First Hard Freeze

The Hill Country was expecting its first hard freeze of the season last night so I closely monitored the temperatures.  At 8:00 PM, the temperature was 30F; at 9:45 it was 27F; and when I went to bed at 11:45, it was 25F.  At 6:00 AM this morning, it was 21F.  That meant it was below freezing for about 12 hours.  Yep, that's a hard freeze.  As soon as the sun began to rise, I grabbed my camera and went outside to take a look. 

As I crunched, crunched, crunched, my way through the frozen grass on the way to my garden, here's a look at what I found: 

The beets got hit pretty hard :/

But beets can be pretty hardy, so I'm hoping they might come back.

The carrots looked a little droopy, but they, too, are pretty cold hardy and are likely to recover.

The Brussels sprout leaves were frozen and crunchy, but I think the little sprouts on the stalks fared pretty well. 

My lone remaining cabbage was covered with frost, but it should thaw out and be just fine. 

But the beautiful, arching bougainvillea in the planter boxes by my pool were fried to a crisp.  This was not unexpected as this happens every year.  Usually the first hard frost around Halloween takes them out, so I'm pleased they lasted until after Thanksgiving!

 

Even one of the persimmon trees in the front of the property was dripping with little icicles this morning :)  It sure was pretty. 

 

All in all, I was not surprised or disappointed by anything I found this morning.  No damage done, really; except maybe the beets.  But we'll see about those.  They should come back.  Luckily, I brought all my tender plants that were on the back patio inside and my lemon tree has been living in the house for the past two nights.  I can't imagine losing my lemon tree to a freeze! 

So...not too bad for our first hard freeze.  And the temperatures are expected to rise into the mid 60's today.  God, I love living in South Texas! :)