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Some years ago I wrote an article where I stated that frost is not all bad. In that article it was much later in the year and the farmers were waiting for frost because the soybeans and corn needed to dry and the weeds needed to be killed off. Also a hard frost later in the fall sweetens apples, Brussels sprouts, and carrots.

One thing I do well is keep good garden records, and last night, September 15, is the earliest hard frost by one day, in my 25 years of record keeping. For a small gardener like myself, I've learned to get what I get as far as fall berries. I cover my cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers, and am selective in what else I wanted to save.

However, many who garden or farm for a living may not have been so lucky. Truck gardeners had no chance to cover fields of pumpkins, squash, melons, and tomatoes. Many farmers couldn't get into the fields early this spring due to wet fields. Therefore, they couldn't get the crops in and with an early frost, there may have been some damage. I am writing this article the day after the freeze and it will take a couple of days to see the extent.

Last week I wrote an article on the time to plant garlic. I did mention that early October is a good time to plant in our area, but I failed to include how to plant the garlic. Those of us who plant garlic year after year use our own cloves. If you need to purchase some, a local farmer's market would be good place to get your seed. If you need to buy at a local store, be sure you buy bulbs sold in bulk and not packaged.

When planting garlic, use only the largest cloves off the bulb. Plant the blunt end down, four inches deep and six inches apart. Apply three to four inches of straw or leaves as mulch and wet it down. The mulch will help protect the roots and shoots from the cold and sudden drop in temperature. Remove the mulch in the spring and keep plants watered and weed free. Due to their odor insects are usually not a problem.

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