1.   After the first freeze, cut perennials to the ground.

2.   Even worse is that ragweed season can last until the first freeze that kills the plants, usually in November.

3.   Many area gardeners successfully overwinter their tropicals by digging them up before the first freeze and storing them in basements.

4.   New Mexicans begin harvesting their chiles in mid-August and continue until the supply is gone or the first freeze finishes off the remainin crop.

5.   OVERWINTERING AQUATIC PLANTS Before the first winter freeze, transfer tropical water lilies and water hyacinths to a tub in the house.

6.   So, we feather our nest with tissues and handkerchiefs, inhalers and expectorants, decongestants and nasal sprays and wait the blessed coming of the first hard freeze.

7.   The first freeze is an event.

8.   The time to make this casserole is now, before the first freeze of fall kills the basil.

9.   When Bush announced the first freeze last month, he asserted that it was far more than a symbolic gesture.

10.   While no records were registered, the first freezes of the fall were noticed from Jackson, Mississippi to Atlanta, Georgia.