September 19, 2007 : more pre-frost bounty

I picked all the tomatoes back when I thought it would freeze. The hard frost that I predicted has not yet manifested. Just two gentle frosts that melted the coleus but not most of the impatiens.

So there are probably more tomatoes out in the field.

Now the golden shades of fall are emerging, but the day is sunny and warm.

Ken and I are getting timid start on the huge task of replacing the plastic on most of the greenhouses. This is a formidable, unpleasant task that must be tackled every four years. How do we get this large, heavy sheet of plastic over those metal hoops? Well, I guess we just start trying. Climbing around on rickety structures, pounding nails left-handed at awkward angles...good thing we're not unionized.

We have to wait until the air is almost perfectly still, as the sheets of plastic become unmanageable in the softest breeze. Also, the temperature must be below 60 degrees or there is a risk of the plastic contracting and shattering when it gets 30-40 below. So the beautiful warm days this week have provided a nice excuse to get started slowly.