2020 gardens

We in lower Michigan just got our first frost warning of the year. Tonight should drop to 36 degrees and be misting.
I still have a lot of tomatoes that are green or orange. Maybe I'll get out the 10x10 tent and some tarps out to try to save a few.
 
Ever tried pulling plants with tomatoes on vine. Knock dirt gently off roots. Hang upside down in a tempered garage or basement. Then side a brown paper bag up over vine with tomatoes still attached, roots exposed. Tie bag opening or tape, just close opening. Will keep 4-6 weeks. Just keep checking for ripe tomatoes.
 
Frost this morning, earliest in years. Usually happens in mid to late October, last year, not til early November. So, we'll have a month of growing season, with nothing growing.

Ed
 
First frost this morning.
Picked a few tomatoes, green bell peppers, a bunch of hot peppers, and some lettuce that turned out to be bitter.
Will clean out everything and rototill this weekend. Might try to get a load of cow manure delivered.
Also, shrunk the garden from 30’x60’ to 25’x45’. Not as many mouths to feed at home anymore.
 
I’m glad I’m down south. I just finished getting my fall garden planted today. Wh should have 5 or more weeks before we get our first frost. I should have had the fall garden in several weeks ago but it has just now dried out enough to get the tiller in it.
 
frost over the top of the leaves here 2 nights ago ------ Trying to finish off the last of the tomatoes that I picked before the frost hit. Did get a lot of juice made this year plus some whole tomatoes canned so we should have enough to last until tomato time next year.
 
everything got froze now so need to subsoil then plow the gardens. ---- got 12 big loads of 5 year old horse manure yesterday ( this stuff looks like black dirt!) and need to spread it before I plow. Did get the tomato cages took down and stacked for the winter ---- still have 14 rows of field corn to pick then gardens are done for the year.
did find some soup beans that made it, so picked them off the fence and will shell them later.
 
Finally getting some rain. Only .02" in the last 5 weeks. Clay soil is rock hard.

Garlic planted 3 weeks ago is sprouting. Did have to break up the soil to let the sprouts through.
 
Emptied the garden and tilled in some lime where the tomatoes were this year.
(Tomatoes like acidic soil and will move to another area of the garden next year)
 
mowed the edges of the gardens down and also the horseradish tops to keep mice/voles at bay! ---could dig horseradish any time now since we had several heavy frosts.
 
Anyone grow the Mortgage Lifter heirloom variety of tomato and save seeds? I'm looking for about 6 seeds to start plants and give them a try next Spring. Thanks.
 
had them a couple years ago but never saved any seed from them. This years tomato crop was whatever plants came up volunteer and got transplanted so unknown as to variety.
 
Today I sub-soiled then plowed all of the gardens so next spring it's till-n-plant!
I used the neighbors 560 on the sub-soiler then got him to plow with his 806 diesel tractor and 5-bottom semi-mount plow.
Yesterday we picked the corn with his 560 on my NI 310 one row picker (made him drive it!--he really wanted to as he never used a pull picker before,--only mounted IH pickers on M tractors) ---- got a lot of corn off the few rows too. He enjoyed the picking and plowing. -- kinda a hobby now that he dont farm anymore!
Next up it to send in the onion plant order. Will do a full case of 30 bunches for next year ---- another neighbor over on the next road will take a few bunches, so we combined our orders.
Kinda missed out on the good plants this year since I wasnt sure I could even plant anything ----wasnt doing too good after the prostate surgery, ( still not doing to good) but am planning on more stuff in the gardens than what was there this year.
 
a couple of the gardens that got plowed! still got the little ones to do ----- couldnt get the 806 and 5 bottom plow in them!! lol!
 

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horseradish time. made a little over 6 half pint jars from this plant. Then replanted the crowns for next year.
 

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