It’s Fall at the Garden, Maybe you Didn’t Realize

Celebrity Tomatoes on the Vine

It’s been a good year for tomatoes in Dallas. Dorothy, one of our veggie garden experts, talks about her tomatoes as if they were her best friends. “The Celebrities, the Cherokees and Zebras have been fabulous. I couldn’t pick a favorite.  The Zebras and Cherokees are heirloom, which usually just give me one good round, but with this weather, they have stayed covered. ”

So imagine my surprise when Dorothy told me to radically cut back my tomato plants now and prepare for fall!  She leaves only the limbs bearing large tomatoes, all others are cut to a height of 3 feet.  The smaller tomatoes literally go into the skillet to become fried green tomatoes.

She recommends foliar feeding with fish emulsion every two or three weeks to help the  tomato plants rebound for fall.

Trash the  dead or diseased tomato plants,  they are not worth saving.

What else is Dorothy doing about fall?  Seeds of Carrots, Beets, Kale, Contender and Gold Rush Green Beans, and Oats are being planted at The Raincatcher’s Garden. A few new tomato transplants will be added and  hope abounds for the tomato plants who endured the harsh pruning.

When it gets a little cooler; lettuce, spinach and snow pea seeds along with broccoli and Brussel sprout transplants will be added.

Thank you, Dorothy, now what time is that dinner of friend green tomatoes?

Ann

Pictures by Starla

Homegrown Tomato Atop a Bed of Rosemary

Fall back on some of our good advice: Fall, What’s not to Love and Fall Crops for Dallas Veggie Gardens