image from blogspot.com

image from infintiespider.com

        ​Good morning, so here in Northern Iowa we have had a couple of mornings of cold weather.  This morning it was 29 degrees, so the growing season is over with.  BUT looks like this week it will warm up and hopefully dry out for all of our farmers to get out in the fields to harvest their crop.  Have a safe FALL.
                                                                               
Next time you see an insect, spider, or other “creepy-crawly,” check out what it’s doing! It could let you know something about the upcoming weather. Check out our weather proverbs and folklore about insects and other creatures.
 
Insect Weather Folklore
Observe ants, bees, fireflies, and other insects, and you’ll see that they give us cues about upcoming weather, too! Here is folklore from the Almanac archives:
•If ants their walls do frequently build, rain will from the clouds be spilled.
•Ants are busy, gnats bite, crickets sing louder than usual, and flies gather in houses just before rain.
•When bees to distance wing their flight, days are warm and skies are bright; But when their flight ends near their home, stormy weather is sure to come.
•Fireflies in great numbers indicate fair weather.
•When hornets build their nests near the ground, expect a cold and early winter.
•When cicadas are heard, dry weather will follow, and frost will come in six weeks.
 
Crickets’ Chirps
The more quickly crickets chirp, the warmer the temperature.
This actually isn’t folklore! Crickets’ chirps are proven to be a measure of temperature. The equation for calculating the temperature (in Fahrenheit) from cricket chirps involves counting the number of chirps in 14 seconds, then adding 40. The resulting number is the approximate outside temperature. Read more about predicting weather with cricket chirps!
 
Spider Folklore
Observe spiders and their webs closely to gauge weather.
•When spiders’ webs in air do fly, the spell will soon be very dry.
•When spiderwebs are wet with dew that soon dries, expect a fine day.
•Spiderwebs floating at autumn sunset; bring a night frost, on this you may bet.
•Spiders move down from their webs before rain.
 
The Woolly Worms’ Bands
Certainly, many of you may have heard of the woolly bear caterpillar’s ability to forecast winter weather. These caterpillars have black and brown bands; according to folklore, more black than brown indicates a harsh, cold winter, while more brown than black points to a mild winter. Read more about woolly worms!
 
Reptiles & Amphibians
Observe reptiles and amphibians as weather predictors, too!
•The louder the frogs, the more the rain.
•Frogs singing in the evening indicates fair weather the next day.
•Hang up a snakeskin and it will bring rain.
 
taken from https://www.almanac.com/content/how-insects-predict-weather
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net

image from glordanosgiftandgarden.com

      ​Gardening To Do List: October in the Garden  By Marie Iannotti
 
Gardening in October is entirely dependent on the weather. If there's an Indian Summer, there is no better time of year to be out in the garden. While gardeners in warm areas will have more to do than their northern counterparts, there are plenty of garden tasks to keep everyone busy in October.
 
General October Garden Chores 
■ Get your soil tested and add amendments as needed.
■ Amend your soil with a dressing of compost
■ Turn your compost pile.
■ Use your garden debris and leaves to start a new compost pile.
■ Plant trees and shrubs. Be sure to keep them well-watered, even through the winter (snow permitting).
■ Make sure all vacationing houseplants are brought back inside.
■ Continue planting garlic.
■ Plant cool-season annuals. Covering mums and asters on nights when a frost is expected, will lengthen their blooming.
■ Clear away dead foliage.
■ Dry and save seed.
■ Take cuttings of tender perennials.
■ Harvest and dry or freeze herbs for winter use.
■ Remove green tomatoes from the plants. Either ripen in a brown paper bag or lift the entire plant and hang upside down in a warm spot, to ripen.
■ Harvest winter squash once the vines die back, but definitely before a hard freeze.
■ Continue harvesting fall crops like beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, and leeks.
■ Clean and put away empty containers and garden ornaments.
■ Clean and sharpen gardening tools.
■ Continue winterizing your water garden
■ Clean bird feeders.
■ Think about a de-icer for the birdbath. If you're in an area that freezes and you don't have a de-icer, turn your birdbath over to keep it from cracking.
■ Enjoy the season. Show off your harvest with a fall display.
■ Then start thinking about putting your garden to bed.
 
