From the Gardens Registrar: Fall Decisions; Curing Winter Squash; Tomato Soup, Workday Obligation
 

Hello Gardeners,

"Fall is not the end of the gardening year;
it is the start of next year's growing season."
— Thalassa Cruso 

FALL DECISIONS – If this has been your first year gardening at Eagle Heights, this is a good time to think about whether or not you want to renew your plot for next year. If you don’t expect to be gardening next year, you can gradually pick your remaining crops, and then stop coming to the garden. But please, before you go, do the next gardener a big favor – put a little time into clearing the weeds and dead vegetable plants from the plot, and then cover it with a few loads of leaf mulch. This will make life much easier for the new gardener in the spring. When people start out with a messy plot, they have to work extra hard to get their gardens established. Some gardeners get so discouraged, they end up abandoning the plot. And then the cycle repeats itself. BREAK THE CYCLE! Hopefully, this little piece of land has given you some good vegetables – do something nice for it before you say goodbye. Oh, and if you’re quitting, please let the registrar know – there are some new gardeners applying for plots now, with an eye to getting a jump on spring.

If you do plan to renew your plot, keep picking your vegetables and pulling your weeds. If you have herbs, this is a good time to pick them and dry or freeze them for the winter. If you have perennial flowers, fall is a good time to dig them up and divide them. Fall is also a good time to plant perennial vegetables, such as rhubarb, asparagus, and horseradish.

CURING WINTER SQUASH – Many gardeners are growing beautiful winter squash. They can feed you and your family for many months, provided they are cured and stored properly. Here’s a website by a winter squash fanatic with a lot of experience:

http://backtoherroots.com/2015/09/24/how-to-cure-and-store-winter-squash/

TOMATO SOUP – Fast, delicious, healthy, good with any kind of spicing, and best of all, it uses up lots of tomatoes, including the ones that have split or need the bad spots trimmed off. Here’s a large collection of recipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipes/14731/soups-stews-and-chili/soup/vegetable-soup/tomato-soup/?page=2

WORKDAY – Many gardeners have not yet done their workdays for the season. Remember – you agreed when you filled out the plot application to do one three-hour workday session by the end of the year. (Unless you prefer to pay an extra $16 or $32 in lieu of the workday.) The weather is cooler now, and workdays are much more pleasant than they were in the summer. This is an excellent time to sign up and get it over with. This weekend’s workday will be Sunday, September 18, 8am – 11am, at UNIVERSITY HOUSES GARDEN. The task will be continuing path maintenance. Here’s the link to sign up: http://doodle.com/poll/gypky54tc6sd5tnr

Happy gardening, everyone.

Kathryn