From the Gardens Registrar: Freeze Coming; Water Shut-Off; Portable Toilets; Clean Up; Tomato Seeds; Links to Kimchi Recipes

Hello Gardeners,

FREEZE COMING – After an unexpected few weeks of beautiful, warm weather, we’re back to more seasonal temperatures now, and frost seems likely Thursday and Friday evening. If you have tender annuals, such as tomatoes, that you hope to keep going a little longer, it’s time to bring out extra sheets and blankets to cover your plants at night. According to current predictions, the frost will be light, so a covering that raises the temperature by a degree or two will be enough to keep the plants alive. You’ll also want to return in the morning to uncover them. If you have small plants to cover, buckets work well. Frost is always unpredictable and spotty – the gardens on the hill might escape it, while those of us in the lower areas will probably get it. If it does frost, your plants might look fine at first, and you’ll think they’re okay, but when it warms a little more, they’ll start to deteriorate fast. You won’t have to worry, yet, about your cabbage crops, or root crops. But cover your lettuce if you have any. It can keep growing in cooler temperatures, though it can’t stand a hard frost. The alternative to trying to save your plants is to just pick your last tomatoes, peppers, and squash. I don’t think it’s really going to warm up much.

WATER SHUT-OFF – A request has gone in to the UW Plumbers to shut down our water systems. We don’t have an exact date for when they’ll do the work, but you can expect it any time now. If you are still planning to plant anything this season, you might want to fill up a barrel or bucket with water while it’s still on.

PORTABLE TOILETS – Our portable toilets will be removed from both gardens on Thursday, October 27, and will not be back until March. So again, use them while you can. Unfortunately, the Community Center is still not open to the public, so the closest public restroom is a long way away.

CLEAN UP CLEAN UP EVERYBODY DO THEIR SHARE – If your garden is done for the season, or nearly, this is a good time to clear away the debris, and prepare it for the winter. Pull out the dead plants and haul them to the weed pile. Please try to leave as much soil behind in your plot as you can. We don’t want a lot of dirt in the weed pile – just plants. If you’re coming back next year, you can certainly leave fences and tomato cages, etc., in your plot. But remember that nice-looking equipment can wander off during the winter. It’s best to take it home, if you can make room. Take your hose home, too. And please do not leave any glass in your plot over the winter – it can break very easily, and leave sharp pieces in your plot that future gardeners can find unexpectedly and unpleasantly. Once you’ve cleared the plot, haul a few loads of leaf mulch, and spread that over your soil. And then you’re done. Please do all this, whether or not you’re returning next year. If you will be back, you’ll be ready to plant in the spring as soon as the weather allows. If you’re giving up the plot and you enjoyed gardening, do something nice for the plot and for its next gardener by leaving the place in good shape. Be considerate, and leave the plot looking the way you’d like to find it if you were starting off for the first time next year.

TOMATO SEEDS – We have a huge supply of tomato seeds. Many of them are several years old, but tomato seeds can stay viable for at least four years. I’m going to be putting some of these out on the share shelves in the next week or so. These are not for planting now! These are for starting, in your house, next year in March or April, for transplanting to your garden later on. We  will have a Seed Fair or seed giveaway around that time, but you are welcome to take some of these seeds now, so you can start them a little earlier, if you want.

KIMCHI RECIPES – Several Korean and part-Korean gardeners sent links to good kimchi recipes they have used successfully: https://youtu.be/eTucCw1w6Ak and https://www.koreanbapsang.com/baechu-kimchi-napa-cabbage-kimchi/

 

Happy Gardening and Stay Well,

Kathryn