California Garden Chores 
■ Prune Oleander in October, before the next season's flower buds have formed.
■ Plant cool-season annuals such as African daisy, foxglove, Iceland poppy, larkspur, lobelia, pansy, petunia, phlox, snapdragon, stock, sweet alyssum, sweet pea, and viola. Keep them well watered, especially if the temperature warms.
■ Feed and water roses, but don't prune now.
■ Plant warm climate bulbs, like those from South Africa (ixia, Ornithogalum, sparaxis, tritonia), for early blooms.
■ Pre-chill cool climate bulbs (daffodils, crocus, hyacinth, and tulips) before planting. You can also purchase already chilled bulbs.
■ Sow cool-season vegetables like beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
■ Feed azaleas, camellias, hydrangea and rhododendrons with a fertilizer for acid-loving plants.
 
Pacific NW Garden Chores 
■ Protect winter greens from this season's heavy rain and wind with row covers.
■ Take advantage of upcoming rains to re-seed bare patches in the lawn.
 
North Central Garden Chores 
■ After the first killing frost, dig your tender bulbs, let dry and package for storage.
■ Winterize your roses.
■ Divide and/or transplant peonies.
■ Plant spring-blooming bulbs this month.
■ Continue mowing, as long as the grass is growing. But set your mower to its highest level and let the grass go into winter with at least three inches of growth.
 
 Northeast Garden Chores 
■ Start raking. Shred or compost this fall gold.
■ Cut back and remove diseased perennial foliage.
■ Finish planting bulbs.
■ Keep transplants watered.
 
 Midwest Garden Chores 
■ Clean up and remove dying foliage.
■ Continue planting spring-blooming bulbs.
■ Harvest winter squash when the rind is too hard to poke a fingernail into.
 
 Southwest Garden Chores 
■ Plant strawberries now for spring harvesting.
■ Plant cool-weather herbs, like cilantro, dill, fennel, and parsley.
■ Seed quick-growing cool-season vegetable, like carrots, lettuce, radishes, and spinach. Set out transplants of broccoli and cabbage.
■ Dig and store tender summer-blooming bulbs and plant spring bloomers.
 Southeast Garden Chores 
■ Keep planting perennials.
■ Make sure plants receive enough water, especially transplants and winter and spring bloomers.
■ Plant a cover crop in the vegetable garden.
■ Harvest sweet potatoes before a frost.
 
 Hawaii Garden Chores 
■ Prune avocado, mango and plumeria trees.
 
 Indoor Plants Garden Chores 
■ House plants start to slow down as the days get shorter. Cut back on watering and feeding until next spring. Winter feeding will result in weak growth.
■ Plan for Christmas blooms on your poinsettia and Christmas cacti. Move both plants so that they are in temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees F. Make sure the Christmas cacti get at least 13 hours of complete darkness at night. Poinsettia will need about 15 hours in the dark. For most of us, this will mean covering the plants themselves. When uncovered, place in bright light. Provide them with water and a general-purpose fertilizer.
taken from https://www.thespruce.com/gardening-to-do-list-october-in-the-garden-
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net

image from theartofdoing stuff.com

      ​It might be too late for our area for your green tomatoes but here is some ideas to ripen them.  We are going to have cold, cold weather this weekend, but not the snow that our neighbors to the north are going to have.  Unfortunately North Dakota crops of beans and canola will be destroyed and not be harvested.  Our thoughts are with those farmers if that happens.  That is going to be hard to take. 
 
When temperatures begin to drop, tomatoes stop ripening, so it’s time to take action! We will show you how to ripen your green tomatoes both on and off the vine—and also when it’s your cue to remove those tomatoes from the vine.
 
