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Daily gardening tip · Northern hemisphere · Monday 12 October 2026 · mid autumn

Use Tomato Feed for Final Green Fruit

Giving your remaining green tomatoes one last dose of high-potash feed helps them ripen quickly before the first autumn frost.

Use Tomato Feed for Final Green Fruit
10 minuteseasyfeeding
  1. Mix a liquid tomato feed according to the product instructions.
  2. Pour the liquid directly onto the soil at the base of the plant.
  3. Remove any small blossoms or tiny green fruits that will not mature in time.
  4. Leave larger green fruits on the vine to absorb the final nutrients.
A garden in mid autumn

Why it works

Potassium, often called potash, encourages plants to produce sugars and finish fruiting rather than growing new stems or leaves. Boosting this nutrient right before the weather turns cold speeds up the ripening process for green tomatoes still on the vine.

Cusick's Pincushion

Plant of the day

Cusick's Pincushion

Chaenactis cusickii

A rare annual herb endemic to the volcanic ash soils of eastern Oregon and Idaho. It produces small, white-to-pinkish flower heads that resemble pincushions.

Read about it →

Gardening news

Gardening news

Beyond box: rethinking the role of shrubs

At a recent conference, a group of top gardeners discussed new ways to choose and care for bushes to create tougher gardens, including finding replacements for boxwood plants.

The Dirt · 2026-10-11
New research

Tropical Trees Open Leaf Pores at Night to Save Water

Scientists discovered how certain tropical trees open their leaf pores at night to absorb carbon dioxide. Opening pores during cooler night hours allows the trees to save water during hot days. Understanding this trait helps researchers learn how plants adapt to dry conditions.

sciencedaily.com
On this day

American Botanist Mary Eugenia Wharton Was Born in 1912

On October 12, 1912, American botanist Mary Eugenia Wharton was born in Kentucky. She dedicated her life to documenting local plant life and advocating for nature conservation. In 1942, she discovered a new species of dewberry that was named in her honor.

en.wikipedia.org · 2013-08-02

Written for the northern hemisphere. Gardening south of the equator? See the southern edition

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