Fall Tomatoes |

Well, turns out all of our recent rains did not ruin my tomatoes! Last night I brought in 6 pounds of Celebrity, Stupice and Black From Tula. Some of them were a little cracked but they were in mostly great condition. Unfortunately, the cucumbers did not fare as well. Ever since the big rains of a couple of weeks ago they have shut down and the vines have begun to wither. I think the combination of high moisture and unseasonably warm temperatures turned on the nematodes. I will find out tomorrow when I pull them up.

Most of those crops that we planted back in August are ready for harvest. I am going to focus this week’s tips on the harvest and preservation of the some of the crops that are now in the vegetable garden. On another note, don’t forget that right now is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. It is also a great time to over seed your lawn with rye grass.

Dried tomatoes are packed with flavor. Slowly dry tomates in a 200 degree oven, spinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Anzing flavor and they will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Harvest fall tomatoes – It is supposed to drop into the 40 next Monday. Since tomatoes do not like temperatures below 50 pull any that are beginning to show color. I would not pull the green tomatoes yet. I leave my green tomatoes on the vine until the night before the first freeze. By doing this I have had years where I was still harvesting vine ripened tomatoes up to the week before Christmas.
Harvest squash- I think we are still a couple of weeks away from the first freeze. Be aware that all squash, both summer and winter types, are extremely cold sensitive. Do not let these crops stay on the vine when a freeze is expected. I use my fall “summer squash” squash to make what we call “Chow Chow”. I’ve heard it called other things but it is basically squash relish. When it gets a little cooler, nothing is better than Chow Chow with those black eyed peas that you still have in the freezer. Here is a simple and tasty Chow Chow recipe if you want to give it a try: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/yellow-summer-squash-relish.

I love making (and eating) homemade pickles. There are tons of great recipes out there on the internet.
Harvest cucmbers – Before my vines shut down we harvested enough cucumbers to make 10 pints of pickles. Pickles take a little work and a few supplies to make but they are easy to make and taste so much better than store bought. To me, potato salad, tuna salad and chicken salad aren’t worth eating if they are not made with home made pickles. Here is the recipe my wife follows (kind of) to make our pickles: http://www.food.com/recipe/claussen-kosher-pickle-copycat-249520
Harvest beets – When I tell people that I love beets they usually look at me funny. Because of this I am getting much enjoyment seeing TV chef use the humble beet in many of their very fancy dishes. While I have not tried them roasted yet I do love them pickled. Harvest beets when they are about the size of a ping pong ball for best for best flavor and texture. You can harvest them even smaller than that if you are going to roast them. Check out my post, Growing Beets, to learn a simple way to turn you beets into so amazing refrigerator pickles!

Read my article on growing beets and see how my family has made pickled beets for the past 97 years!

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

This morning I woke to the sound of rain on my tin roof. Weatherman says this is the leading edge of a cool front that is going to give us our first taste of fall temperatures. Several days of highs in the mid 80s and lows in the 60s means this is going to be the best weekend to garden in a very long time.

Sally and I grew cotton for the first time this year.

Vegetables

Still time to transplant – Brassica transplants can be planted throughout the fall. This is good because you really don’t want 12 heads of cauliflower ready for harvest at the same time. I stagger plant (plant 3 or 4 plants every two weeks) cauliflower and cabbage through October. Stagger planting allows me to enjoy a steady supply of these vegetables throughout the spring.
Tomato care – By now, your tomato plants should be flowering or setting fruit. To ensure your best fruit possible feed regularly. I side dress monthly with finished compost. I also like to apply liquid fertilizers like homemade compost tea or Ladybug’s Secret Recipe.
Harvest cotton – Ok, I don’t expect that you have a lot of cotton to harvest. However, we did. One of Sally’s student’s gave her some seeds last spring so we planted them. First time I have ever grown the crop that a lot of our grandparents grew for the cash that kept their families and farms going. We will use our cotton to make a holiday wreath. Neat experience and I hope to do a post about growing it, and the wreath we will make from it, in the near future.

Crotons, mums and marigolds combined with pumpkins and other winter squash make outstanding fall arrangements. These plants do as well in pots as the do in the ground

Ornamentals

Plant fall color now – The stores are filling up with marigolds, crotons and chrysanthemums. All of these plants perform well in a pot or in the ground. Mix them with the winter squash and gourds you harvested earlier this year to make outstanding arrangements for you yards or porches
Water fall blooming bulbs – All of my fall blooming bulbs are blooming now. Oxbloods and lycoris are all beautiful but their blooms fade very quickly. Keep them well watered to extend their flower time

Trees and Lawns

Prepare perennials for the move – If you have a rose, shrub or other spring blooming perennial that has grown too large for its spot, or is not doing well in its location, move it. If the plant is large, begin gently cutting roots by sticking your shovel into the ground in a semi-circle about a foot from the trunk. After a week or so, do the same thing to the other side of the trunk. Water deeply for two weeks before the move.
Plant trees now – If you are going to plant trees this fall, consider buying smaller trees. While they do not have the immediate impact of a large tree they have several other advantages. First, they are cheaper. Second, they are easier to establish. Third, they have a much better chance of having a healthy root system. If you plant a small tree and give it ample food and water, it will reward you with rapid, healthy growth.

Still a lot blooming at our house. This lovely arrangement consists of zinnias, gomphrena, roses, coreopsis and carlic chive blooms.

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

Tag Archives: Fall Tomatoes

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