A strange edible gardening season

The performance of edible plants varies from year to year. This year is no exception, in fact, it's probably a year that fits one of the extremes - at least in the Northern Midwest.

It's been colder than normal, and as a result, everything is at least one month late. In fact, I'm glad we included Early Girl Tomatoes in this year's plantings. True to their name, they were earlier than the others; but the first two weren't ready until Labor Day! The other tomato plants in the gardens are at least two weeks from having ripe fruit. Hopefully the colder-than- average weather doesn't mean our first frosts will be early, too.

If we do get early frosts, the good news about tomatoes is that they will continue to ripen even after removed from the plant. The flavor isn't as good, but at least it's not a total loss. Once tomatoes are picked, they can be wrapped in newspaper or placed in a paper bag. Either way, add an apple to the package because apples secret a chemical that will speed the ripening process.

Although it's been a disappointing season here, there have been plenty of other areas of the country that have experienced terrific growing seasons. If you're in this camp, check out Rosiland Creasy's blog (the original edible landscape gardener) for a great recipe to enjoy your tomato bounty.

Look for more tips about harvesting this year's bounty on my Examiner pages as well as here on the Edible Garden Landscaping blog.