Frost is a weird thing. I got back in town late yesterday, and before I went to bed I checked the forecast, and it said a low of 33 degrees. I was just too exhausted to try to fool with the row cover in the dark, and was afraid of what I might find this morning. When I got up it was only 35, so I went out to check the garden. No sign of frost! On the way to drop my son off at school, I noticed lots of frost down the hill from us, and even some light frost just a couple blocks from us. While I am thankful that I didn't wake up to any destruction this morning, I'm at a loss to explain why my garden was spared.

Saturday's forecast calls for a low of 28, so I am going to try and harvest as much as possible over the next few days. Definitely a good run here this year too!

Bonnie

I picked a bunch of not quite red toms last night, moved the toms up against the house (they are in containers)and covered the cucs. We seemed to have missed the frost on my block. I am ever so hopeful that more toms & cucs get to picking quality between now and Friday. I will pick the best of the bunch and let the frost gods have the rest. It is inevitable but, doesn't mean I like it :) winter is near.

Kath

Had a bit of minor damage to 2 of my tom plant (the ones nearest the edge of the garden), but looks like for now they'll make it! Until Saturday that is...

My Mom came over so I could fix the window in her car, and I gave her a big bag of scallop squash, ripe toms, and nearly ripe toms. Told her that was likely it for the season, so she better enjoy them!

I moved the tomato containers up to my back porch, but I fully expected to lose the zucchinis. Today, though, everything looked fine. It got down to 38, but I guess my yard didn't get frost. Usually, too, after a frost, the tree leaves turn yellow and drop in droves. They looked fine today, too.

Friday and Saturday is definitely the end of the season. There are a couple of zucchinis forming, but unless they hurry up, I don't think they're going to make it. I didn't see any yellow jackets or honeybees around today, even though it was above 60 when I was out. I guess they've all gone back into hibernation.

I'm unsure what to do about the tomatoes. There are tons of greenies. Some of them are full size or almost. Most of them are still small. Should I pick all of them, no matter the size and take them inside to ripen? Will the small ones ripen? I could crowd them all together under row covers and hope for the best this weekend, but I really don't want to sacrifice 100+ tomatoes if there's any way around it.

I could put the containers into the garage, or a couple up in my plant room.

Related question -- will the cold weather kill the aphids on my broccoli and Brussels sprouts? Is there any hope of the plants going on to develop heads and sprouts after the first frost? The Brussels sprouts have been in the ground for over four months, and all I have are tiny pinprick sized sprouts that you need a magnifying glass to see.

I didnÂt really think it was gonna get too cold last nite, but I covered mineÂjust in case! I only got down to 39. But I think the jigs up for all of us in the metro Denver area this weekend! IÂm gonna cut and hang mine on Thursday. IÂm gonna be busy all day on Friday, and even if I wasnÂt, it could be cold and rainy, and trying to do it in the rain isnÂt any fun at all! IÂve done it before!

IÂm glad your stuff made it, Meteor. You must be in a lower area than I am. AndÂdo you REALLY have any doubt that your mother is going to enjoy them??? ;-)

Kath and Lilacs, hereÂs what I do with mine, and one possible way you could save your tomatoes and get them to ripen slowly in a cold, dark garage or shed that wonÂt go below freezing. (See the link below) IÂve been doing this for years now, and it works quite well. One year I had tomatoes into January! But then thereÂs only me eating them, and I stretch them out as much as I possibly can as they ripen. Some of the most undeveloped ones wonÂt ripen at all, but IÂm always surprised by how many of them will ripenÂand by how their flavor is SO much better than what you buyÂeven when theyÂve been hanging in the garage for a couple months.

The first year I did it I pulled them out and left all the leaves on, but that turned out to be a total mess, so now, instead of pulling them, I cut them off at the groundÂand I cut all the leaves off before I cut them down. One more thing! Some of them will drop from the vines as they ripen, so put something SOFT underneath themÂfor a soft landing! I have carpet on the floor under mine. And watch for ones that start to go bad, or theyÂll rot the ones theyÂre touching too. Any that fall off while IÂm trying to get them inside go in a box HEAVILY lined with newspaper, not touching each other, and then get covered with more newspaper. Lilacs, I think you could just move your pots into the garage and let the soil dry out for the same effect.

Can anybody tell me when a spaghetti squash is ready to pick? Alright, mine are gonna get picked anyway, but IÂm wondering if thereÂs a way to tell if theyÂre actually developed enough inside to get "spaghetti" out of them!

..............summerÂs almost gone, yes, winterÂs comin on...........

Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatoes -- before and after!

Not looking so great for the Springs area either this weekend. We've covered the garden, and everything made it ok through the past couple nights. I'm not sure now just what our temp got to, since I'm thinking the outdoor thermometer is reading higher b/c of radiant heat from the house. We have a remote thermometer with 3 outdoor units. I have one hanging on the east side of the house, and I moved the other 2 into the 2 garden beds which are covered with plastic. Right now, my back deck reads 43.5, one bed is 42.1 and the other is 41.7. Now, I know these things will read off a little from each other even when side by side in the house, but not by quite that much. That, or it really is colder in my garden...

I saw at least down to 39 or so the other night.

Saturday's forecast isn't looking pretty...