The Season's First Frost at My Farm
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we've just had the first frost of the season.
Supporting a working farm is a lot of work. In order for it to thrive, there are many things to keep track of, especially in the gardens - when to prune trees and shrubs, when to fertilize all the plants, and when to prepare for the season's first and last frost. Frost dates are important for all gardeners to know, as they indicate the start and end of the gardening season. A frost happens when the air temperature drops to around 32-degrees Fahrenheit. A freeze happens when air temperature dips below 32-degrees Fahrenheit. A hard freeze is usually between 28 and 25-degrees Fahrenheit, and a killing freeze is 24-degrees and colder. Earlier this week, various areas of my farm were covered in ice crystals - our first frost, and the start of the cold season ahead.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This is my long pergola the morning after the first frost. Ice crystals can be seen on top of the boxwood and the grass below.
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- Here’s a closer look at the frost covered ground. Frost is essentially the layer of ice crystals that form from water vapor on an area cooler than 32-degrees Fahrenheit.
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- Early in the morning, one could see the frost in many shaded areas of the farm. This is frost in my living maze.
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- Here is another pathway covered in a thin layer of ice. Frost dates are based on historical data compiled by the US Department of Agriculture. We always pay close attention to the forecasts around this time, so we know when the first frost may come. The probability of frost or freeze is largely affected by an area’s elevation, the direction of sunlight, and other topographical factors.
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- There are also different types of frost. A rime frost occurs on foggy nights when moisture deposits create spiky formations on cool surfaces. A hoarfrost forms on cool, clear nights rising from moisture near the ground and has a fluffier appearance. Wind frost or advection frost refers to tiny ice spikes that form when very cold wind is blowing over tree branches, poles, and other surfaces.
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- This time of year, with the cooler temperatures and shorter days, hormones in the trees are activated to begin the leaf falling process. Chlorophyll production stops and the green pigment degrades, revealing bright reds and yellows.
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- One of the prettiest times to walk the four miles of carriage road around my farm and through the woodland is now, when the foliage on so many trees and shrubs show off their fall colors. This Nyssa sylvatica, commonly known as tupelo, black tupelo, black gum, or sour gum, is outside my Winter House kitchen.
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- I like to plant climbing hydrangea at the base of some of the large trees. These plants are true climbers, using the suckers on their branches to climb. These large plants sometimes reach 50-feet tall or more at maturity. They look so pretty under the changing leaves of the sugar maples above.
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- Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, and also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta. It is found in fossils dating back 270-million years. Native to China, the ginkgo tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history. This giant ginkgo is in my Summer House garden.
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- This ginkgo tree outside my Winter House has dropped many of its leaves leaving a carpet of bold yellow on the ground below.
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- This tree on the right is one of several Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’ trees, American sweetgums, planted in my maze. As these trees mature, they will maintain their erect, columnar form, growing up to 50 feet tall and only about four-feet wide.
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- This is one of the most popular views here at my farm – the old corn crib adjacent to an allée of lindens not far from my pergola.
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- This is my Basket House – a structure I use to store all the baskets I’ve collected over the years. It is located in a spot shaded by the mighty bald cypress trees across from my winding pergola.
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- Here are the weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus Pendula, on one side of my “soccer field” where my grandson plays whenever he visits. The branches of these trees gracefully weep creating an umbrella of foliage that reaches the ground. Look closely, the leaves are changing – the foliage turns a bright yellow color in fall.
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- Here is my Allée of Pin Oaks, Quercus palustris. These have done so well over the years. The leaves are changing to yellow and reddish bronze. Once its fall color display is done, pin oaks often retain brown leaves, which persist on the trees through winter.
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- Lindens, Tilia, are medium to large sized shade trees that are easy to maintain and attractive in any landscape. I loved this allée so much, I continued it in the opposite direction all the way to my chicken yard.
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- Here is the older allée of lindens outside my stable. My outdoor grounds crew has begun the task of blowing all the many leaves that have fallen to the ground.
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- The large obovate leaves of the Pawpaw tree display yellow to golden brown colors in autumn.
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- The perimeter around my paddocks displays shades of amber, brown, orange and green. I also get many compliments on the fencing – it is antique spruce fencing I bought in Canada, and it surrounds all my paddocks for the horses, pony, and donkeys.
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- The various layers of the trees around the farm are so eye-catching. I planted many different types of trees in hopes that they would shade, provide climate control, and change color at different times, in different ways. It’s so beautiful to see them change through the seasons.
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- Just a week ago, these ginkgo trees were filled with bright golden yellow leaves. Now the trees are completely bare. It won’t be long before all the deciduous trees around the farm look like these two, but it’s comforting to know this doesn’t last forever. Come spring, after the last frost, all the trees, shrubs, and plants will start showing beautiful colors once again.
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