How to ripen green tomatoes indoors

How to ripen green tomatoes indoors:

As a gardener this time of year can be both exciting and sad at the same time. We get to see and taste all the results of our hard work all summer long. Everything is producing and harvest is at its full peak, if not even winding down. That is the part that disheartening. Once the cool temperatures return, and our plants start to die off we know the end of our gardening time is coming close. For some of us we have been harvesting and preserving our produce to enjoy long into the winter months. You may be wishing you could enjoy some fresh produce once your plants start to die off or the cold starts to hit. While the good news is you can!  Now is the time to start to plan for it too. Once a frost hits it can be too late. You can bring a lot of your produce inside without needing to can it or freeze it. However, for today let’s talk tomatoes. There are a few easy steps that will help you enjoy all of that fruit so you do not lose any to frost.  

There are many different techniques to ripen your tomatoes inside and some work (but not well) and some don’t work that well at all. For example you may be tempted to ripen your tomatoes on a sunny window sill. Light is not needed to ripen them and it may make the skins harder and making them over warm can cause them to rot. Since it is no longer on a plant it will not need the sun to ripen. You may have heard of wrapping each tomato in a piece of newspaper or putting each in its own small paper bag. This may work but you will not be able to inspect each tomato for rotting and there is no real advantage to this method. As well some people pull the whole plant and let the it hang in a cool, dry location for the fruit to ripen on the plant. In this case you are carrying in all the bacteria, dirt and spores that will also promote rotting.

Try the following method:

·         It is important that you pick any of the green tomatoes before a frost. You can see that they were hit by frost by the dark green colour that comes from the frost right away or within a few days. Tomatoes hit by frost will not ripen. 

·         Wash them under cool running water, not in sink full of water. All the dirt, fungus and bacteria will just be floating in the sink of water and effect the other fruit. So..Yuck!

·         Try to keep only the best ones. If there are spots or if the tomato feels soft these will not keep well.

·         Try to find a flat, liquid proof container or thick cardboard box that will contain or absorb any liquid if a tomato rots. It will also need to be large enough to allow for the tomatoes to not touch one another (ideally about 2" apart and only one layer). Line the container or box with cardboard or several sheets of newspaper to absorb any liquid from one tomato that may rot, so it will not affect the others.

·         Place the box in an insulated garage, cool basement or cellar. The area should be dry and cool (about 12-17C). If the room is high in humidity then it may cause the tomatoes to rot faster so using a dehumidifier would be ideal. If the area is on the cooler side it will just take longer to ripen and you will just have a tomato to eat later in the fall and winter. If the area is on the warmer side you will just enjoy them sooner. Allowing for plenty of air flow will also benefit the tomatoes and prevent mold from growing.

·         Keep an eye on your tomatoes. Just like tending to a garden you will have to tend to these as well. Take a look at them every other day or so. If there is any sign of rotting get rid of that tomato at once. Rotting can spread quickly! Take any that are starting to turn red (about 50% red or more) and let them finish ripening on your kitchen counter. 

·         Be patient. The ripening process can be slow lasting anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months. But how exciting it will be to have fresh tomatoes at thanksgiving!

So you see you do not need to invest in canning jars and supplies or a large freezer to preserve your harvest. With a little planning and preparation you can still enjoy your produce long after the gardening weather is over! Give it a try. 

                                             Growing Tomatoes:

                                                                   

Finally, the warm weather we have all been waiting for! Planting weather! We can get out there and start putting all our laid out plans into action! It is almost warm enough to start those pepper and tomato plants too. So, I thought before you run out to your local garden center I would share with you a few tips on growing tomatoes. Of course with most gardening tips there are variations on them, and each gardener will have their own twist on what they like to do best, but this is just a starting point. Keep a journal to see what works and what didn’t so you can make changes as the years go by.

Tomato Growing Tips:

Tomatoes love heat. Try covering  the area where your tomatoes will be with black or red plastic a couple of days or a week before you intend to plant. Those few extra degrees of warmth will mean  earlier tomatoes and less likely they will face shock when transplanted.

Plant your tomato plants deeper than they are in the pot, up to the bottom few leaves. This will help the tomatoes to develop roots all along their stems. And more roots will make for a stronger plant.

Stake your plants. You can use a tomato cage and in some cases that works. However, you may find that a simple strong Bamboo pole or any pole, staked beside the plant will work. Just tie the plant to the pole as it grows, giving it constant support.