There’s nothing better tasting than a vine-ripened tomato. Unripe green tomatoes can still be eaten, but the tomato reaches its natural peak when it’s left to reach a deep vibrant color on the plant. 
 
Ways to Ripen Tomatoes Outdoors
1.If you still have time to ripen tomatoes outdoors before frost, start by pinching out any tiny fruits and flowers so that your plants can now concentrate on the larger fruits that remain.
2.Gradually reduce the amount of water you give to the tomato plant in order to create consistently dry conditions which will encourage plants to ripen their remaining fruits.
 
Learn more about growing and harvesting tomatoes here.
When to Remove Tomatoes From the Vine
•Tomatoes stop ripening below 50 degrees F.  When daytime temperatures struggle to get higher, this is your cue to harvest all remaining tomatoes.
•Of course, they must be brought inside before frost hits. See your average fall frost dates.
•You should also harvest tomatoes if you spot signs of late blight on the stems. If the blight hasn’t gone into the fruits themselves, you should be able to salvage most of your tomatoes.
•As long as any green tomatoes show a first blush at the blossom end of the fruit, they should ripen off the stem. See tips on the best ways to ripen indoors.
 
4 Ways to Ripen Tomatoes Indoors
 
Daylight isn’t the most important requirement for ripening. In fact, tomatoes often start to ripen on the opposite side of the fruit to the sunny side. This is why placing tomatoes on a counter where it’s cooler slows down ripening.
 
What tomatoes do require for ripening is warmth. Tomatoes taste better when left to ripen on the vine so leave them as long as possible.
 
However, a factor that speeds up ripening is a gas called ethylene. Ethylene is actually naturally released by ripening fruits such as bananas, apples and tomatoes.  So, placing a ripe banana or apple in with some green tomatoes in an enclosed space helps to speed up the ripening process.
1.In a cardboard box:  Line the box with newspaper (or use fruit cardboard if it came from a grocery store) and place the green tomatoes on top in a single layer with a little space between each.  Cover with another single layer of newspaper and leave somewhere warm.  Check regularly.  Another variation of this method is to place the tomatoes in a wooden drawer although you would be lucky to find a spare drawer in my house!
2.In a paper bag: Put 5 to10 tomatoes in a paper bag with a ripening banana, apple or tomato and leave in a warm place.  Periodically open it up to check for any that show signs of mould or rotting.
3.Large glass jars or plastic bags: Another way to concentrate the effect of ethylene involves placing 2 to 4 large tomatoes in a jar or bag along with a ripening fruit and then sealing it.  However, the combination of moisture and warmth can encourage mould so it is usually best to put holes in the bag or regularly open and check the jar.
4.Hang up the whole plant: Useful at the end of the season when a frost is forecast, the whole tomato plant can be gently pulled up and then hung upside down in a garage or cellar where temperatures will remain above freezing.  This is said to produce better flavoured tomatoes than the other methods.
 
If you have dark green tomatoes that aren’t going to ripen off the vine, make green tomato chutney or salsa verde. Or try our favorite: Fried Green Tomatoes!
 
Did you know that some tomatoes are meant to be green?
taken from https://www.almanac.com/video/how-ripen-green-tomatoes
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 

image from illustration@The Spruce 2019

     ​Growing Indoor Orchids
 
 By Jon VanZile  Jon VanZile is a Master Gardener and the author of "Houseplants for a Healthy Home."
 
To grow an orchid, you have to think like an orchid. The golden rule for orchid success is to duplicate the plant's natural conditions as closely as possible. In nature, most orchids are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other objects, clinging to rough bark or even stone. The showy orchids favored by most people are usually either phalaenopsis hybrids (so-called moth orchids) or dendrobium hybrids.
 
 Optimal Growing Conditions for Orchid Plants 
These plants thrive in strong light, but not direct late-afternoon sunlight (although dendrobiums can handle more sun). They also need high humidity and turbulent airflow around the roots. They need regular periods of drying alternated with heavy watering (or drenching rains). Orchids do best in temperatures above 50 degrees but below 85 degrees.
 
