Cold nights are increasing in
frequency now that we are into
October. If you have tomatoes, you
may have some that are approaching
maturity. Leave them on the vine
until mature or until a frost is forecast.
Tomatoes will ripen off the vine but
must have reached a certain phase of
maturity called the ‘mature green
stage.’ Look for full-sized tomatoes
with a white, star-shaped zone on the
bottom end of the green fruit.
When harvesting fruit before a frost, separate tomatoes into three groups for storage: those that are mostly red, those that are just starting to turn, and those that are still green. Discard tomatoes with defects such as rots or breaks in the skin. Place the tomatoes on cardboard trays or cartons but use layers of newspaper to separate fruit if stacked. Occasionally a tomato may start to rot and leak juice. The newspaper will keep the juice from contacting nearby or underlying fruit. Store groups of tomatoes at as close to 55 degrees as possible until needed.
Last Tomatoes of the Season
Fall Planting of Asparagus and Rhubarb
Prepare the soil and fertilize as you would in the spring. See
http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf319.pdf for more details on asparagus and http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/ep99.pdf for more information on rhubarb.
Water well after planting to ensure good root/soil contact. Mulching would be helpful on the rhubarb to prevent the plant from heaving out of the soil during the winter but asparagus requires no such treatment as it is planted much deeper.
We sometimes receive questions as to whether asparagus or rhubarb can be moved in the fall. Though these crops are traditionally transplanted in the spring (mid-March to mid-April), a fall move can be successful. Wait until the top has been browned by frost and then cut back to the ground.