Hello November, Goodbye Tomatoes.

This is how my November started. Sunshine and tomatoes.

 Lots of tomatoes.

 A full Rainbow of tomatoes. 

Despite being the beginning of November, the tomatoes in my greenhouse looked like this. It was absolutely amazing.  The plants were absolutely gorgeous, 11 foot tall and loaded with tomatoes.

11-7 We had a couple light frosts, but i was able to pick the remaining green tomatoes and peppers from the garden. The tomatoes in my greenhouse were still doing fantastic. Despite the cold temperatures outside we'd had enough heat during the day to keep the temperature above freezing at night in the greenhouse.

11-12 The temperatures were really starting to dip down, so i picked all the ripe fruit that was in the greenhouse and many of the larger green tomatoes as well. i had mostly Blue Beauty and Cherokee purples. i'd been planning to put a light out in the greenhouse, to help maintain a bit of heat at night.

Unfortunately i didn't get my light out there in time. Around the second week of November we had a predicted low of 36, so i wasn't really worried.  The temperatures were much lower than that, i believe when i woke that morning it was 21 degrees  F outside.  With no light it was 27 in the greenhouse. i don't know if the light could have kept it above freezing and saved the tomatoes. but i think it may have. Next year i will put the light in early and get it on a timer so i don't forget to turn it on. i was pretty much devastated to lose everything in the greenhouse overnight. i'd had not only tomatoes, but peppers, eggplant and a pineapple sage plant i has successfully rooted from a cutting and kept indoors until it was established. It had not only rooted, but it had just started to bloom. i was hoping to keep it going all winter so i could transplant it back outside in the spring.

11-19 Nearing the end of November and i still have fresh garden tomatoes. Thank goodness i picked all of the ripe and large green ones when i did. i still have a basket of green tomatoes trying to ripen. My goal was to have fresh tomatoes in Dec. and i think i may get my wish. Although i won't be able to pick them off the plant, i should still have a couple ripe on Dec. 1st. 

Although i was really bummed to lose my tomatoes when i did, this is the longest i've ever had fresh tomatoes. i knew the greenhouse was an experiment this year, having never had one before, so i know what i need to do to keep my tomatoes going longer next year. i feel like this was a big step for me and i'm really pleased with how well every thing did this year. Makes me very hopeful for a great garden and harvest next year.