The closer you can come to creating these conditions in your growing area, the more success and better blooms you will have.
 
Most store-bought orchids come packaged in cheap plastic pots with the roots packed in soaked moss. Obviously, this violates two of the main rules of successful growth. There is no air flow around the roots, and the roots are never given a chance to completely dry out. Thus, the plant cannot breathe and root rot is inevitable.
 
Orchid roots are highly specialized organs designed to soak up water very quickly and breathe. They do not extract nutrients from the soil.​​
 
Repotting Orchids for Success 
The first step with any store-bought orchid is to enjoy the bloom. Don't attempt to re-pot a flowering plant.
 
After the bloom is done, go ahead and cut off the dead flower spike with sterile snippers and repot the plant. Orchids should be potted into specialized orchid pots in an orchid mixture. Orchid pots feature wide drainage slits so water will literally run through the pot. They are widely available. Orchid potting mixture is usually composed of several chunky ingredients, including pine bark, charcoal, and even styrofoam.
To re-pot your orchid, follow these steps:
 
01Remove it from the plastic pot and carefully remove as much of the moss as you can. Healthy roots should be white and firm, with a small green growing point.
02Cut away any shriveled, rotten or blackened roots.
03Set the plant into the pot and fill in around it with potting mixture. The plant should be firmly situated, but it will not be completely anchored. Eventually, new roots will grow through the potting mixture and attach to the pot itself, thus anchoring your plant.
 
Once it's re-potted, find a good spot. An east-facing window with a few hours of mild morning sun is perfect. To provide the necessary humidity and catch run-off water, put the plant into a wide, deep tray and fill the tray with gravel.
 
Tips for Indoor Orchid Care 
Caring for your orchid is pretty simple. During the summer months, water it weekly and heavily. Let the water drench the roots and fill up the pebble tray. It doesn't hurt every so often to put the plant in the kitchen sink and really soak it down. Don't worry, you won't kill it as long as it's allowed to dry out afterward.
 
During the growing season, feed it weekly with a weak solution of a powder or liquid fertilizer.
 
In the winter, keep your plant warm and cut the water back to once a month or so. Mist it every so often to make sure it stays hydrated. Don't fertilize it.
 
If you see signs of distress, such as yellowing leaves, wrinkled leaves, or no blooms, move the plant and keep tweaking your conditions. Once an orchid finds a happy spot and falls into a routine, the plant should regularly throw out new roots and leaves or canes and reward you yearly with a beautiful bloom.
taken from https://www.thespruce.com/grow-orchids-indoors-
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net

image from puddingstonepost.com

     How to Store Your Dahlias for Winter
Continue to celebrate the Year of the Dahlia with these easy tips from National Garden Bureau member American Meadows on how to dig and store your dahlias tubers.
 
Native to Mexico, dahlias won’t survive freezing temperatures that many North American gardens experience. Digging and storing dahlias for the winter is extremely easy and simple if you follow these tips.
 
When to Dig Up Your Dahlias…
Dig Your Dahlia Tubers in the Fall after a hard freeze - Digging and Storing your Dahlias for winter - National Garden Bureau
 
If you live in an area where the ground freezes, you’ll want to dig your dahlia tubers up before there’s a hard frost. A good indication of when to dig your tubers up is when the plant starts to turn brown and die back.
 
What’s the Difference between a frost and a freeze?
•A frost (ice crystals forming on surfaces) generally happens when the air temperature is between 36-32 degrees F.
•A freeze happens when air temperature dips below 32 degrees F. A hard freeze is usually between 28-25 degrees F, and a killing freeze is 24 degrees F and below.
 
Frost Date Chart
If you live in an area where your ground doesn’t freeze – such as parts of California and Florida – lucky you, your dahlias can be grown as perennials and you don’t need to worry about digging and storing them for the winter!
 
