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Tomato vines are loaded with fruits, many of which are ripe or near-ripe; a favorite time in the vegetable garden. Rose plantings are beginning to grow buds for the last blooms of the year in September and October. Add to all that a good Ohio peach crop and you hit the garden jackpot.

In nationwide tomato production, California ranks first, Indiana is second, Ohio third and Michigan fourth. Soon, if you drive through the Bowling Green region, you will smell the pleasant aroma of tomatoes cooking in processing plants. Much of those Ohio tomatoes go to Campbell Soup and will end up on supermarket shelves.

Years ago, when I was active in the kitchen, on Labor Day weekend we picked ripe tomatoes and prepared them for freezing. It was easier than boiling the jars in a hot water bath, and they stored just as good in the freezer.

Most of our frozen tomatoes were used for pots of chili on those cold days of January and February. Nothing beats hot chili to add heat on a cold day!

Soon healthy rose plantings will be setting buds for flowers to appear in the fall. Fall roses are among the best of the season. The color is superior and fragrance is outstanding. Inspect pests are gone, and the flowers last longer in cooler weather.

Share the surplus

During the coming weeks, share surplus vegetables with those who no longer garden. We had surplus tomatoes, potatoes, squash, beans and more to give away to those who no longer garden. It was an honor to share our surplus. Recipients were older members of the Men's Garden Club and teacher friends at Mansfield Senior High School.

The August garden

Roses: Prepare now for a superior rose display this fall. Provide plants with one inch of water per week. Aug. 15 is the last date to feed rose plantings. Scatter fertilizer around the base of the plant and lightly cultivate into the soil and water. Inspect rose plantings weekly and remove all spent blooms. This helps prepare plants for a good fall display. During August, a potted rose will likely need to be watered daily. On very hot days, it may need watering two times daily. For even exposure to light, rotate the pot one-fourth turn every other day.

White potatoes: Inspect potato rows. Potatoes continue to grow as long as the tops are green. Dig only as many as you need for immediate use. Tubers keep better in the ground than in a warm, dry home. Don't discard the small potatoes. Save them to put in with stuffed peppers. They will enhance the peppers and make them even better.

Tall bearded iris: Those that haven't been divided in 4-5 years should be dug and divided. Inspect them and replant those in best condition. Water in and keep them weeded. Do not add mulch but check for weeds and remove. They will produce plenty of blooms within two years of planting.

Cucumbers: To keep cukes producing, harvest as soon as ready according to the size you like. Usually the smaller the size the better.

Richard Poffenbaugh is a retired biology teacher and active home gardener since 1960. He is a member of the Mansfield Men's Garden Club and was editor of the club newsletter (The Greenhorn) for 21 years. He resides in Ontario with his wife, Barbara. Reach him at 419-529-2966.

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