Garden Tips

Saving tomatoes

If squirrels or other critters are nibbling tomatoes, pick green fruit just as the shoulders begin to show color. The tomatoes can finish ripening in a screened porch or inside on a windowsill without loss of the vine-fresh flavor.

Sowing seeds

Poppy and larkspur seeds should be sown now for winter germination and flowering next May and June. Sprinkle the seeds on bare soil and give them a light covering of screened compost or leaf mulch. Avoid heavy raking or leaf blowing of seeded beds in November.

Compost bin

Build a compost bin in advance of the season of leaf and garden cleanup. Bins can be fashioned from something as simple as chicken wire and metal stakes but should be at least a cubic yard to work well. Bins in partial shade will retain critical moisture better than those in full sun. If rodents are a problem, buy an enclosed plastic bin.

- The Washington Post