Page 2 - Peter Sutter News Today

Have you ever noticed that certain times of the year bring certain garden discussions, like how to pick a watermelon or when to plant potatoes? This time of the year one of the more popular topics is what to do with all those green tomatoes left on the vine when the garden is done, or when you are done with the garden, whichever comes first.

We got about an inch of rain the other day in Fulton, before that it was hot and dry. David Trinklein, University of Missouri Plant Science & Technology, had an article about the effects of heat on tomatoes. Here are some highlights:

A couple of years ago I was introduced to pasties. I had in my mind it was some kind of a pastry, as in sweet. To my surprise it was a savory flaky pastry pocket filled with beef and vegetables, and one of those vegetables was rutabaga.

Brussels sprouts! Who eats those?

Some time ago I read an article in Signs of the Times magazine by Darren Morton about the benefits of "green spaces." It seems that even Aristotle saw the benefits of nature as providing us with a "love of life."

There is one plant that I used to plant but do not use very often: Eggplant.

If you like spinach and live in Mid-Missouri, than you know the growing season for spinach is pretty short. Once the days warm up and the temperature reaches in the 80 degrees, spinach will start to bolt.

May is the time to plant squash in Mid-Missouri. Most squash can be put into two categories: summer squash and winter squash. The terms "summer" and "winter" are used to describe the time of use.

A couple of years ago, the National Garden Bureau proclaimed 2021 as "The Year of the Garden Bean", also known as green beans, although they come in a variety of colors. Garden beans well deserve their celebrity status, as they are the second most popular vegetable grown in the home garden (tomato being first, of course.)

Every spring, I fight the wet weather (like most people) trying to get my onions planted early. So last fall I tilled in some compost in the last row in the garden and was careful not to get the cover crop in that row with the intent of having it ready for onions this spring.