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Post by steev on Dec 1, 2016 11:32:49 GMT -5
It's clear and cold this week; outside my window, a flock of cedar waxwings has paused their migration to re-fuel voraciously in the persimmon tree.
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Post by Earl on Dec 4, 2016 15:32:06 GMT -5
weather....."weather" or not it's really winter here
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Post by walt on Dec 6, 2016 14:51:02 GMT -5
It's Dec. 6 and I'm just today moving my non-hardy citrus into the greenhouse for the winter. I can remember a horrible ice storm on Halloween. about 20 years back. That used to be a common date for killing frost. This year I lost my tomato and pepper plants about 2 weeks ago. Things that take a light frost are still OK, but won't take the next week. My trifoliate oranges haven't all lost their leaves yet. The trifoliate X edible cirtus F1 hybrids aren't hurt yet, but might be any time now. They have taken a few 25F nights. That would be around -4 C or -5C I think. Not bad for that kind of plant. But winter is coming.
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Post by steev on Dec 6, 2016 23:09:27 GMT -5
The Cedar Waxwings, having filled up on the backyard persimmons, fly out to the street trees to roost and crap all over my truck; nature's cycles, I suppose; at least it's not Agent Orange, more Agent Brown-mottled, aggravating, but prolly not carcinogenic. Between the crusted-on rice-flies, mud, and bird-shit, the truck is looking pretty rustic; we need some heavy rain.
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Post by mskrieger on Dec 7, 2016 12:33:33 GMT -5
I've started driving back up into central Connecticut for work; winter has definitely arrived there with snow every day this week. But down along the water, my house has had barely a real frost--we've gotten it all as rain. Which we needed. Perhaps it's finally time to harvest the brussels sprouts and cauliflowers, and plant the garlic. But such an odd winter.
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Post by mskrieger on Dec 7, 2016 12:35:43 GMT -5
I think the warmth of the water in Long Island Sound has been a primary cause of our long, delayed autumn/winter season. Something to think about for the future. Even if cold weather still comes to inland New England, the coasts might be frost and snowfree. Like Sweden.
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Post by reed on Dec 7, 2016 13:05:17 GMT -5
My sister lived on the coast in Maine for many years and that is the way it was there. Cold at her house for sure but nothing like just a few miles inland. She lived at the mouth of the Sheepscot river where fresh water ice was constantly being broken up and sucked out by the tide. Then it came back in and piled up against the granite rocks and made this constant low grumbling noise, way cool. Big lobsters lived at the edge of her yard where the boats couldn't come cause of the rocks. It was illegal to fish for them from shore but it didn't effect the flavor.
We are predicted to have our fist day below freezing in next couple of days. So far some light frost is the most we've had.
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Post by walt on Dec 7, 2016 15:39:03 GMT -5
I have had warm weather with freezes now and then. Now the 10 day forecast has only 3 days with highs above freezing. Light snow the last 2 days, melting as it hit the ground. I turned on a little space heater in the greenhouse, set just above freezing. It will cycle on and off some with this temperature. I'll get the 2" thick styrofoam panels up, maybe tomorrow. That will turn it into a giant picnic basket. The plants won't grow but they won't die, mostly. Last year peppers and sweet potatoes lived until February. March, I was planting more to put out in the spring. It is nice to sit in the greenhouse on a cold but sunny day in winter. It is nicer to get too hot and have to open the door from the greenhouse to the house, dumping the extra solar heat in the house. But the thin clouds today only let me see where the sun is but don't let down the heat.
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Post by steev on Dec 7, 2016 20:52:05 GMT -5
Not much above 50F today in Oakland and light rain; the radar shows it's snowing on the farm.
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Post by richardw on Dec 7, 2016 23:40:04 GMT -5
Summer has taken a breather today with cloudy, drizzly and cool, warm weather back tomorrow
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Post by steev on Dec 8, 2016 1:53:30 GMT -5
[quote author=" reed" source="/post/119522/thread" timestamp="1481133917 Big lobsters lived at the edge of her yard where the boats couldn't come cause of the rocks. It was illegal to fish for them from shore but it didn't effect the flavor. [/quote] I would suspect that the "poaching" aspect enhanced the flavor. Still raining at 1AM, so glad to hear it.
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Post by shoshannah on Dec 8, 2016 15:36:34 GMT -5
Our first frost on the 6th. Last night was 24 degrees. First snow that is sticking. 31 degrees now. Should be back to normal
tomorrow. I'll taste test the kale and other leaves and see if they have sweetened up.
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Post by steev on Dec 10, 2016 0:58:11 GMT -5
Rained a bit the 8th; slacked off this morning, so I went to my biggest clients, which I missed last week, and raked leaves; then I raked leaves; finished up by raking leaves; between the cold weather and the rain, leaves are really coming down; they'll be done soon, though none too soon; then comes pruning season; no rest for the wicked, nor the horticulturally employed.
Having not gone to the farm last weekend (worked in town), when it apparently was snowing there (I'd have liked to see it, though not so much to deal with it; been there; done that; found it really annoying), I look forward to going tomorrow. If it's good weather (given the season), I have trees to fert and mulch, star-thistle to scythe, as well as weeds to till; I think Sukie must be getting restive, poor girl; she may be stiff from inactivity.
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Post by steev on Dec 11, 2016 20:08:59 GMT -5
No snow on the farm and only a small remnant on the peaks; 0.9" in the rain-gauge; thermometer showed temps dropped to 24F sometime in the past two weeks; lows the past two Winters were 26F and 28F.
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Post by reed on Dec 11, 2016 20:41:31 GMT -5
We hit 20 F the other night. Been sprinkling rain most of the day today. Barely enough to register but constant. Even had a few flakes of snow, Friday, I think it was. One morning, we had, I'm not sure the proper name for it, when ice crystals kinda float around in the air. Freezing fog I suppose, it's cool to see.
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