Despite the yo-yo-ing temperatures, all of my veggies are thriving! Before the first big dip in temperatures a few weeks ago, we FORTIFIED. This is what we did:

Harvested all the remaining summer vegetables

The green tomatoes and peppers were removed from the vines, no matter how small or unripe. Frost can damage these tender annuals and perennials, so instead of losing my crop, I got creative. I made broken lasagna with fried green tomatoes the other night with most of the two pound crop we harvested

Broke out the frost blankets

A frost blanket can help extend the season for gardens by keeping them a few degrees warmer -- above freezing is best. We made sure to mulch well, then used PVC pipes to create tents over a few of the garden beds still growing fall veggies.

Built a temporary "greenhouse"

Last year we did a poor job of protecting the lime tree. But it survived, so I came up with a different plan. We turned two tomato cages into one big cage and wrapped it in heavy duty plastic, held in place with small clamps from the home improvement store. It seems to be doing the trick -- the lime tree was not only free of damage after the several nights of close to freezing temperatures -- it actually had new growth

Watered well

I used to fear that watering would actually cause plants to freeze -- but just the opposite. The water helps to prevent plants from freezing, so it's a good idea to soak your landscape if you know a cold front is on the way.

Planted more

Yep, I planted more. There are now two new beds of Swiss chard and one new area of spinach. Both like the cool temperatures, and there are now beds full of little seedlings. My family is going to have chard all winter long, hopefully.

So there you have it. It's cold outside, and the garden is thriving. I love Texas.

2 Comments

treehugger said:

Some Christmas lights will keep that lime tree nice and toasty on cold winter nights.

December 11, 2008 3:18 PM

Cindy Brummer said:

Great idea! I'll have to give that a try!

December 11, 2008 3:23 PM

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