The growing season has nearly come to an end. The leaves on the trees are beginning to change color and the cool crispness of autumn is carried on the breeze. You have spent your spring and summer tending to your garden. You have planted, watered, fertilized, weeded and mulched. Countless hours have been spent tending the earth and nurturing the growth of young seedlings into productive plants. There is ample satisfaction in gardening and plenty to show for your labors. A bounty of produce has come forth from your garden, and at times it can be almost overwhelming. You may be asking yourself what to do with the extra production, how to extend the harvest and how to protect the garden from winter's chill that will certainly kill your tender vegetables.

What to do with all the zucchini, tomatoes and cucumbers among other produce? The home garden is a great source of the freshest, most nutritional, and flavorful produce. Please consider sharing the extra with the less fortunate members of our community. There is a real need in Larimer County for food. Donations of good produce can be made to the Larimer County Food Bank at 1301 Blue Spruce Dr., Fort Collins between the hours of 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday or call 493-4477.

How can you extend the harvest? Vegetables should be harvested at maturity. This leads to better produce and spreads the growing season. When danger of frost approaches; tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and other tender plants can be protected at night by placing dry blankets over the plants to retain the warmth of the soil. The blankets should be removed during the day to allow the soil to warm again. Root crops such as carrots, parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas can be left in the ground until the temperature decreases to the point where the soil will freeze. To extend beyond this point, an insulating layer of straw and soil can be layered over the top of the plants. Mulch can also be placed around the base of leafy vegetables to protect them from cold winds. Winter squash and pumpkins should not be harvested until the vine has been killed by frost and the skin is hardened. The flavor of kale and collards actually improves after the first frost. These can be left in the garden until the hard freeze of winter.

What about storing vegetables? Proper storage is vital for retaining the nutrients in produce. Root crops store best at near freezing temperatures with high humidity. Onions should be dry cured in crates or mesh bags with plenty of air circulation until the outer skin is dry. They should then be moved to a cool, dry area for long term storage. Leafy crops such as cabbage and celery should be individually stored as they give off ethylene gas which can be damaging to other vegetables. Mature green tomatoes can be harvested before frost and wrapped in individual sheets of newspaper and stored in a cool area. Be sure to check weekly for ripeness. For longer term storage consider drying, freezing, or canning.

Garden production can be managed through proper harvesting, protection, and storage. An overabundance of vegetables can provide an opportunity to help someone in need. For further information see Fact sheet #7.601 - Storage of Home Grown Vegetables.

Q: I'd like to grow African violets, but I'm not sure what the proper light conditions should be. I have both north and south facing windows; which would provide the best light conditions?

A: African violets do best with a northern or eastern exposure, or when grown under artificial lighting. Filtered light in a south or west facing window should also be OK. If exposed to light that is too bright, the leaves will become pale or yellowish in color and flowering will be reduced. If not enough light is provided, the leaf petioles (stalks) will become long and spindly, and the plants will rarely bloom.

Q: Can I grow herbs in pots indoors during the winter?

A: You can grow herbs indoors during the winter if you have a well lit window or artificial lighting. If you currently have hardy perennial herbs, such as parsley, mint, chives, oregano, or thyme growing in your garden, fall is a great time to divide them and repot part of the clump to bring inside for winter, while leaving the rest of the plant in the garden. Tender perennials such as bay, rosemary, and sage may be killed by a hard freeze. These herbs can be grown in pots year round and brought inside during the winter. You can also start seeds of annuals, such as basil, for growing indoors during the winter months.

Q: Help! What are the little black insects crawling around in the pots of my houseplants? I also occasionally see them elsewhere in the house, especially in the bathroom.

A: You probably have fungus gnats. These are small insects, about the size of a fruit fly, that are commonly found crawling around the soil surface of houseplants. High moisture levels encourage fungus gnats (which is why you often see them in the bathroom, especially in the shower stall). To help reduce the population of fungus gnats, make sure the potting soil dries out between waterings, as the larvae are susceptible to drying out. The larvae feed on soil fungi (hence the name), organic matter in the soil, and plant roots (which may injure the plant if infestations are especially large). Fungus gnats do not bite or pose any threat to humans, but can be a nuisance if populations are large and disperse to other plants throughout the house (or congregate in the bathroom).

The industrious ant put his harvest away while the grasshopper went out to play. Tomatoes can continue to yield fruit until frost while root vegetables do best when they are grown until there is danger of soil freezing. Pumpkins and winter squash can go until the vines are frost killed.

Hoppin' mad over grasshoppers? These critters tend to cause problems in yards and gardens as the summer progresses-even after the first frost. Early control while still in the nymph stage is most effective. Once they get a toehold in a yard, repeated insecticide applications and management of the breeding site are the primary options.

There is still time to hug a tree! While spring planting is ideal, deciduous trees can be planted up to mid-October. Fall planting of evergreens is more questionable. Select a tree with a diameter less than two inches (reducing the risk of investment), prepare the soil with organic amendments, and mulch well-a four inch layer helps a young tree get off to a good start!

"There is a season turn, turn, turn…" While there could be a few weeks of moderate temperatures before the first frost, yards and gardens may be showing signs of winding the season down. First frost dates may be difficult to predict in Colorado's variable climate though late September seems to be the rule along the Front Range. The Colorado Climate Center (http://ulysses.atmos.colostate.edu/) has comprehensive data on climate related topics.

The authors have received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.

Gardening and Insect Fact Sheets are available on-line by clicking HERE.

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This page updated:  October 4, 2004