tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265417439197793850.post6607564840634490479..comments2023-10-19T13:35:50.266-07:00Comments on Melethwen's Memories: Good-bye, GardenMaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04166991260862313854noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265417439197793850.post-29803291636649489972011-10-09T16:13:51.588-07:002011-10-09T16:13:51.588-07:00It has nothing to do with the snow. Ed was in Col...It has nothing to do with the snow. Ed was in Colorado with his mom when the tomato bushes exploded with growth, so he wasn't here to make sure they were contained in their wire baskets. Since the bushes were sprawled across the ground, probably half the tomatoes were laying on the ground as they grew instead of up in the bush. Ed says there's some kind of bacteria in the soil that causes the tomatoes to rot (and it's true that many of those on the ground were going bad on the side that was in the dirt). So he said the water with a few drops of bleach would kill it so the tomatoes won't rot while we wait for them to ripen. I'm just taking his word for it--he's the one who grew up on a farm!<br /><br />As for the ripening process, it involves alternating layers of tomatoes and newspaper in a 5-gallon bucket, then putting the lid on. Then you rotate the tomato layers regularly as they ripen. I can't recall if its the ones on the top or bottom that ripen first. He says it's an interaction between the chemicals released by the tomatoes and those released by the newspaper. It's all way beyond my comprehension!Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04166991260862313854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265417439197793850.post-62489317398937880062011-10-08T17:21:07.468-07:002011-10-08T17:21:07.468-07:00I guess I don't understand why you have to giv...I guess I don't understand why you have to give the tomatoes a bleach bath. Did the snow bring the tomatoes further under the soil? I'm just trying to learn. <br /><br />And I'm curious what secret Ed knows about ripening tomatoes.Grandma Honeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09587160523698527979noreply@blogger.com