Digging the tubers up is extremely easy:
1.Cut foliage back, so that only a couple of inches remain above ground.
2.Take your preferred digging shovel and dig around the tubers, being careful not to accidentally sever the roots. Many gardeners use a pitchfork to prevent this from happening.
3.Once you’ve dug the tuber up, shake the dirt off and set aside.
4.Repeat until you’ve dug all of your tubers up.After you’ve dug all of the tubers up, gently wash the dirt off in a tub of water, or with a garden hose. Make sure not to puncture the skin of your tubers, as this could cause them to rot over the winter months in storage.
 
Examining And Trimming Dahlia Tubers
After you’ve rinsed the tubers off, it’s time to examine each clump to make sure that there are no rotten parts. If there are, cut these bits off.
 
If the tubers have several eyes, you can divide them at this step in the process as well. Use a sharp knife to divide tubers, making sure each piece has at least one eye.
The eyes of dahlias are the set of cells that produce the next season’s plants and blooms. They almost look like pimples! If you can’t identify them in the fall, wait until the spring to divide your tubers as they may be more visible by then.
 
Drying Tubers Before Storing For Winter
If possible, dry your dahlia tubers for several weeks before putting them away in storage for the winter. This helps to cure them and to prevent rot during storage.
 
Choose a location – either indoors or out – that won’t dip below freezing, has good air circulation, and indirect sunlight. After your tubers have dried, cut back the rest of the dahlia stem with pruners or a sharp knife.
 
Storing Tubers
The key to successfully storing dahlia tubers for the winter is making sure they stay dry, have good air circulation and are in a cool, dark spot.
 
You can store the tubers in a variety of containers – milk crates, plastic bins, paper bags, and cardboard boxes all do the trick. Just make sure there is space left between each tuber and there is some air circulation.
 
Place the tubers in a cool, dark space that won’t freeze. For many, this could be an unheated basement, attic, closet or utility room.
 
Re-Planting Dahlias In Spring
 Once spring arrives, ground temperatures have warmed and there is no more chance of frost in your area, you can bring your beloved tubers out of storage and re-plant them in your garden to enjoy again!
 
“This post is provided as an educational/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau and our members. Please credit and link to National Garden Bureau and author member if applicable when using all or parts of this article.”
taken from https://ngb.org/2019/09/27/how-to-store-dahlias-for-winter/
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net

image from wikiHow.com

image from guide-to-houseplants.com

     ​       Many houseplants come from jungle regions where the tree canopy constantly filters the light. However, some plants, especially those native to South Africa and Australia, need ample sunshine to thrive. You can transform a bright room with a pretty planter and one of these houseplants that crave the sun's rays.
Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)
Add to your first aid arsenal with a low maintenance aloe vera plant. The sap provides ready relief for minor cuts and burns, and plants are easy to propagate by repotting the pups. Plant your aloe vera in a heavy terra cotta pot that will both support the top-heavy growth, and encourage air circulation. You can also mound soil around the stem to provide support for flopping plants.
■ Light: Full sun to partial shade
■ Water: Keep evenly moist; do not overwater; provide good drainage
 
Jade Plant (Crassula argentea)
 With its sturdy stems and interesting, fleshy leaves, jade plants have endured as a popular houseplant for those with sunny windowsills or bright conservatories. Jade plants need at least four hours of sunlight each day, so a south-facing window is ideal. Although the Crassula argentea is a succulent, and therefore drought-tolerant, it is not a cactus. Keep your jade plant moist by watering it when the soil surface is dry to prevent shedding leaves. Jade plants can live for decades and continue to grow slowly over time, so keep your plant in a suitably heavy pot to prevent it from toppling over.
■ Light:  Full sun
■ Water: Water regularly; provide good drainage
 
Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta)
 The sago palm is a slow-growing cycad that fits into modern decorating schemes well. It produces no flowers and rarely sheds its leaves, making it a tidy choice for the bright bedroom or living room. Got curious cats or nibbling toddlers? This plant is very poisonous and should not be around pets of kids that might give it even a cursory taste.
■ Light:  Bright indirect light
■ Water: Allow the plant to dry out between waterings.
 
