Harvesting and Planting, Again
Harvesting Your Abundance
More and more vegetables are being harvested and it will continue into fall. You can harvest them as you need them or harvest in large bunches. There are some tips for when a vegetable is ready for harvest or by when it should be harvested.
Root Vegetables - Beets, Carrots, parsnips, turnips, etc.
Remember your radishes? They popped out of the ground when they were big enough to harvest. Beets and turnips do the same thing. Once they start showing above the soil, you can see how large they are and decide it you want to harvest them. If your beets are multi-sown, or you didn't thin, you should start pulling the larger beets to make room for the smaller ones.
Carrots and parsnips mostly stay below the soil. You can clear the soil around the carrot stem to see if they are large enough to harvest.
In the first photo clearing the soil showed that both carrots are large enough. Pull the carrot with the larger stem to make room for the other carrot to grow larger (second photo).
Root vegetables will grow sweeter after frost so there is no rush to harvest them. You can even leave them in the ground until October/November. Pull them before the ground freezes hard.
Tomatoes
If your yard is well known to the animal kingdom as a provider of food, you have experienced wanting to pick your tomato at the perfect ripeness only to be thwarted by some critter who eats it the night before.
Breakers Stage - Once the tomato reaches this stage, it is at it's peak of it's sugar and nutrient production. You can pick it and ripen it inside to keep it safe from critters. Breaker is when it's full size and start to turn colour. If you harvest at this stage you should remove the tomato from the vine with shears.
Easy Release - If you leave your tomatoes to turn to their full colour on the vine, they will easily release in your hand when they are fully ripe. They will also pass the squeeze test were they are no longer rock hard but have some give when you gently press them.
Cauliflower, Broccoli, Cabbage, and Brussel Sprouts
If you haven't seen heads, florets, or buds, be patients. They love cooler weather so still have time to produce their vegetables for you.
Cauliflower - Harvest when it is 6-8 inches diameter. If you leave it to long it will start to open up, spread apart, and turn woody. Remove the head with a knife and cut the plant down, or leave it to compost. It produces only one head.
Broccoli - Harvest the central head when it is 4-8 inches in diameter. If left too long the buds will separate, turn yellow, and become bitter. Use a knife to slice the main stalk at t a 45 degree angle 5-6 inches below the main head. The plant will then produce side shoots, like broccolini. And, the broccoli leaves are also edible and very nutritious.
Brussel Sprouts - Harvest probably won't be ready until September/October. At the end of August cut the growing tip to direct energy into the sprouts. Remove the sprouts when they get to the size you want to eat. Make sure you remove them before a hard frost.
Cabbage - Harvest can be from late August to October. A mature head can be 4-12 inches depending on the variety and your preference. Remove the head with a knife and then cut the plant down, or leave it to compost. It produces only one head.
Peppers
Peppers will go through colour stages. Check the variety you have and determine at what colour and size you need to harvest. Use shears to cut the pepper off and remove all peppers if there is a sub-zero temperature prediction. They can continue to ripen in side but only if they have reached their full size and started changing colour. If they are underripe you can still use them in hot sauces, salsas, pickling, etc.
Squash - Summer and Winter
Summer squashes are the softer ones that you will need to use as you harvest (zucchinis, pattypan, eight ball, etc.). Winter squashes are the hard squashes that you can store over the winter (pumpkin, butternut, acorn, kabocha, delicata, etc.). Use a knife or shears to cut the stem. Don't pull or twist it off the vine.
Summer squash are better when they are young and tender. They type will dictate the size to harvest.
Winter squash are ready later in the season after their rinds have had time to harden. They stem usually turns brown and woody and your fingernail can't puncture the skin easily. If, at the end of the season, your winter squash hasn't fully matured, treat it like summer squash and use it right away.
Onions and Garlic
Check out the Instagram post for tips.
If there are other vegetable that you are interested in, please email grow@gardentofork.ca. We love answering questions!
Plant More Seeds!
Remember in April when we planted seeds for cold tolerant vegetables? It's that time again. If you some of your vegetables are finished for the year and have opened up space in your garden, you can plant cold tolerant vegetables that will grow into the fall.
Salad greens (lettuce, raddicchio, spinach, arugula), radishes (watermelon, daikon, black spanish), herbs (cilantro, parsley, chervil), chois (bok choy, pak choi, Napa cabbage).
Check the seed package for germination + maturity times. Germination should be less than 10 days and maturity should be less than 45 days.
Remember, seeds need to be kept moist until germination. So water them at least daily.
It's Time to Think About 2027!!
It may seem early but it's the perfect time. Start taking notes and taking pictures. Notes and pictures are great reminders not only for the next year but for years to come.
What did you love about your garden this year?
What frustrated you?
What would you like more of? Less of? None of? Some of?
What would you like to move to a new location or absolutely keep in the same location?
Do you want to expand?
Creating a draft garden plan before the season ends help make the start of the 2027 so much easier.
Question? Reach out to grow@gardentofork.ca.
Comments