Summer squash and tracking first and last frost for my farm
Mary Alice
We had a frost two days ago. I think it is the last so I put out my summer squash under floating row cover. I have been tracking first and last frost for my farm pretty methodically for the past 10 years. I keep a journal by my bedside and while I drink my morning coffee I write down the weather and main activities from the previous day. I try to zero in on first and last frost because they affect when to plant and harvest so dramatically. For my farm I can get a frost as late as May 7th, but the last frost can be as early as April 18th. The most often date or mean is May 1st. I can expect a first frost as early as September 22 or as late as November 8th but most likely around October 12th. Jess took these beautiful photos of the frost: