Guest guest Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Greetings: Just FYI. Note: forwarded message attached.Ronald A. Fells N3VPU Amateur Radio Operator Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with Autos. October Tips: VEGETABLES If there is a threat of frost at night, harvest your cucumber, eggplant, melon, okra, pepper, and summer squash so the fruits are not damaged by the frost. Tomatoes need an average daily temperature of 65F or more for ripening. If daytime temperatures consistently are below this, pick the fruits that have begun to change color and bring them inside to ripen. Plant garlic and shallots now for harvest next August. Plant in a sunny spot in well-drained soil placing the tips 2 inches beneath the soil surface. If you are rescuing green tomatoes from a frost and plan to allow them to finish ripening indoors, be sure to select fruits that have changed color from the darker green of immature tomatoes to the lighter color of the mature green stage. If picked before this color break, the tomato will rot instead of ripen. You will be on the safe side if you wait for a hint of red to appear. Use underripe fruit for pickling. Make a note of any particularly productive or unsatisfactory varieties or crops. Such information can be very useful during garden-planning time in spring. Dig horseradish just before the ground freezes. The tops should be trimmed from the roots to within one inch of the crown. Remove any diseased or insect-infested plant material from your garden; it may harbor overwintering stages of disease and insect pests. If you leave this plant material in your garden, you are leaving diseases and insects that will begin to reproduce again next spring and add to next year's pest problem. Dig parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes after hard frosts have sweetened them. Many disease-causing viruses overwinter in the roots of perennial weeds. Tomato mosaic virus overwinters in the roots of ground cherry, horsenettle, jimson weed, nightshade, and bittersweet; cucumber mosaic virus lives in the roots of milkweed, catnip, and pokeweed; bean mosaic overwinters in white sweet clover roots; and many cabbage diseases spread from wild members of the cole family. So, from the aspect of disease control, it is evident that a good fall cleanup is essential. Hot peppers store well dry. Pull the plants and hang them up, or pick the peppers and thread on a string. Store in a cool, dry place. Place a ripe apple in a closed container with green tomatoes to encourage the tomatoes to turn red. Ripe apples give off ethylene gas that causes tomatoes to ripen. Cure pumpkins, butternut, and Hubbard squash at temperatures between 70 to 80 F for two to three weeks immediately after harvest. After curing, store them in a dry place at 55 to 60F. If stored at 50F or below, pumpkins and squashes are subject to damage by chilling. At temperatures above 60F, they gradually lose moisture and become stringy. Fidyl Live Simply So That Others May Simply Live Yoga-With-Nancy/ SignSoFla/ SoFlaVegans/ SoFlaSchools/ ________ Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Answers - Check it out. http://answers./dir/?link=list & sid=396545469 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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