I’ve taken out about half my tomato plants. I will probably uproot the rest of the tomato plants, and the chiles, next week.
I have some heritage legume seeds I plan to plant in the same plot, to refresh the soil. I may plant some shallots and onions on the sides.
Not really, they have not explained but it is one of the requirements. Besides, not to much grows in Oklahoma in the winter.
My guess is they want everything cleared out so that pests don’t over-winter on plants and there can be a fresh start in spring. It’s for cleanliness and aesthetics. Also for ease of adding fertilizer before planting begins.
Question, I have a couple undersized spaghetti squash that I picked while cleaning out the remnants of my annual garden. They feel softer than store bought, is there a way to tell if they are “good”?
For next years garden planning, consider the mortgage lifter and the Juliette tomatoes. very prolific. Juliette’s are great also slow roasted and dried. My garden patch is severely compromised by too many tall suburban trees. I get good sun in the spring but less and less as the leaves fill in. I’ve thought for a few years I should give up on tomatoes and just do lettuce but my harvest has been bountiful😀 Despite the shade. I also have Sun gold cherry tomato plant that’s just about done and also produced a huge amount. Sun gold jam in the freezer for winter goat cheese snacks.
Exactly the same situation as you. Trees in the pavement casting too much shade in summer and autumn. I have too been thinking of giving up tomatoes. For me, this year I have a good harvest with the sungold cherries. I have heard that you can grow tomatoes successful in a greenhouse (covered with heat trapping plastic especially at night) in a place without a lot of sunlight.
This year the pear tomato is just average, but I remembered there was a year, it was growing crazily like weeds.
The other black tomates are doing ok. I tried twice growing pineapple tomatoes, didn’t even have a fruit. White tomato didn’t work too. Green ones, like Green Zebra was growing fine.
But I have to say, this year in France, it was exceptionally hot (3 heat waves) and not much rain. I’m not sure a normal year, it is still possible.
I had given up on tomatoes
Do like nice tomatoes ( just bought some for dinner tonight) , like them also with mozzarella , basil and EVOO.
I have full sun, but the ground hogs kept on devouring them
My son planted small cherry tomatoes, ( first year to plant veges- tomatoes, sweet and to pepper as well as broccoli) Broccoli got devoured first week, never saw them, he had a few cherry tomatoes first time but that was it. I water them despite drought. Only thing we have are the small hot peppers.
So, we purchased a cage, caught 5 little rascals, took them 3 miles away but still had problems’
Since l3 weeks, nothing to harvest, so a guest who came to visit borrowed our cages.
Nice ones are very expensive here, and most of them are good looking but totally tasteless in shops.
Cut them open and sniff. If they smell okay, take a small slice and taste. If you don’t die in the next fifteen minutes, they’re good. 
NotJR…you might try putting them in a sunny spot to see if they will continue to ripen. I’m pretty sure under ripe squash won’t kill you but it won’t have as much taste (not that SS has much to begin with).
Horrid groundhogs aka whistle pigs! Hate them and their devouring ways! Our German shepherd loves chasing them away which helps. One year I resorted to chicken wire, think it helped but was ugly and hard to pick things. And, horrors, one jumped out of a raised bed onto my bare foot!! My screeching was probably heard for miles. You def need fencing or a dog once they’ve found the garden.
