

37 at the airport, 40 here. And now a solid week of sun, with saturated soil, to fatten those winter greens.

Sun would be good. I figure the greens can fend for themselves, but some sun might hasten the ripening of the remaining summer crops, which are still standing.

34 here this morning with frost on some sweetpotatoes leaves but most things ok or a bit wimpy today.

Frost here in NW Wisconsin the last 2 nights, still have got those darned squash bugs lurking out there though.

Drat - I was hoping frost would kill them - the nymphs. Is your squash still alive?

My cukes got wiped a couple of weeks ago with 2 nights in a row of light frost, along with the tomatoes. My beans, zukes, and peppers made it. But, the last 2 nights I had heavy frost, enough to freeze the birdbath water. My bell peppers look bad, and my zukes got wiped something serious, so I harvested all I could, and pulled them. My jalapenos are still lookin good, along with my pole beans. Who'd have thought beans and jalapenos would tolerate 4 frosts?!?!

Thankfully, no insects other than aphids and slugs this year. I want to thank the birds for that, although I don't know for sure, but I am pretty positive they helped me out, despite munching on some seedlings.

Joe

Incredibly, they are calling for 39 tonight in central Mississippi! The cooler temps feel wonderful, and my late crop of tomatoes are just beginning to ripen. Picking beans and cowpeas two or three times a week. Okra daily. Will pick the first greens tomorrow. Could have last week.
Now is when we enjoy the rewards for enduring our hot summers. Lord willing, we won't be done with most summer crops for another month or more. Not gloating. Just saying...

49 for a low here in SE Georgia. One degree above a record low. BRRR! The cold came quickly this year. We have been picking pole beans lately. I planted lima beans for the first time and just 8 plants have over 100 flowers. When we lived in Vero Beach,Florida I used to cover at every frsot warning. Seemed like a Chinese fire drill to me. Most of the time it didn't frost. Covered plants here for a few years and quit. If it needs to be covered, I don't want it.

The forecast keeps changing, but the latest is 31 for tomorrow night. Urk.

It was 38 Sunday and Monday here in the upstate of SC. That is very unusual for the first of Oct. here. We also set records for high temps this summer. They are calling for frost tonight in the higher elevations. I'm about 25 miles from the mountains of SC, so I should be OK.