Euphorbia Trigona
Euphorbia trigona is an unusual looking plant that often elicits strong feelings of affection or dislike. Although not a cactus, this succulent does grow sharp spines that can make repotting a challenge. The African milk bush is strictly a tropical plant, and if you give it a summer vacation outdoors be sure to bring it back in before temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
■ Light:  Bright indirect light
■ Water: Allow the plant to dry out between waterings.
 
Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
 Mother in Law Tongue Plants
This popular "impossible-to-kill" houseplant is carried in most garden centers as an ideal specimen for those new to houseplants, or those too busy to provide much care to their plants. Sansevieria trifasciata does great in bright light, but it will grow in shady conditions as well. If you are lucky, your snake plant might even reward you with a flush of fragrant white flowers.
■ Light: Full sun to low light
■ Water: Let the soil dry between waterings.
 
Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus)
 The same plant the Egyptians used to build boats and make paper also happens to be an interesting houseplant specimen for sunny spots. The key to growing a happy papyrus plant is to give it constant moisture. Papyrus grows as a pond margin plant, so it is accustomed to having wet feet. Place your container in a dish of water and change it weekly to prevent it from becoming stagnant.
■ Light:  Full sun
■ Water: Provide constant water; wet roots are best.
 
Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)
 The croton is proof that foliage can be every bit as lovely and vibrant as flowers are. Do not overwater your croton plants; only water when the soil surface feels dry. Croton plants need warm temperatures to thrive and may experience dieback if temperatures fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
■ Light:  Dappled light
■ Water: Keep moist; mist between waterings.
 Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
The swollen trunk and frizzy foliage of the ponytail palm make it a fun accent plant for the sunny kitchen or family room. Care for your ponytail palm as you would a succulent plant. Give it coarse soil amended with sand and water weekly. The ponytail palm grows slowly and will only need repotting once every year or two.
■ Light:  Full to partial sun
■ Water: Water sparingly, especially in winter.
 
Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
 No houseplant brings larger flowers indoors than the tropical hibiscus. A site with strong light is essential to achieving blooms when growing the hibiscus indoors. Pinch your plants monthly to keep them compact and branching and feed them regularly with a potassium-rich houseplant fertilizer. To keep your hibiscus healthy, provide regular moisture but make sure you do not leave the soil soggy.
■ Light: Full sun
■ Water: Water regularly but provide good drainage.
■ Color varieties: Red, pink, orange, yellow, and white
 
Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
The areca palm is a grand specimen for entryways or living areas with vaulted ceilings. The plants can grow about 6 to 8 feet tall indoors and have a spread of several feet. Areca palms need little other than a sunny space and occasional watering. Make sure no water is left standing in the dish under the pot.
■ Light: Full sun
■ Water: Water occasionally and provide good drainage.
 
Jasmine (Jasmine)
Gardeners covet jasmine vines for their highly fragrant flowers that appear in late winter. White jasmine blooms are simple but plentiful, and a few cut stems make any flower arrangement special. Some varieties also bloom in pink. Jasmine plants like bright but not direct sunlight. They need humid conditions, and a summer vacation outdoors will increase their longevity and performance.
■ Light: Bright indirect sun to full sun
■ Water: Water regularly; keep moist; mist regularly
■ Color varieties: White and pink
 
String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)
 Senecio rowleyanus plants are a fun conversation piece tumbling over the edge of a container or hanging basket. The succulents like bright indirect light, sandy soil, and infrequent watering. Cuttings are easy to root, so you can share some of this whimsical plant with your friends.
■ Light: Bright indirect sun
■ Water: Water occasionally
Tip
Bright rooms and south-facing windows seem like a boon to houseplants at first glance, but in reality, many houseplants can experience leaf scorch from too much sunlight. Be sure you know how much sunlight is right for each of your houseplants.
taken from https://www.thespruce.com/best-houseplants-for-sun-
till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net

image from freefoto.Com

      ​Frost for our area here in Northern Iowa is Friday night, Saturday and Sunday night.  Night time temperature will be at 32 degrees but that will produce that light frost.  See if any of these signs are happening to help predict a frost. 
 
