Putting Gardens To Bed To Early
1. Most gardeners put their gardens to bed too
early in the year. I have found that I grow more
and more crops later and later each year and am
amazed at the produce that I harvest—carrots in
December, spinach for Christmas dinner, and lettuce
until the end of January. Extending the growing
season is an easy thing to do. Gardeners think
only cool weather vegetables will grow in the fall
garden, but warm season crops do as well. The last
planting of snap beans and corn harvested in
September and October seems to be extra tender and
tasty. The time to start planning and planting for
these crops is in July and August.
2. The Fall and Winter Garden There are three
types of crops harvested in the fall and winter:
3. cool season crops - broccoli, Brussel sprouts,
carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, radishes, and
turnips.
4. warm season crops - beans, corn, cucumbers,
peppers, squash, and tomatoes, crops for fall
and winter harvest then wintered over for the
following spring harvest green onions, kale,
leeks, parsley, spinach, and Swiss chard.
Harvest Tips
Use damaged vegetables immediately. Sometimes
tomatoes will crack after a heavy rain, or birds
will peck ripe produce. Pick and prepare right away.
Keep harvested vegetables in the shade. If you
pick a basket of tomatoes, beans, and squash,
put them beneath a nearby tree or in the shadow of
the wheelbarrow until you can take them into the kitchen.
Handle vegetables carefully. If cut, vegetables
will be open to bacteria and fungi that can cause
rot. Even being bruised will make them spoil
much more quickly.
Harvest Wisdom
It's not enough to simply grow vegetables. To
ensure that you make the most of your garden,
pick vegetables at their peak of flavor and quality.
Here's a rundown of how to tell when they're ready.
Asparagus:
Cut before the tip of the spear begins to open.
Beets:
Pull roots when they are 1 to 3 inches in diameter.
Broccoli:
Cut when the hundreds of tiny buds are
still green and tightly closed.
Brussels sprouts:
Cut them when they are about an inch in diameter.
Cabbage:
Cut below the head once it is firm and
solid and from 4 to 12 inches in diameter.
Carrots:
Pull roots anytime from when they are young
until mature (determined by the number of
days on the seed packet).
Cauliflower:
Harvest when the curd is snowy white
and firm and before the buds begin to loosen.
Corn:
Harvest when the silks turn brown and dry.
To test, puncture a kernel; juice should be milky.
Cucumbers:
Length depends upon selection. Don't let
them turn yellow; younger is better.
Eggplant:
Cut while young and glossy.
Green beans:
Pick before the pods get lumpy.
Greens (collards, kale, mustard, and Swiss chard):
Break or cut off the outer leaves at the base;
old leaves can be tough or strong tasting.
Lettuce, head:
Cut off the head when it is softball size or larger.
Lettuce, leaf:
Break off outer leaves as soon as they are
large enough to use and the plant is big
enough to keep on growing.
Okra:
Cut when 3 to 5 inches long.
Peas, Southern:
Harvest right after the pods change color,
but before the peas dry.
Peas (English and edible podded):
Pick when pods are bright green and almost rounded.
Peppers (hot):
Let them turn the correct color if
you intend to dry them.
Peppers (sweet):
Pick when a usable size,
or let them turn the correct color.
Potatoes:
Dig when the tops begin to die back;
try to avoid cuts and bruises.
Radishes:
Harvest by size, depending upon selection;
most push out of the ground a bit when ready.
Rutabagas and turnips:
Pull according to size—turnips at 2 to 4 inches
diameter, rutabagas at 3 to 5 inches diameter.
Spinach:
Pinch off outer leaves that are 3 to 6 inches
long, or cut off the entire plant when 4 to 6
inches in diameter.
Squash (summer):
Get them while they are small.
Tomatoes:
Pick after turning ripe color, but while area near
the stem is still green; never store below 50 degrees.
