Political Commentary

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

From the Gardens Registrar: The Last Tomatoes; Renewing Your Plot for Next Year; Workday Payments and Workday


Hello Gardeners,

THE LAST TOMATOES - It’s probably time to pick the last of your tomatoes, if you’ve haven’t already done so. I think the frost will hold off for another week or two, but things can change suddenly this time of year. With day-length and temperatures going down steadily, plus lots of cloudy days, ripening is about coming to an end anyway. So pick them and sort through them.

If you have tomatoes that are rock-hard and have no hint of color at the blossom end, you’ll need to use them now, as is. So fry them up, or make pickles, salsa, or jam out of them. Here’s a collection of recipes for green tomatoes: http://tipnut.com/green-tomato-recipes/

For the tomatoes that look like they might ripen, you can leave them on the kitchen counter, and let nature take its course. But you can speed up the process by putting the tomatoes in a bag or cardboard box with a ripening banana. The banana will emit ethylene gas, which will help to ripen the tomatoes. Keep checking on them, take out any that are rotting, and use them as soon as they’re ripe. Here’s an article with more details: http://www.wikihow.com/Ripen-Green-Tomatoes

RENEWING YOUR PLOT FOR 2018 – The 2018 applications will be available on our website beginning on December 15. We will also have applications at the front office of the Eagle Heights Community Center. Fees will (I think) be the same as this year, and the application will be pretty much the same as this year’s. If you enjoyed your garden plot this year, and want to renew it, fill out the application and mail it in or drop it off, along with a check for the fees. It will also be possible for you to fill in the application on-line and email it to me (we hope.) But you will still need to get me the check before I can process the application. The deadline for the applications and payments will be February 15. Please note that if you did not do a workday this year or pay for the no-workday option, you will not be able to renew your plot until you’ve paid the $32, plus a $20 late fee. (So please don’t put this off. See below.)

If you want to garden again next year, but you don’t want to renew the same plot, please indicate that on the application, and give me an idea of a location you’d prefer. I’ll try to find you a plot that will work better for you. Once the February 15 deadline has passed, and I have all the returning gardeners settled, then I will start assigning plots to new gardeners.

WORKDAY PAYMENTS – We will still have more workdays this month and next before the season is over, but in case you’ve realized that you’re never going to get around to doing a workday, please go ahead and pay for the no-workday option now. It’s $32, and should be in the form of a check made payable to Division of University Housing. You can drop it off at the Community Center, or mail it to Eagle Heights Gardens, 611 Eagle Heights, Madison, WI  53705. Be sure to include a note explaining what the check is for, and also include your plot number.

WORKDAY – This weekend’s workday will be Sunday, October 15, from 9am – Noon, at Eagle Heights. (Please note later start time.) The task will be clearing the fruit trees for tubing. Please bring gloves – there are lots of thistles in the tree lines. Here’s the link to sign up: https://doodle.com/poll/cqi5d8szuh3tp8q7

Happy gardening,
Kathryn

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