Once your tomato plants reach about 3 ft. tall, remove the leaves from the bottom 1 ft. of stem. The old leaves will be the first leaves to develop fungus problems. Since the plant is larger, the bottom leaves do not get enough sun and air movement.

Remove suckers that grow in the crotch joint of two branches. They will not grow tomatoes and will take energy away from the rest of the plant. But do not prune the rest of the plant the leaves that are photosynthesizing and creating the sugars that give flavor to your tomatoes. Suckering ( pruning is not needed on Cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes)

Water well, a deep soak and regularly while the plants are developing. Sporadic  watering, (missing several days or a week and trying to make up for it), this can lead to tomatoes cracking or even blossom end rot. Try to give them at least 1 in. of water per week, but during hot spells, they may need more. If your plants start to look wilted for most of the day, please give them a drink. When the tomatoes begin to ripen, you can cut back a bit on watering. This will coax the plant produce sugars, giving better flavor. But please use common sense here. Don’t hold back water so much that the plants start to wither and become stressed. You are only inhibiting growth of more fruit.

So now that you are all set with some pointers, go out, shop for your plants and watch for continuous warm weather in the forecast. When it is reached….start planting!!!

                             SPRING IS HERE...KIND OF             

Spring is finally here, well officially, even though you can not tell by looking out the window,  and I am eager to start working outside once again in the garden. If it were up to me I would be playing in the mud, but this rain and snow we keep having is making it way to wet or cold for even that! I for one am glad that I at least have my seeds starting indoors so that I can feel like I am gardening once again! At our last Community Garden event in March, we were happy to host Connie from William Dam Seeds. With all the wonderful advice she shared with us I was able to get started on planting indoors. Just because it is already April there is no need to throw in the towel thinking it is too late to get started with your indoor seeding.  With the tips Connie shared with us I am sure you too will be pleased with the how easy it is to get started. Let me share with you just some of her wonderful advice.

                279 Hwy 8 Flamborough, Ontario L9h 5E1  (905-628-6641)

                                                  www. Damseeds.com

Connie’s wonderful tips:

1.    Use quality, sterilized seedling mix and clean trays/equipment to prevent disease.

2.    Have a space with adequate light (4”/10cm above plants) and good air circulation.

3.    Soil contact: Some seeds are very small and some (not only small seeds) need light to started. These should be pressed into the soil so that there is good soil contact, but should not be covered with the soil.

4.    A cause of poor germination ca be lack of adequate moisture. Often, the seed swells with the first watering and then dries up and dies when the moisture level is not maintained. Seed pellets especially need consistent moisture to melt or split so that the seed can germinate.

5.    Fertilizing: After 4 weeks of growing, the plants may need a weak fertilizer. Regular liquid fertilizer can be used at ¼ the recommended ratio for mature plants. *Organic fertilizers only work with mixes that contain soil, unless they are foliar fertilizers.

This is just a sample of all the advise Connie shared with us at our workshop. But if I can give you some advise, take a drive to their shop and get inspired for yourself! You will feel like a kid in a candy store! The temptation to buy one of each pack of seeds is just overwhelming! This is only one row in the store! If you thought your local garden center had all the seeds you would want, think again! However, if you like to shop from the comfort of your couch ( you would miss the drive down some lovely country roads, but that is your choice) you can also order on line for delivery.

You may not see Connie there when you go, but all of their staff are friendly and helpful! Go ahead and ask any question you may have. 

Seed starting supplies

Now if you are anything like me you may also like to take a trip to your local library to see what books they may have to walk you through your seed starting journey. I found this little book by Barbara Ellis to be very helpful. 

Go ahead, give seed starting a try. Use a plastic cup, an old egg carton or ready to seed starting tray. I promise, once those little plants poke up out of the soil you will be hooked!

                                    

         CHASING THE WINTER BLUES AWAY!

I am not sure about you, but I am more than done with this crazy winter weather we have been having here this season. Cold, warm, ridiculously cold, wet, warm, it just can’t seem to figure what season it wants to be. I am not sure if I should be taking out my winter shovel or my garden shovel. All I do know is that on those warmer days it makes me excited that spring is on its way! I for one intend to be ready to garden as soon as it’s warm enough to plant! Best way to do that is get my seeds growing indoors and have a plan ready for what I want planted before spring even decides to come. So as a community garden team we figured you may be feeling as anxious to get growing as we are. We  have been busy getting two great workshop planned to help you do just that. We have teamed together with some fantastic experts to share their wisdom with you.

