It was cold this morning too, 50 is what he temp gadge said, but it seemed a lot colder. I didn't even want to get up this AM.
We have'nt had any rain either and our well went dry, so I haven't been able to water for 2 week's or more know. The only thing I've tried to water are my perennials, I just don't want to lose those. All my potted plants are dry, so I've been collecting seeds to WS this winter. I'm putting the pots away this weekend. I'm usualy doing this in Nov. so at least it's not as cold.
HAPPY EARLY FALL EVERYONE.
Jennie

Fall here too.

58 presently with a high of 65 expected today. I do think however that it will get a bit warmer than that.

(the above banner updates constantly)

Sue

Incredibly, we had a freeze warning last night. Shocking, since our first-freeze date is 15 October and has always been pretty accurate (last year's was 12 Oct.)

Weatherguy was all excited and exhorting everyone to cover any and all plants they wanted to save, but I refused to buy into it. This morning when I went out everything was okay, even the potted tomatoes, except for one cucumber that'd had 3 outer leaves freezled.

I think I got really lucky in that we had a heavy dew last night and next time weatherguy tells me to cover up, I better do it. I just can't get over it happening so crazy-early!

It has been an absolutely gorgeous day, the nicest since early spring. It's only 65 degrees now, at almost 4 p.m. A clear blue sky, and not a cloud in sight all day.

I did flip and water my compost. My husband mowed the lawn, so I got some grass clippings to add, along with straw. After that my husband yanked out and/or dug all the verbena bonariensis and melampodium for me. I spent a long time cutting off most of the verbena seedheads, trashed those seeds, and chopped up and added the rest to the compost. The melampodium got trashed. I just can't risk having all those volunteers of those 2 plants again next year. They really did try to eat up the whole yard this year. I'd like to see a few reseeders come up, but only a small fraction of what I had this year. I hope the compost gets hot enough to kill the seeds that found their way into the bin.

I'm thoroughly exhausted now and my bad leg is killing me. I'm going to rest a while before I cook dinner.

All in all, the best, most productive day in the garden since early spring. I just don't know what I'd do without my husband's help. Worn out, sore leg and all, I fell wonderful.

Karen

Karen, I'm so glad for you. You had such a battle with the garden this summer, but you had some beautiful flowers that stood up to the heat and drought. I enjoyed the photos you posted. Hope you sleep like a baby tonight.

I spent the day yard saling for shelves. I managed to make one good purchase. I spent the rest of the day in the garden with a magazine. My dogs were romping around but the day was too beautiful to care whether or not they were supposed to be in the tomato patch. lol Upper sixties with a clear blue sky!

Sue, that's really neat the way your WeatherUnderground link keeps updating. At 44 degrees this morning, you must be freezing! That sounds more like winter than fall. Our current temp is 51 but I doubt that it has bottomed out yet since it's only 6:30 a.m.

Another beautiful day here with a high of 74 today. Supposed to return to the mid 80s tomorrow though. I was so thinking autumn yesterday that I was motivated to make baked apples for dessert.

Dirt: I didn't sleep like a baby, it was more like a corpse! After hitting the bed at 10:30 last night I didn't move until 5:20 this morning.

I hope everyone has a beautiful day today.

Karen

It's 50F here right now @ 9:25 am - sunny and bee-yoo-ti-ful - a perfect day to spend outside. Unfortunately, I have to work at my 2nd job from 11:30 am - to at least 8:00 and possibly 10:00 pm. Maybe tomorrow...

Yesterday I did manage to break up a few bales of old straw for winter mulch that've been setting since spring for just that purpose. Piled a big mound of it next to the bed where the garlic will go in on Columbus Day or thereabouts.

I also noticed that my front porch looks as if a giant recycling bin was dumped in it - milk jugs, plastic coffee cans, kitty litter buckets, big Styrofoam cups, etc. precariously stacked up (and falling over) everywhere. I really need to do something about it, and am considering putting up bamboo shades. ;-D

I actually turned the heat on yesterday. Because it's been so rainy and nights have not been very warm through the whole summer, this turn to cooler weather (high 30s to 50s) feels REALLY chilly..clammy! I usually bite the bullet and don't turn the heat on until October.

Where's my snow shoes?
lol
Linda

I hear you about the furnace! It got down to 61F in the house Saturday morning, so I rooted out my trusty electric heater (one of those things that looks like a little radiator and has oil sealed in it). Set it square in the middle of the livingroom, cranked it up, and within a few hours the inside temp was 70F. I love that little thing - it really does a good job (the cats love it, too).

I baked some bread so I'd have an excuse to turn on the oven and also made a pot of chili, so the kitchen got nice and warm, too. I think it's some kind of law around here that you have to make chili when Fall arrives.