How to Predict a Frost
First, plan ahead. Look up the average frost dates for your area to know when frosts are most likely to occur. Use our Frost Dates Calculator to find frost dates for spring and fall in your area.
 
Keep in mind that frosts can vary greatly by microclimate. In fact, while you may have frost in your garden, your neighbor across the street may see no sign of it!
 
Consider these factors when the radio and TV reports say “frost tonight”:
1.How warm was it during the day? If the temperature reached 75ºF (in the East or North) or 80ºF (in the desert Southwest), the chance of the mercury falling below 32ºF at night is slim.
2.Is it windy? A still night allows cold air to pool near the ground; a light breeze stirs things up; a heavy, cold wind sweeps away warm air near the ground.
3.Is it cloudy? If the Sun sets through a layer of thickening clouds, the clouds will slow radiational cooling and help stave off a frost.
4.What is the dew point? As a rule of thumb, don’t worry about a frost if the dew point (the temperature at which water vapor condenses) is above 45°F on the evening weather report.
5.How is your garden landscaped? Gardens on slopes or high ground often survive when the coldest air puddles down into the valleys and hollows.
6.How far are your plants from the ground? Plants that are close to the ground have a better chance of being protected by the warmth of the earth or the foliage of neighboring plants.
7.What’s your local weather forecast? Don’t get blindsided by bad weather.
 
What’s the Difference Between a Light Frost and a Hard Freeze?
A light frost occurs when the nighttime temperature drops to below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0°C), and refers to the conditions that allow a layer of ice crystals to form when water vapor condenses and freezes without first becoming dew.
 
A hard freeze is a period of at least four consecutive hours of air temperatures that are below 28 degrees Fahrenheit (-2°C). Many plants can survive a brief frost, but very few can survive a hard freeze.
 
Preparing for Frost
Fall Frost
If you’re a gardener, it’s the first fall frost which is most concerning, as it can result in a lot of lost crops. Here are a few fall frost damage prevention tips:
•Harvest basil and other tender herbs before a light frost. Even if they survive the frost, they don’t do well in cold temperatures. The same is true for most annuals.
•Bring geraniums and other houseplants (especially tropicals) indoors before the first light frost arrives. Keep them in a sunny window in a relatively moist room; the kitchen is often best. See more about overwintering geraniums and preparing the garden for winter.
•Harvest all tender vegetables and greens before a light frost, including: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, beans, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupe, okra, squash, and sweet corn. Here are a few tips for ripening green tomatoes specifically.
•Another option is to protect tender vegetables from light frosts with row covers, cold frames, old sheets, paper bags, or clear plastic containers.
•For plants that can survive a light frost, add a heavy layer of mulch to keep the ground from thawing. You can still harvest late into the fall as long as the ground isn’t frozen. These veggies include: beets, broccoli, cabbage, celery, lettuce, parsnips, arugula, swiss chard and other leafy greens.
•Harvest plants that can survive a hard frost last, such as: carrots, garlic, horseradish, kale, rutabagas, leeks, parsnips, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
 
Following these tips should help prevent your garden from taking too much of a hit when frost occurs!
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/news/almanac/musings/how-predict-frost
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net

