Monticello Weather Notes

This morning (Sept 19th), we experienced our first hard freeze of the season, with an overnight low temperature of 25.6 °F.  The sub-freezing temperatures persisted for most of the overnight period, and effectively ended the growing season for my fall-bearing raspberries and strawberries.  Although these fall-bearing varieties are tolerant of light frost, the fruit stops developing and ripening when temperatures dip below the upper 20’s.

This morning (Sept 12th), we had our first frost of the season!  Although the first frost is never welcome, according to USDA, the average date of the first frost for Bridgewater, Maine (7 miles north) is August 26th, so this first frost is actually a little bit late. 

Looking forward, we will not see our next frost-free season until June 19th.  It is a long winter indeed!