The cold nights of the first week in June are called iron nights (järnnätter), and sure enough, as soon as I plant out some tomatoes, we get one. In the middle of the night I had to go out and do some covering.
It was slightly below freezing, but there was only a little damage.
Some of the hokkori pumpkins got a little frost bitten around the edges of their leaves even tho I covered them.
I’m going to plant them out today and hope we don’t get any more frost.
A bitter cold wind is blowing, but the sun is warm. I spent most of the day in the sun on the lee side of the stone wall getting the tomato plants into bigger pots with lots of old manure. Ready for summer.
These are the last of the tomatoes from summer.
They were picked green in October, before the hard frost, and have kept well in the food cellar until now. Of course many went bad along the way and went into the compost bin.
This is a never ending story. In fact, I will be very sad if it ever gets finished.
I put a few more layers of rocks on this section.
It’s up close to the height I want, so I moved tomatoes there to catch the sun and warmth while I work on the back section. 
Then in the fall, I’ll try to top it off for the winter with a couple more layers. This time permenently capping it with some ceramic half pipes I got at the farmers auction last sunday.
I’ve now got 18 different tomato plants potted up, with old maure in the bottom and a good dirt mix on top.
The taller ones are supported and tied up to help them survive the incessant winds. The pepper plants I potted up at the same time have definately been damaged by the strong winds.
The tomatoes seem to be ripening all at once. What to do?
Cut some in half.
Dry them a little in the oven at lowest heat.
Preserve them in oil.
I should have had them downstairs where it’s cooler for later ripening, but these are just as tasty.
The weather has been unusually warm this October. There are lots of flowers and vegetables left in the garden, and the stone work could probably go on for a few more weeks, but I’m going to end it for this year, and start again when it warms up in spring. Today is another glorious fall day, and I did the final stretch of cementing this morning.
I’m quite proud of my progress this year.
It’s been so mild with only lite frosts that the tomatoes haven’t completely died yet.
If the weather stays warm next week, I’ll mix up a little more fine cement and fill in the spaces between the new stones to polish it off.
I have kept the tomatoes alive until now by covering them on frosty nights. Now they look very scraggly and don’t ripen any more in the cool weather of autumn.
It’s supposed to get colder again, so I’ve taken them all in to ripen indoors.
Last year we had tomatoes ripening well into December.
The tomatoes are starting to ripen and need a boost. A little dose of chicken manure pellets will do, but there is an abundance of nettles here, and nettle water is reputed to do wonders. Just pick a big bunch of nettles.
Submerge them in a barrel of water.
Let them sit and ferment (rot) for a couple of weeks, and then use the liquid as a fertilizer (diluted 1 to 10). It’s especially good for tomatoes that need lots of nitrogen, and all other vegetables.
After 10 days of vacation up north, I’m back home again, and the garden looks like it’s in good shape.
The neighbor lady watered the tomatoes.
It rained a couple of times the first 2 days, so the rest of the garden is not as dry as it looks.
The weather has turned hot (nearly 30 degrees), so after a morning of mowing, raking, mulching and weeding neglected areas, I’m stretched out for a lazy afternoon. Maybe more gardening in the evening.
