October 30th

We've had frost 2 nights in a row, now. One frost doesn't mean anything, but the second one will kill all the plants weakened by the first one. The morning glories and the moonflowers are done for the year. The tomato vines empty and blackening. But the squash! Perfect weather weather for harvesting the squash, and a good harvest this year, too. I brought in 10 large, ripe butternut squash. One, I left, it had been tasted by the deer, who (luckily for me) decided that it wasn't good deer food.
For the next several days, while it is still sunny and warm-ish in the afternoons, I will take the squash outside. Exposed to sun and air and temperate climate, they will develope nice hard shells that will allow them to overwinter. Except that I know that we will eat them far more quickly than that. It was lovely to bring in such a nice fall harvest, but still melancholy to eat the last garden tomato for the year.