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The basil and pepper plants were already done in by earlier frosts, but a hard freeze tonight will probably do for the rest. I pulled the parsley, and cut some white sage and mint for drying. I considered taking some oregano, but we rarely use it, and it seems to bear the cold just fine if I want to steal a winter leaf or two. This year we planted rosemary and thyme in a pot. I brought it in and set it before one of the windows.
There was a row of potatoes that I'd never dug, so I harvested those last few pounds. The stalks had died back in July, so not only were the potatoes mostly smallish, but I had to guess at where the row was. That meant the more than usual fell victim to the spade. I won't have to worry about the potatoes lasting the whole winter this year. We'll eat them up by New Years.
As the temperature dropped today the bees finally stopped flying. I fitted in mouse guards at the lower entrances of each hive to make sure that none invade as the bees form their clusters. I've also realized that only one of the hives has an upper exit. If the warm, damp air that rises from the bees can't escape, it hits the cold cover, condenses and can rain cold water back down upon bees. So next week on the warmest day I'll have to remove the inner covers and cut a 3/4 inch slot in each.
I feel like I'm finally battening down the hatches for winter's approach.
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