Two Major Frosts/Freezing the past two weeks!!

[FriedaKateM]

I had been hoping to get a "wee" crop of green & wax beans, but planted them late. Now they are limp/dark & frozen, but did have baby size beans on. If I'd have one nice day, I could get out & pull out the beans. But, the flowers are still alive, cosmos, some marigolds, & zinnias. Sooo...will wait a while. The grass does continue to grow, though. Your friendly "underground" gardener, that's a joke, son...!!! FriedaKateM

[FriedaKateM]

I pulled up all the "frozen" beans the other day, & guess what!!! I found some mature wax beans & green beans, cooked all of them yesterday, ate one half, & have the rest waiting to microwave for another meal. So, the garden wasn't a complete bust. Joan

[Lizzie]

Hello Joan:

Meant to post this several months ago but thought I had deleted pics. Came out one morning late Fall to find my fence around veggie patch bust down by some large creature and my brussels sprouts gone. Several days later after doing a sturdy job of repair, I got an excited call from a neighbor to check the occupants of my yard. So I rushed out to find the culprits standing forlornly beside the repair and I was too late to grab my camera before they moved on. Short while later another call from another neighbor announcing they were behind his house. Got the attached pics of the culprits - one very large mama bear and three medium-sized baby bears.

[FriedaKateM]

Like WOW...Lizzie!!! You "soitainly" have me beat!!! The largest animals I've had here, are deer & coyotes!!! And I sure couldn't have gotten any pictures of them. Your area must truly be much wilder than my rural area. I have had of course, rabbits, groundhogs, & an opossum. Your gardening pal, Joan

PS: I also have had some cattle inside my property mannnny years ago, but their farmer/owner came & got them out for me!!!

[Diane]

Lizzie,
I feel just like Joan, "WOW". Never considered gardening such a risky business!! So glad you had those pics to share. I don't know if I would like bears that close to me. Joan, several bulls have also come onto our property over the years. They are fearless and don't care what you think. Three got in once and decided that the grass around the house was best so the dogs and I were literally held hostage inside until they came and got them and fixed the fence they apparently just walked through. Y'all stay safe.

[Alastair]

I did once get a picture of the rear end of a grizzly when I was in Kimberly in BC but that's as close as I've come. A lot of bears in Elliot Lake in Northern Ontario.

Alastair