First fall frost last week

Last week we had our first fall frost.  When days get shorter and cooler, plant growth slows down and we approach harvest and field estimation quite differently.  We’ve especially seen a shift in the time it takes ‘quick’ crops like greens and radishes to mature.  Frost, however, significantly changes our work flow here because it very suddenly ends the season for many of our fruiting crops.

We knew frost was coming soon because we have heard from farmers slightly north of us in KW region that they had begun protecting crops. Then Wednesday afternoon the forecast changed, thankfully with enough time in the afternoon to protect a few places with rowcover.

These light frosts don’t terminate tomato and pepper plants, but they do mean the end is near.  We split our plantings more evenly between hoophouses and the field this year, so we’ll have some of these crops around a little longer, they just become more limited.  As we’re turning over our tunnels and hoophouses for late-season greens we are putting off the changeover for those spaces with fruit crops as long as possible, but the size of the spinach seedlings waiting to be planted there with very shortly force our hand.  Lightening the workload on these fruiting crops also allows us more flexibility to do all our other winter preparation and harvest, so although we love peppers and tomatoes, we’re not too sad to see this shift.  

A very positive side of frosts is that they really improve the flavour of many vegetables, especially root veggies which (in anticipation of their above-ground leaves dying off) send energy in the form of sugars into their roots.  We have been waiting for this colder weather to sweeten up crops like winter radishes and storage carrots, so now that we have the seasonal go-ahead, we just have to find the time to harvest!