Temps for this week are forecast to be in the low-to-high 80s with lows in the 50s and 60s, and the corn harvest is officially gearing up starting today. A great time of year.

Karen, Don't you just love it?!
After a wonderful rain on Friday, the weekend here was picture-perfect. Tore up the old tomato patch, pulled up the sunflowers (drying huge seedheads for the birds), amended the soil and planted broccoli, chard, cilantro and leeks (seed) and then set muscari bulbs for a border. It's the first weekend that I've felt motivated to garden since the horrid heat wave. Even cooked meals for the week yesterday! Loving these cooler temps - looks like fall is just about here. . .Hallelujah!!!
Tosser, My back patio looks the same way! Milk jugs, 2-liter soda bottles and styrofoam. . .in overflowing bags. Not particularly matching the "fall decor" - unless you're a winter-sower! LOL

Unfortunately, our taste of fall only lasted the weekend. Supposed to be 88 today, rising to 90s in a couple of days. And no rain in sight for the next couple of weeks.

Who knows how long the heat and drought can last. I really need to move a lot of perennials, but I hate to do it in this weather. They might take heat or drought OK, but both combined is pretty tough on newly transplanted things. Rain deficit is over a foot.

Karen

It's for sure here too! The high yesterday was 65 and looks like we'll be about that and a little cooler for the next 10 days. Supposed to rain yesterday but skipped right over us but looks like its coming today and again on Wednesday. It's been down right chilly at night/early morning with lows around 45-50. I've been putting on the radiant heat the last few days to get the chill out of the air at least until the sun beats into the window LOL!
Well it's a good day to be sorting and cleaning seeds I guess, right?

Vera: I sure wish I could trade you weather. I need cooler weather and rain.

Karen

hah wow, 2 days ago it was 40 degrees. right now its 90.
If you don't like the weather in Cincinnati, wait 10 minutes.

Our weather is finally starting to change. After three months of temps in the 90 - 100 range, and very little measureable rainfall, we received almost an inch of rain Sunday into Monday. Our daytime highs have been in the 70's for three days now, and nighttime lows are 45-50. We even had one night last week that dipped to 39. It is supposed to warm back up into the low 80's for the next few days, but I think the 90's are gone for this year. I sure hope so anyway. Even though I'm not ready for snow, and I will go stir crazy when I can't garden this winter, I am looking forward to fall. I've been craving some white chicken chili with cornbread, so it's officially fall for me, LOL.

It got to 92F yesterday and weatherguy claims it's gonna be 91F on both Friday and Sunday, but the lows are supposed to be in the mid-50s. It takes until very-late afternoon to heat up and then it cools right back off just as you're considering whether or not to switch on the AC.

Late last night we had a brief but heavy rain - just enough to encourage that damned grass to keep on growing (I've been mowing since March and am sick of it).

On the upside, the 2nd-season zucchini appears to be completely free of bugs and is cranking out beautiful, picture-perfect squashes. And the majority of large tomatoes has finally - finally! - decided to ripen up.

Also, a little experiment has worked out a lot better than I ever would've thought. I was at Wal*Mart the last week of May and the garden lady was tidying stuff up. She had a bag of seed potatoes that looked way past their prime and was about to toss them into the trash, so I asked if I could have them at a reduced price. She said I could just have them, since she didn't think they were any good (in truth, they looked pretty sad).

When I got home I threw the bag in a bucket and forgot about'em until two weeks later, by which time they were beyond sad and just pitiful. But, I had an unused, double-dug bed on the east side of the house just sitting there with nothing planned for it until fall (2nd garlic bed), so I planted those poor, dehydrated taters.

That night the skunk that hangs out here had a merry old time in the nice, soft bed rooting about for grubs and such and of course the potatoes were scattered all over and had to be replanted.

Amazingly, they grew and today I dug out a single hill - 4 pounds of potatoes! And most are the size of store-bought bakers. I nearly fell over, I was so surprised.

Anyhoo, kinda got off track there but thought this might be useful for someone else.

No rain for us. Sigh. Whine...

Karen

Holy Cow!! We got a little frost this morning! Funny thing is though that it only was on metal objects...like the car, but plants were frost-less and nothing looked like it was touched ....that is at least when I got up to look. Very weird. Weatherman this morning stated that out here in the Palouse area (south of Spokane) that we were at 32-to just above that right before dawn.
Well, we never got our rain on tues or wed. either...oh well it did start and some came down maybe a whole 3 mintues but very lightly. We got wind but what's new? I think I'll go out and give the new fall greens a drink today.
Karen, I hope you get some relief soon!!!

Vera