Maximizing the End of the Season

The time has come to pick the rest of the basil and every tomato with color.  Our temperatures have been dipping dangerously low, which some vegetables don’t appreciate.  Generally speaking, the more heat a vegetable needs to grow, the more sensitive it is at the end of the season to frost.  With this in mind, I just picked lots of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and basil.

 (Cucumbers, watermelon, summer squash, and beans are also likely to be damaged by a light frost)  Leafy greens like kale, chard, arugula can stand a hard frost (temperatures below 28 degrees), with lettuce a bit more sensitive, though able to stand a “light frost” of 28-32 degrees.  (Check out Botanical Interest’s site for more information)  Root crops can hang in the ground a bit longer, and some people swear by “spring dug” parsnips and carrots.  (If you choose to do this, mulch the plants with straw to protect from frost heaves, then, loosen in the spring and enjoy)  Tomatoes with even a hint of color will continue to ripen indoors in a window.  This is also a good time of year to make dishes highlighting green tomatoes.  

    Signs of frost damage:

As I ate a few customary sungold tomatoes while picking this afternoon I took a moment to pay extra attention to the flavor.  The days of sungold snacks in the garden are limited.  Though I am sad to admit the end of the sung olds  I must remember that just yesterday I cheered out loud when a favorite farm stand had their full selection of winter squash on display.  "To everything, there is a season."

Correction: Since writing this original post I have learned that my basil issue pictured above was likely not due to frost damage but to an issue, possibly a fungal issue.  I'm not sure what caused the discoloration, but from my research a likely culprit was not enough air flow.  (I tend to plan close in my raised beds)