Post Produce Day

I read in another blog that Saturday, October 22 is Post Produce Day and to blog about what you are harvesting. I'm heading out of town tomorrow for a baby shower, so I'm making my post tonight.

I wish now I had taken photos because tonight I happened to harvest the rest of my basil. It was all going to seed with the cooling temperatures, so I made pesto pasta and it was so yummy!

Soon I'll be harvesting more herbs to dry and use this winter. Next week I will probably tackle the oregano. I bought it on sale at Walmart a couple months ago and unfortunately it has zero aroma or flavor to it, thankfully it only cost me $1.50. Next year I think I'll try planting a couple different varieties and hopefully find one I love.

I have been picking lettuce regularly to use in what my husband calls "Poor Man's 7-Layer Burritos". They are a vegan version and contain 6 ingredients: black beans, salsa, onion, tomato, guacamole and lettuce. They are incredibly yummy though and have become my go-to meal on laundry and shopping days replacing salad with chicken. Now that the temps are dropping, I'm really hoping the lettuce will stop trying to bolt and start filling out again. If not, I've learned some lessons for next year - keep the soil moist and shade the plants.

Cold Hardiness

Tony and I are sitting around tonight watching Conan, listening to Irish punk (Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly), having fried rice for dinner (which I feel I have perfected my recipe and should post soon), and it occurred to me that I should figure out what the cold hardiness is for each of my plants seeing as we might have our first light frost this week. The predicted low Wednesday night is 31 for Red Oak and since we're a little higher altitude our temperatures sometimes run about 5 degrees cooler.

Here's the list:
Cauliflower: Cold/Frost Tolerant
Brussels Sprouts: Cold Hardy/Frost Tolerant
Kale: Cold Hardy
Romaine Lettuce: Cold Tolerant/Cold Hardy
Carrots: Cold Hardy/Frost Tolerant
Green Onions: Cold Tolerant/Cold Hardy
Garlic: Cold Tolerant
Spinach (seedlings): Cold Hardy
Swiss Chard: Cold/Frost Tolerant
Arugula: Cold Hardy
Tomatoes: Tender
Rosemary: Tolerant to approx. 30, although some leave out all winter in Zone 7 and it's fine
Sage: Hardy
Oregano: Varies
Basil (Sweet & Lemon): Tender
Mint: Hardy
Lavender: Varies/Hardy
Dill: Tender

Moss Rose: Tender
Red Bud: Hardy (experience)
Pecans: ...

It appears the only things I need to worry about are the tomatoes, basil and dill. Since it may only drop below freezing one night and probably only for a few hours, I can bring in the few that won't make it and everything else will be fine. Once the temperatures officially start dipping below freezing then I'll consider harvesting various herbs.

Gardening Notes

As I'm learning more about when to plant what, I'd like to have a central place to turn to for notes.

-Plant garlic on Columbus Day: http://www.organicgardening.com/tags/garlic

-Plant potatoes on Good Friday: http://www.organicgardening.com/tags/potato

-Plant tomatoes on Memorial Day: http://www.organicgardening.com/tags/tomato