Over the course of the month, I have realized the genius of using spun-fiber row cover to protect garden beds. The wonderful thing is that it breathes enough that it won't overheat on a sunny day in the 70's, at the same time it holds some heat in at night, allows sunlight and rain through, and provides a protective micro-climate against drying, cold winds. All of this adds up to a very low maintenance way to extend the growing season. We had one night with extremely high winds and I expected to find all of the covers blown off, but everything was fine the next morning.
Last Friday evening (10/12), I was out in the garden using a 500W halogen lamp to see, covering the rest of the garden beds. As I was working, I noticed ice crystals forming on the strawberry leaves. Soon, I will be placing a layer of plastic over each garden frame to protect from deeper frosts.
On Sunday, we had wonderful 70 degree weather. Youngest daughter and I transplanted about 300 seedlings of mizuna, cress and pac choi, and planted about 40 spinach. That pretty much covered all of the available garden soil.
I discovered a new weather site that shows the forecast in a novel way. It is an hourly temperature infographic including cloud cover and precipitation. Check it out at:
Time and Date: Buffalo Hourly
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