We had our first killing frost about a week ago. That doesn't mean all plants were killed. There are plenty of things that are still going strong. The pictures below show some of them.
The pots of plants on our south porch are still looking good. In the foreground are tarragon and parsley. I grew these in fabric bags made especially for plants. I bought these several years ago and they work really well. I may move these into the greenhouse when the temperatures get really cold. Behind these are some petunias that are still happy. On a the colder nights, I move them close to the wall of the house and, so far, they have yet to freeze.
These containers are at the corner of the greenhouse. The large one in back is a pot of thyme that I have had for several years. The pots in front used to contain petunias and basil. The petunias got too much sun this summer and didn't survive, and the basil began looking sick when the nights got cool. I pulled them out and the small fern-like plants that were left are chamomile seedlings that come up volunteer every year from the previous year's plants.
In the garden, the comfrey looks great. Comfrey is an herb that is suppose to have medicinal properties that make it good for bruises, sprains and broken bones. I've never used it for any of those ailments, but it has beautiful flowers in the spring which makes it well worth growing.
Out in the field, we've planted Austrian winter peas and oats for a cover crop. These will be tilled in next spring to provide organic matter to the soil and the peas will provide nitrogen.
The chickens have been scratching in the compost pile and have scattered it out. We need to get the tractor, scoop it back into a pile and turn it. Always something to do.
The bees are settling in for the winter. The bee-keeper has been over a couple of times to check on them and make sure they have enough honey to get them through the winter.
I've saved the best for last. Last spring we were given some raspberry plants by some friends. They did well this summer and grew like mad. We are hoping to have lots of raspberries next summer. They tend to be somewhat aggressive and will root where ever they touch the ground. So, we may have twice this many by the end of next summer!
