High Desert Gardening

Posted by Robert Dailey Nov 16, 2007

The air is as crisp as a fresh Granny Smith apple in the high desert now.

Nights are dipping below freezing, as cold mountain air slips down into high valleys. During the day the skies are so blue, they seem almost violet, and crackling pinion in the fireplace makes early mornings and evenings seem elemental.

The bats that are seen (and heard) at dusk in summer have moved south to Mexico and beyond, as have many of the bird species. Fat prairie dogs are still poking their heads out of their holes and coyote packs can be heard yelping through the darkness.

Your tomatoes are just about done, although you may have a few still on the vine. Harvest these while they are still pink and bring them inside to ripen. If you’ve never tried fried green tomatoes, now’s the time to take a stab at it. Late season fried tomatoes traditionally are better and tastier than those that are picked earlier.

Once you’ve picked the last of your tomatoes, pull out the vines, shred them (run them over with a mulching lawn mower a couple of times, and put the shredded vines into your compost.

You may want to plant a green crop (like clover) on the area you had your tomatoes or cover the ground with clear plastic.