Hello Gardeners,
MORE ON GREEN TOMATOES
– Based on current long-range forecasts, I don’t think we will have frost for
at least another two weeks. But weather forecasts are highly changeable. And even
without the threat of frost, plants are growing more and more slowly and ripening
is taking longer and longer. One quandary for gardeners this time of year is
whether or not to pick green tomatoes. They could still ripen on the vine, but
on the other hand, an unexpectedly cold night could damage them. You can delay
the inevitable by covering and protecting your plants, whether you use a
commercial product, or something improvised and home-made. Sometimes, a frost
is followed by several weeks of warmer weather, so it may be worth the extra
effort to keep the plants going.
Here are links to information on three scenarios: How to Protect Tomato Plants From Frost; How
to Ripen Under-Ripe Tomatoes After Picking; and How to Give Up and Just Cook
Them Green, including recipes for jam, pickles, relish, chutney, pie, salsa, or
classic Southern-Fried:
OTHER VEGETABLES AND FROST –
Other vegetables that should be picked before frost (or used right away if they
do get frosted) are peppers, eggplants, and summer and winter squash. Some vegetables
can tolerate light frost: beets, carrots, chard, Chinese cabbage, potatoes, and
lettuce. And these vegetables can tolerate hard frosts: broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, onion, parsley, peas, radish,
spinach, and turnips.
WHISTLING IN THE GARDENS
– Another sign of fall is the appearance (or at least the sound) of migrating
songbirds. If you hear whistling in the gardens, and it doesn’t seem to be one
of your human neighbors, it may be a White-Crowned Sparrow or a White-Throated
Sparrow. The White-Throats have a strong whistle, which is often thought of as
sounding like “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” (Or, if you’re Canadian, “Oh,
Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada.”) The White-Crowns have a less distinctive song.
One other whistler in the gardens is the Cedar Waxwing, which can be around
here any time of year, and generally hangs out in big flocks. Their song is
just one high prolonged note. They eat berries in the fall, so this is a very
good time of year for them.
WORKDAY – There will be a workday this weekend – I will send out the information
on date, times, location, and task tomorrow.
Happy gardening, everyone.
Kathryn
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