March 16^th William Dam Seeds (www.damseeds.ca ) and The Flamborough Horticultural Society  (www.gardenontario.org/site.php/flamborough)  will be coming to help us present the “Starting Seeds Indoors” Workshop. We will be shown some of the important techniques that are needed to successfully start growing your own plants from seeds.

April 19^th we are excited that Russ Ohrt from the Backyard Harvest (www.backyardharvest.ca ) will join us and teach everyone how to get the most out of our garden plots. He will show us the basic use of the square foot gardening technique.

Both of these workshops start at 7:30 and are completely FREE!  We have no maximum limit however we do ask that you register so we can be properly prepared for all who attend.  To register email us at flambcgarden@gmail.com . 

You can also follow us now on Facebook, Twitter (GrowwithFBC) and Instagram (flambccommunitygarden) for updates and more upcoming events!

WINTER SEED SOWING

                          

Happy New Year Everyone!

The best way to start the year is to start your outdoor winter seed sowing. Outdoors? In January? YES!

It is the perfect way to get a head start on growing your plants from seeds without the cost and space needed to grow plants indoors under grow lights. Seeds are sown in miniature greenhouses made from empty cider jugs, pop bottles or plastic containers. These containers are then placed outside in the snow and cold. The rest is up the changing seasons. Once spring heat comes the soil will warm up and the seeds will begin to germinate on their own. Sounds amazing right? Well, just you wait it gets even better!

Due to the fact that we plant these seeds outdoors there is no reason to sterilize the pots, no growing lights required and very limited maintenance required. As well the plants tend to be stronger and hardier.

Sounds great right? Ready to get started? Let me show you how.

Supplies to get started:

1.Containers ( Apple cider, 2L pop bottles, or any plastic containers. It must be able to hold 2-3” of soil and tall enough to allow for plant growth of a few inches)

2.Scissors

3.Drill, knife or nail

4.Potting soil

5.Seeds

6.Duct tape

7.Plant tags

8. Permanent marker

                                             

Step by Step method:

1.           Prepare your container. Wash the container out. If you are using a tall container like an apple cider jug or a pop bottle, you will need to cut the container almost in half, leaving a piece attached to act as a hinge. Next, carefully drill or poke drainage holes into the bottom of the container. Be careful plastic will crack easily and can destroy the container. I actually found that heating a BBQ Skewer over a flame allows it to puncture holes easily without any breakage.

                                

2.           Add soil to the container. There is no need to buy expensive seed starting soil, just a good quality potting soil will do. Just do not use regular garden soil or cheap potting soil. It is important that the soil is moistened well…not overly wet…just well moistened. I like to first work the water into the soil before adding it to the container. Either add the water right into the bag of soil or mix it into a bucket. Once it is moist press the soil into your container, well but not to hard. Make sure there is at least 2-4”

                                                   

3.           Sow your seeds. You will need to pick seeds that are cold hardy plants. Look for terms like: “self sowing”,”direct sow outdoors in the fall”, “direct sow in early spring” or “cold Stratification”. Sow the seeds far enough apart for easier to separate for transplanting.

Suggested seeds to use:

Arugula

Beets

Black eyed Susan

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Carrot

Cauliflower

Chamomile

Chives

Cilantro

Dill

Kale

4.Label container. You can use a good permanent marker on the container or put a plant tag into the container before you close it. I find that a plastic spoon works well as a marker.  Water thoroughly where you have sown the seeds with the spray feature of your faucet or a spray bottle and allow to drain. Next, tape your container closed. It can be a bit tricky to do on your own so don’t be afraid to ask for help.  If using a bottle or jug keep the lid off and tape to the back of the container. If using a container with a tight lid just snap it on.

5. Finally, place your containers outside! Make sure they are in a safe location that will not be blown away or bothered by pets or kids. As well place them in a location that will receive the spring sun.

Now, FORGET ABOUT THEM! Let them be until spring arrives. Even if covered with snow it is fine. 

When spring warmth arrives …..well,  we will cross that bridge together then.

I hope you will all give this unique way of starting seeds a try! Remember, I am just a quick email away if you have any questions.

All the best and have fun!