First Frost

Last night we had our first frost. We were warned by checking the weather, and also by a farmer friend. I had a feeling it was coming. So yesterday, we worked like mad to catch up on everything and try to get our tomatoes covered in time.

Frame for plastic to cover a row of tomatoes.

Quick hoop house over tomatoes.

My adult daughter and her significant other came to visit on Friday and Saturday. It was a lot of fun. They showed up just after we got the new goats unloaded and into the goat yard. We all learned to milk the goats that day.

New goats.

Richard has been working like crazy to get an extension on the barn done for the goats. It rained really hard on Sunday night and flooded the fields. Too many animals without shelter had us up early and working on getting everyone out of the weather. The barn is not done yet, but at least most of the critters have a chance to get out of the rain now.

Bigger barn.

While Richard put up the barn addition, I picked the produce. I pulled all of the cucumbers, no matter what size. I picked three varieties of peppers, found three red tomatoes, collected more calendula seeds, found a few marigold dead heads to save for seed, jarred my dried rose hips, and put mullein seeds in a paper bag to dry. And then I put straw mulch over the onions and carrots, just to be safe.

Cucumbers...some have been turned into pickles.

We worked like mad. It was a long hard day. But we did it! We got the tomatoes covered, picked the produce we could, and got the shelter made for the goats.

And...it frosted.

Frost bitten pumpkin vines.

But we were prepared. I am thankful our hard work paid off. And I am sad to see the gardening season winding down as winter closes in.