Dear Helen: All through the summer, raccoons left my lawn alone. Then, early this month, they were suddenly back digging up the turf. Is there an explanation for this?
A.P.
Grubs that live in the soil burrow into deeper levels to avoid conditions that are either too hot and dry or too cold and wet. Once just-right conditions arrive, they movel closer to the surface, where they are conveniently available to predators like raccoons.
Raccoons returned to my front lawn early this month, I encountered them as I ventured out in the pre-dawn dark to fetch the Times Colonist. A huge raccoon scrabbling into the front lawn was entirely unimpressed by my threatening grows and flashlight in the eyes.
Dear Helen: I love growing cherry tomatoes in patio pots, but they produce more than I can ever use. Can you suggest easy ways of using them?
C.C.
An overload of cherry tomatoes is a common issue. I use them in large quantities by washing and halving them before placing them in a broad, shallow pan topped with chopped onion, minced garlic and basil, drizzled with olive oil and roasted at 325 F until the mixture no longer runs with juice. I stir a few times during the roasting, and freeze the resulting product in small containers to use in winter on cheese-topped crackers.
In northern Italy, halved cherry tomatoes are added to hot cooked pasta.
Dear Helen: This summer my tomatoes developed golden yellow areas at the top, stem ends. I believe this is possibly the result of the extreme weather in the spring and summer. Is there a name for the condition, and are there ways to keep it from reappearing on my tomatoes next year?
B.L.
The condition you describe is sunscald, the result of high heat levels and direct, hot sun on the fruit. The top, stem ends are the most vulnerable to this damage if they are exposed to the sun. Affected tomatoes remain useable, with the discoloured parts cut away.
Ordinarily, healthy plants develop a leaf canopy adequate to shield the tomato tops from direct sun. Unfortunately, this year brought a wave of intense heat early, in mid-May. Some plants reacted by shrinking in the hot sun. For the first time ever, my staked tomatoes were skinny skeletons of their usual selves and some of the fruits had characteristically pale tops indicating sunscald.
I’m planning to have enough shade cloth on hand next spring to protect the staked tomato plants if next year brings a repeat of this year’s high heat — a measure that, until this year, would seem unthinkable as we sought the warmest, sunniest places in the garden for the tomatoes.
It seems only a few years ago that home gardeners were planting tomatoes with their roots at a slant instead of pointing straight down, to take advantage of the warm upper layers of soil. With increasingly high heat levels, we’ve needed to take measures like heat-deflecting mulches to keep those roots cool and adequately moistened.
The high heat, together with prolonged drought, made it difficult, especially in light-textured, fast-draining soils and in raised beds, to keep soils adequately and consistently moist. The challenging growing conditions this spring and summer also caused more than the usual occurrences of blossom end rot of tomatoes and split carrot roots in home gardens.
GARDEN EVENTS
Floral art presentation. The Mid Island Floral Art Club is presenting a special program on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. in St. Stephen’s United Church Hall, 150 Village Way in Qualicum Beach. Andrea Strachan, a European Master Florist, will be creating designs with the theme “Beachcomber — A Day at the Beach.” Tickets at $10 will be available at the door. [email protected]
Garden show. The View Royal Garden Club will host its annual Fall Garden Show on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. in Wheeley Hall, behind Esquimalt United Church, 500 Admirals Rd. Exhibits will include perennials, vegetables and fruits, potted plants and herbs. Admission of $5 includes refreshments and door prize tickets. Entry is free to the plant sale.
Peninsula plant sale. The Peninsula Garden Club is holding a Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. There will be a broad selection of perennials and other garden treasures. Cash and cheques are welcome.
