Organic Gardening Tip of the Week

What to Do with All My Green Tomatoes

What to Do with All My Green Tomatoes

Tip of the Week: Green Tomatoes

Cooler weather is here to stay, but what about the green tomatoes still on the vine. Not to worry, you can ripen them and maybe even try your hand at fried green tomatoes! Fruits stop ripening when temps drop below 50°F, so if you are still warmer than that during the day, leave the fruit on the vine as long as possible. Remove any flowers & small fruit, and decrease the watering. Once daytime temps are consistently below 50°F and before the first frost, harvest all of the fruit. Place it in a single layer in a box lined with newspaper, and store between 55-70°F. To speed up the ripening process, add a couple of apples to the box. Check weekly for ripened tomatoes and remove any rotted fruit. If some just don’t seem to be changing color at all, try some fried green tomatoes.

Check out the recipe we have posted (under Entrées) for all the details.

For more information on growing tomatoes, see our Growing Guide in the Resource Center.  We have many types of tomato seeds for sale!

What to Do with All My Green Tomatoes

Tip of the Week: Green Tomatoes

Cooler weather is here to stay, but what about the green tomatoes still on the vine. Not to worry, you can ripen them and maybe even try your hand at fried green tomatoes! Fruits stop ripening when temps drop below 50°F, so if you are still warmer than that during the day, leave the fruit on the vine as long as possible. Remove any flowers & small fruit, and decrease the watering. Once daytime temps are consistently below 50°F and before the first frost, harvest all of the fruit. Place it in a single layer in a box lined with newspaper, and store between 55-70°F. To speed up the ripening process, add a couple of apples to the box. Check weekly for ripened tomatoes and remove any rotted fruit. If some just don’t seem to be changing color at all, try some fried green tomatoes.

Check out the recipe we have posted (under Entrées) for all the details.

For more information on growing tomatoes, see our Growing Guide in the Resource Center.  We have many types of tomato seeds for sale!

Things to Do in the Garden During October

Things to Do in the Garden During October

The air has a fall chill to it and the leaves are starting to turn, but there is still plenty to do in your garden and yard. Harvesting the last veggies and flowers, planting bulbs for a spring bloom and putting in your garlic and onions are just a few things that can be done in October. Here are just a few ideas to add to your "To-Do" List. Tricia talks about some things she is doing in her fall garden in our video, October Gardening Checklist.

Things to Plant in the Fall – Spring flowering bulbs, garlic, shallots, native plants, cover crop, wildflowers, annual flowers like mums, cool weather seeds like lettuce, kale, beets, greens and more! Read the full article, 20 Great Gardening Tips for Your October Garden for more information.

Things to Do in the Garden During October

The air has a fall chill to it and the leaves are starting to turn, but there is still plenty to do in your garden and yard. Harvesting the last veggies and flowers, planting bulbs for a spring bloom and putting in your garlic and onions are just a few things that can be done in October. Here are just a few ideas to add to your "To-Do" List. Tricia talks about some things she is doing in her fall garden in our video, October Gardening Checklist.

Things to Plant in the Fall – Spring flowering bulbs, garlic, shallots, native plants, cover crop, wildflowers, annual flowers like mums, cool weather seeds like lettuce, kale, beets, greens and more! Read the full article, 20 Great Gardening Tips for Your October Garden for more information.

Lifting Tender Summer "Bulbs" in the Fall

Lifting Tender Summer "Bulbs" in the Fall

Freezing temperatures are just around the corner for some gardens. If you have flowering summer plants in your landscape and live in an area with very cold winters, continue reading. Some beautiful summer flowers/plants like dahlia, gladiolus, tuberous begonia, canna, calla lily, and Elephant Ear are actually either subtropical or tropical plants. Their bulbs, corms, rhizomes or tubers will not survive if your ground freezes and they should be lifted before that happens. These can be dug up after the plant is killed by frost or after the foliage has dried up. After curing, place in sphagnum peat or vermiculite and store in a cool (45–50°F), dry location over the winter. Monitor over the winter and remove any rotting pieces. You could also transfer to soil in a pot and move into a greenhouse or shed, but do not allow soil to freeze. Read more about lifting tender “bulbs” in our article. 

Lifting Tender Summer "Bulbs" in the Fall

Freezing temperatures are just around the corner for some gardens. If you have flowering summer plants in your landscape and live in an area with very cold winters, continue reading. Some beautiful summer flowers/plants like dahlia, gladiolus, tuberous begonia, canna, calla lily, and Elephant Ear are actually either subtropical or tropical plants. Their bulbs, corms, rhizomes or tubers will not survive if your ground freezes and they should be lifted before that happens. These can be dug up after the plant is killed by frost or after the foliage has dried up. After curing, place in sphagnum peat or vermiculite and store in a cool (45–50°F), dry location over the winter. Monitor over the winter and remove any rotting pieces. You could also transfer to soil in a pot and move into a greenhouse or shed, but do not allow soil to freeze. Read more about lifting tender “bulbs” in our article. 
Dividing Perennials When They Stop Blooming

Dividing Perennials When They Stop Blooming

If your perennial plants are starting to look crowded, overgrown, are not flowering as well as they used to, or you would like to propagate a favorite perennial–it might be time to divide. Many perennial plants benefit from being divided every two to five years. Most perennials can be divided any time of the year. However, you will have the best success in spring or fall for summer-flowering plants, or in late summer for spring-flowering plants. Basically divide the plant after it has flowered. Try to avoid dividing during the hottest part of the summer, and also no less than 6 weeks before the first frost, so that your divisions are not stressed by extreme temperatures while they re-establish their roots. You can water them in with a little dilute mixture of Kelp or Thrive Alive to help offset the stress. How you dig them will depend on how they multiply–either clumping crowns, rhizomes, tubers or tuberous roots, corms, offsets, bulbils or bulbets. Watch our video on dividing perennials or our article on Dividing Perennials to Keep Them Healthy.

Dividing Perennials When They Stop Blooming

If your perennial plants are starting to look crowded, overgrown, are not flowering as well as they used to, or you would like to propagate a favorite perennial–it might be time to divide. Many perennial plants benefit from being divided every two to five years. Most perennials can be divided any time of the year. However, you will have the best success in spring or fall for summer-flowering plants, or in late summer for spring-flowering plants. Basically divide the plant after it has flowered. Try to avoid dividing during the hottest part of the summer, and also no less than 6 weeks before the first frost, so that your divisions are not stressed by extreme temperatures while they re-establish their roots. You can water them in with a little dilute mixture of Kelp or Thrive Alive to help offset the stress. How you dig them will depend on how they multiply–either clumping crowns, rhizomes, tubers or tuberous roots, corms, offsets, bulbils or bulbets. Watch our video on dividing perennials or our article on Dividing Perennials to Keep Them Healthy.

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