image from healthbenefistimess.com 

image from SEMush

      Here is some food for thought about the end of our gardens and life.  What do you think? The Beauty of Gleaning  Reaping and Gleaning in the Garden. And Life.By Margaret Boyles
As harvest time wraps up, most gardeners will “glean” the last stragglers—the tiny zucchini struggling, a malformed carrot. This act of “gleaning” is also a metaphor for life.
What is Gleaning?“To glean” means “to gather what was left by the reapers.” Historically, the “reapers” were those who planted and harvested the main crops. The “gleaners” were those who followed behind and collected leftover crops that the reapers left behind or didn’t want. It is a practice described in the Bible that became a legally enforced entitlement of the poor.
Today, a gleaner is someone who collects excess fresh foods from a variety of sources in order to provide it to those in need. For example, a gleaner might be a food bank which gives to the poor by receiving contributions of slightly damaged cans or food boxes from grocery stores. A gleaner might also be a forager in the country or someone who “dumpster dives” in the city.
Transitioning From Reapers to GleanersFor the gardener, we glean by collecting those tomatoes and peppers that lie among the blackened wreckage of the first killing frost. We glean those two onions whose necks didn’t seal (so they won’t keep). We gather the handful of young green beans that popped forth from a few still-green plants. What about those straggly herb plants? 
Toss those gleanings into a savory broth with a handful of fresh herbs and a cup or two of lentils, and they often add up to a tasty soup or stir-fry.
A Metaphor for LifeTo cite a common cliché, we live in disruptive times. The institutions we’ve been conditioned to trust and believe in seem to be crumbling, losing credibility, and changing at a such a breath-sucking pace we can’t keep up.
Bring on the gleaning skills!
The society in which I grew up taught me that a good life requires a relatively smooth linear passage from the seeds of a stable, two-parent childhood and some level of formal, institutional learning (“education,” and the more, the better) to the harvest of long-term, secure-but-challenging employment that includes health insurance and the promise of a fat retirement account. Along the way, I also learned that I’d be expected to exercise a level of consumption (of purchased goods and paid-for services) to match my knowledge, income, and social status.
But I gradually came to understand that lives that appear to follow that expected trajectory have actually been assembled from a small measure of reaping and a large, continuously growing collection of gleanings.
Most of us experience life as a dynamic, chaotic flow. Yet at any moment, some seemingly random encounter can link into our network of experiences to produce or to promise a result we could never have planned or expected.
These seemingly random moments emerge from events never intended to affect our lives and that couldn’t yield much on their own—fragments of an overheard conversation, a scene from a TV show, a classified ad, a chance meeting with someone at a checkout counter. Yet they connect to produce a nourishing, life-sustaining, psychological soup.
Gleaning Is More Than Collecting StuffYes, gleaning can involve the physical side of life: collecting and treasuring stuff that others no longer want or never wanted, often creatively repurposing it to suit our own lives—the recycled and refurbished clothing, the tools and appliances, the cardboard and newspaper that mulch the vegetable patch, the works of art crafted from items salvaged from the scrap metal pile.
However, most of what builds a life isn’t physical, but psychological, internal, and invisible: ideas, hopes, feelings, thoughts, questions.
The most important rule for a gleaned life: Put yourself in the path of a wide diversity of planters/reapers who produce their crops in fertile soil. Then pay close attention to what they either fail to harvest or don’t have any use for. Reach out and grab the fragments with which you connect.
Edit Your Life (Gleaning is Not Hoarding)The gleaned life requires disciplined editing. Don’t be afraid to reject or let stuff go. Gleaning is not about hoarding; it’s about discovering and combining aspects of experience that actually create opportunities and nourish you. Consign the rest to the compost pile or the trash bag.
And finally: Among both reapers and gleaners, the smartest intentionally select a few sorry-looking plants to leave behind, knowing the seeds they carry will sprout in spring and yield an untended harvest both planters and gleaners can reap.
About This BlogNaturally" is all about living a naturally healthy lifestyle. Margaret Boyles covers health tips, ways to avoid illness, natural remedies, food that's good for body and soul, recipes for homemade beauty products, ideas to make your home a healthy and safe haven, and the latest news on health. Our goal is also to encourage self-sufficiency, whether it's relearning some age-old skills or getting informed on modern improvements that help us live better, healthier lives.
taken from https://www.almanac.com/news/natural-health-home-tips/gleaning
till next  time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net