ProfessorRoush thinks so. My outside thermometer thinks so. Ding and Dong, the donkeys, thinks so. And I'm darned sure these Fragaria think so. We all agree that it is too darned early for snow in north-central Kansas.These Burpee special, 'Berries Galore' strawberries (read it from the label) have graced three pots all summer long under the edge of Mrs. ProfessorRoush's favorite Redbud tree near the driveway, there always to provide me a few tasty treats as I wander in and out of the house. I enjoy them and their slightly tart taste despite the effort I put out all summer to keep them watered and alive in the burning sun of this Western exposure.
But, today, October 30, 2019, here they are, feeling the chill of winter in their first light snowfall, weeks early for this area of Kansas. In thirty years of living here, I can remember one snowfall on Halloween resulting in a very cold trick-or-treating effort with my young son in the mid-90's. There were none before or since.
Unfortunately, this will be the demise of these bright fushia-lipstick-pink blooms and the strawberries that would have developed from them. This weekend, I'll bring these pots into the barn where they can have a little protection but remain dormant for the winter. With a little luck, these berry plants will live to see another Spring for me.
And never fear, in regards to our larger garden strawberry bed, my pride and joy, I put it to bed for the season under a light blanket of straw just this weekend. Snug, happy, and deer-protected, I'm prepared for what I hope is a dynamite strawberry crop next May.
I'm not a fan of this weather. The cold I could take, but snow? Really? Ugh. We're supposed to get an inch tonight. I'm not supposed to have to get out and get all the snow off the car until later in the year! Later, I say! I went to the Student Rec center on campus tonight after my office hours in the archives and it was coming down pretty good on my walk back to the monastery. Big flakes, too!
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