Next Summer's Tomatoes

This is actually a little note to myself, so that I remember a nifty tip that a friend told me yesterday. Connie was making a Taco Salad and discovered she was out of tomatoes. She added extra avocado and olives to make up for them, but that got us discussing the subject of garden tomatoes. In our area, frost has killed off the tomato plants, and this just when our plants were starting to produce well. There have been so many green tomatoes that have gone to waste. Connie's sister shared with her a tip that we are planning on trying next year (thus, the note to self here on my blog).

Right before a deep freeze, pull up the entire plant, tomatoes, roots and all. Don't worry about leaving dirt on the roots, but make sure the entire plant is whole. Put the tomato plant in a sheltered place like the garage. Over time, the green tomatoes will continue to gain nourishment from the plant and will continue to ripen to red. You should be able to extend the 'garden tomatoes' in your cooking repertoire for another month or so. This works not only with regular garden tomatoes, but with grape, cheery, and pear tomatoes too.

Since I am sharing a picture of some of Dad's and Alma's beautiful tomatoes, I thought I would share a few pictures of their garden as well. Dad has built several of these gated gardens to protect their plants from deer and raccoons. Each raised bed is made with treated lumber and is wrapped with wire mesh. The areas within the raised beds are soil enhanced with compost that Alma creates with household scraps. I like the compactness and orderly appearance of their raised garden beds. Because things are planted close together, weeds don't have much room to grow, thus ---- less work!

Happy garden dreams with me!