To get green tomatoes to ripen, pick and wrap loosely in newspaper
Isay “tomato,” you say “to-mah-to,” but when one refuses to ripen, neither of us is happy.
Fortunately, the experts at Park Seed know how to turn those green lumps into a luscious harvest.
“When the weather stays above 80 to 85 degrees for more than a couple of days, the tomato plant stops producing the two things that are responsible for turning the skin red: lycopene and carotene,” Park said.
The company recommends picking green tomatoes and wrapping them loosely in newspaper to trap ethylene gas, which promotes ripening.
The technique also works in fall when cool weather becomes the limiting factor.
For details and other tips, scope out the GardenSMART website at www.gardensmart. tv/?p=articles&title=The_ Solution_for_Your_Tomato_ Troubles.
Read on for a few more tidbits about plants and gardening.
Carbon corrals
Seeking to shrink your carbon footprint — but you have only a normal-size yard, not the acreage required for a wind farm?
The Soil Science Society of America explores how homeowners and gardeners can keep carbon in their soil rather than the atmosphere — and, at the same time, reduce labor and improve the health and appearance of their landscapes. For example:
• “Allow grass in your yard Iguanas, a nonnative species in southern Florida, eat all kinds of edible plants and ornamentals. A landscape filled with spirea (bright-pink flowers), other shrubs and mature trees keeps some carbon out of the atmosphere.
to grow a bit longer before mowing.”
Longer blades capture more carbon dioxide and encourage deeper root systems, which also use more carbon.
• Where possible, fill garden beds with perennials and shrubs.
“Plants that live longer accumulate biomass — which is made of carbon (the woody stems or trunks, and their extensive roots).”
For more ideas, visit https://soilsmatter.wordpress. how-can-i-help-my-soilhold
Migration helpers
Fall is on the way; gardeners — and migrating wildlife — can feel it.
To help pollinators and Asters — such as Kickin Carmine Red — provide nectar for pollinators in late summer and fall.
other creatures heading south, the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org) offers these suggestions:
• Keep hummingbird feeders cleaned and filled to help the tiny travelers refuel.
• To support monarch butterflies on their amazing journey of thousands of miles, “plant native milkweed and late-blooming nectar plants such as goldenrod and asters.”
• Aid songbirds by planting trees and shrubs for shelter and for food, such as berries.
Leaping lizards
Sometimes I wallow in a little self-pity when I’m fending off simultaneous attacks by slugs, deer and Japanese beetles. The red berries of Maries doublefile viburnum provide crucial energy for birds flying south.
But then I think about the iguanas — and realize that my garden woes are quite manageable.
In southern Florida, the nonnative reptiles are wreaking havoc. They eat all kinds of edibles and ornamentals, destroy seawalls by burrowing and leave droppings, according to news reports and the University of Florida Extension Service.
Oh, and iguanas bite, scratch and “slap with their tails to defend themselves if cornered,” the extension adds.
Yikes! Slugs and beetles sound downright cuddly by comparison. Stuck with green tomatoes? There are low-tech ways to get them to ripen. Ohio buckeye
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USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7 Origin: Eastern half of North America
The Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is the state tree of Ohio. This tree has tan-gray bark with a rough texture and glabrous (smooth, without hair) green leaves.
The leaves are palmately compound, typically with five (but sometimes up to seven) individual leaflets that grow from a central point.
In the spring, the Ohio buckeye blooms with flowers on 4- to 8-inch, upright panicles (clusters). The individual flowers within a panicle are small and greenish-yellow, with four petals and seven extended stamens (or pollen structures).
The flowers are followed by golden-brown, ball-like fruit with a spiny husk; inside is the buckeye nut for which this tree is named. The shiny, reddish-brown nut is about 1 inch in diameter and has a round, cream-colored eye — reminiscent of an eye of a deer (or a buck’s eye).
The buckeye fruit is incredibly popular among squirrels. The foliage, bark and fruit are inedible to humans.
Ohio buckeyes can be seen in the Scotts MiracleGro Foundation Children’s Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.