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Winding Down
Greetings!
Will the harvest never stop? Everything seems to be a couple
of weeks later than usual, due to this unusually cool summer, but now it's
slammin' me. It's tough to keep up-my back porch looks like a roadside produce
stand!
But
soon enough, we'll get a frost and then I'll be sad to see a halt to my supply
of fresh tomatoes, raspberries, basil, and more. Daryl Herzmann, a scientist
with the Iowa State University Agronomy Department, says that even though we've
had an unusually mild summer, that doesn't necessarily mean we'll get an early
frost.
October
10 is the average first frost date for north central, northeast, and southwest
Iowa. (Isn't that interesting how it's not simply northern Iowa? It's all about
terrain, Herzmann says.) October 15 is the first average frost date for most of
the rest of Iowa. And it's October 20 for southeast Iowa.
ISU's
longer range models are not predicting frost frost for the next two weeks, so
it's looking as though this year we may be right on schedule.
In
the meantime, I've got more marinara sauce and pesto to make!
Happy Gardening!  Veronica Lorson Fowler |
Neat Tomato Trick
I usually harvest tomatoes when they're fully red and
extremely ripe, but this year I've been harvesting them when they're about
three-quarters ripe. I've been reading up on it and found that at that point,
they are no longer taking nourishment from the  plant. Plus, harvesting them
early makes them far less susceptible to slugs, raccoons, and others that like
to nibble on super-ripe fruit.
Just
be sure to allow them to finish ripening indoors for a few to several days
before using.
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Salvage Duty
When I do writing work for Meredith Corp. in Des Moines, I
love taking a stress break in the afternoons and stroll through the beautiful Better Homes and Gardens Test Gardens.
They're an
impressive illustration of just how good an Iowa garden can look even in late
September if you're really, really good about keeping up with weeding,
watering, and cutting back diseased or dying foliage.
But
don't give up on your garden now. It's amazing how much you can spiff it up
with the following:
Water well to help rehydrate plants. Keep plants well watered through fall and
they'll have a better chance of surviving the winter.
Get rid of the icky stuff. Pull up annuals that aren't doing well. Cut back
perennials that are naturally dying back or have problems. Weed. Add a little
more mulch where you need it.
Add spots of color. Those mums on sale everywhere are a great way to brighten a
front or back door. They're also great to set, pot and all, into a flower bed
to cheer things up.
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More Recipes
The tomato recipes we posted in the last newsletter were
really popular. Everyone loves a good recipe, it seems. Here are some other
favorite recipes for dealing with all the bounty from our gardens:
Refrigerator pickles.
Basically, just
cut up pickles and toss them into this easy brine. Ready in a day or so and you can add more cucumbers as you harvest them!
Everything-From-The-Garden Pasta Salad.
A little of this, a little of that and presto! You have
dinner in minutes.
Slow-roasted tomatoes.
A great low-labor way to use up tomatoes. Just cut into chunks and roast in the oven to develop
their sweet flavor. Then just freeze in bags and store for winter use in sauces, pizza,
and other recipes. Fabulous.
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Fruit Flies Begone
 All the tomatoes and fruit sitting around my kitchen right
now are a magnet for fruit flies. Here's an easy, non-toxic trap to make for
them:
In
a wine glass or other tall, narrow glass or jar (the chimney effect attracts
more fruit flies), mix together about one half cup water, one half cup vinegar
or leftover wine, and a drop two of dishwashing liquid.
The
scent of the wine or vinegar attracts the fruit flies, which then alight onto
the water only to be weighted down by the liquid soap.
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We Have a Winner!
 Kathy Hoefing of Des Moines won a copy of my book
"Gardening in Iowa." We asked readers to forward this newsletter to a
friend and one would be the lucky winner of the free book.
(If
you like this newsletter, please DO indeed forward it. Click here to do so.)
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Ask Veronica a Question
If you're a subscriber, email Veronica with your garden questions and she'll do her very best to get back to you within two business days. Click here! |
Get a Free Child Admission to the Des Moines Botanical Center!
Forward this email to a friend, and you'll be automatically emailed a coupon for one free child admission to the Des Moines Botanical Center (when accompanied by an adult). Click here to forward to a friend and then we will email the coupon. They'll also receive a coupon as a thank you for signing up. |
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Garden To-Do List
Nope,
it's not time to plant bulbs just yet. Wait until October. Go ahead and buy
them now, but keep them in a cool, dry, dark place. And pay a little more for
nice, firm, healthy "top-size" bulbs. Mail-order and small nurseries are ideal.
The big box stores, I'm afraid, too often carry undersized bulbs that won't
bloom well.
There's a saying that
beautiful lawns are made in the fall. As days grow cooler, it's a great time to
reseed problem patches or lay new sod. We've been having some dry weather
though, so water daily until established--usually in a couple of weeks. Now is
also an excellent time to aerate a lawn.
If you prefer a shorter look, start mowing cool-season turf,
such as Kentucky bluegrass, ryes, and fescues, lower (about 2 inches) now that
temperatures are cooler. Or continue to mow at the ideal height of 3 inches.
With
warm season grasses, such zoysiagrass, keep mowing at about 2 inches.
Fertilize cool season
lawns, such as Kentucky bluegrass, ryes, and fescues, to encourage good root
growth. Do not fertilize zoysiagrass this month.
Continue
to harvest early and often for the most tender, sweetest produce and to keep
plants producing well. Click here for information on a plant-by-plant
breakdown on when to harvest.
Keep
things watered. You'll enjoy your garden longer, and it will prevent plants
from going into winter dehydrated, which can make them die out over winter.
Make the tough calls. If any annuals this late in the season
are struggling, pull them up and
put them in the compost heap. If a perennial is looking shot, just cut it off
at ground level now and discard the foliage.
Brighten your garden with mums. Choose from either florist's
mums, which aren't winter hardy but are very tidy-looking with large flowers or
from hardy mums, which are more rough-looking but will come back again next
year. Florist's mums are great for pots indoors and out while garden mums are
good for planting in the ground for a permanent display.
Frustrated by moles? Click here to check out ways to control them!
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Garden Events
Thursday, October 1
Scarecrow Walk
Iowa Arboretum
An all-day display of creative
and unique scarecrows located throughout the grounds. Free.
October 1-4
2nd Annual Fall Bulb Mart
Members' Preview Party Thursday October 1 and a giant sale
open to the public all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 2-4, 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Preordering available.
We want to list your upcoming garden event in our calendar!
There's no charge. Just email Veronica by clicking here and send us the
information, or add us to the email list of your facility or organization. We
especially love garden club and Master Gardener information.
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Quote:
"A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival
skill except for learning how to grow in rows."
-- Doug Larson
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Slowing Down
The garden this time of year is slowing down and so are we. The Iowa Gardener has been coming out every other week during the heaviest part of the growing season, but now until spring, we're knocking back to once a month. Still the same great local garden information, just a little less often.
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