Penelope Periwinkle wrote:
...I have noticed how much ripening
slows down as the days get shorter and the sunlight less intense.
....
I was thinking that this would be the time of year that the red mulch
that some gardeners further north use might be an advantage. ....

How about aluminum foil? I've heard of people putting that down, shiny
side up, around plants in the early spring. -aem