From: bae@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca (Beverly Erlebacher)
Subject: Re: First frost blues
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1993 19:49:42 GMT

Anne Tallant <amt@linus.mitre.org> wrote:
> A walk throught the garden Monday evening after work was not the
> normal relaxing experience.  It is so depressing to see black,
> shrivelled vines/bushes where the day before everything was a
> healthy green.

> Ah, well ... it is the time of year to start working on the "garden
> of my dreams."

In next year's garden of dreams, keep planting all summer, so by first
frost your garden will be full of frost-tolerant plants like carrots,
beets, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, leeks, green onions,
lettuce, radishes, spinach, bok choy, arugula, endive, escarole,
chicory, and other goodies.  You won't feel as bad about the blackened
pepper and tomato plants when you have waves of many beautiful shades
of green (and red!)  filling the rest of the garden (as well as the
spaces between the frost sensitive plants).

Most of these things will still be in good shape until temperatures
get into the mid to low 20's F.  Last year I picked the last of the
lettuce on New Year's eve, and all I used for protection from late
November on was a piece of plastic (old painting dropcloth) draped
over some scraps of wire fencing.  Even though we had over a foot of
snow in early December, the veggies under the plastic survived in
great shape except for the leaf tips on some of the taller chinese
cabbages that were in contact with the plastic.  Stuff doesn't grow
much here after mid to late October, but it seems to be able to stay
fresh and crisp until the really bitter weather comes on.

Another public service message from Hope for the Climatically
Challenged.  :-)

Beverly Erlebacher
Toronto, Ontario Canada
(This makes me a 'Southerner' to other Canadians!)