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October Gardening Tips
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Harvesting Vegetables
You finally have your first successful edible garden, good work! All your plants are ripe with bounty, but now what? How do you know when your plants are ready to eat? Unfortunately, there is no one answer. Each crop is different, each garden, and season is different. However, we can give you some tips to help you recognize when it’s time to harvest.
Bigger isn’t Always Better
With vegetable crops like peas, beans, turnips and squash, it isn’t always best to let them mature on the vine. Oftentimes, these plants will reach peak ripeness before they fully mature. While crops like tomatoes, watermelon need to ripen on the vine.
Avoid trying to let your plants grow as big as possible before you harvest. This can lead to lack of flavor.
For fruit, pay attention to things like bird activity, or if fruit has fallen off the vine. These are often the first signs that it is ready to pick.
Where To Start
If you started your plants from seed, hold on to those packets. They are a wealth of information. They have details on when to plant, how deep and far your seeds need to be planted, as well as an approximate growing time-usually listed in days or weeks. Although this information isn’t 100% accurate in every instance, it gives you a starting place. And from there it is trail and error.
If you started your plants from plugs, hold on to that plant tag. That will be your guide.
When to Harvest
For vegetable plants, it is best to harvest first thing in the morning, after the dew dries. Vegetables are typically juiciest in the morning. If you are unable to harvest in the morning, be sure to keep your crop out of direct sun and get into a cool place as soon as possible. You want the crop to retain as much internal moisture as possible. This gets harder to do the later in the day you harvest.
For fruit plants, the coolest time of day is the best. This is typically early morning or evening. Some fruits will be sweetest at night, while others are sweetest in the morning. Make sure to get your fruit to a cool, dry, place as soon as it is harvested to preserves shelf life.
How to Harvest
If your crop doesn’t easily fall off when twisted or gently pulled, use scissors or pruners to remove. This will prevent damage to your plant. Make sure stems and foliage aren’t trampled while you harvest. This can prevent plants from continuing to produce crops.
Ripe fruit should be easily removed from the plant. A gentle tug is often enough and all that is needed.
Gardening is as much art as it is science, so don’t fret if you don’t get it right this year. Keep a log or garden journal of what you planted and when your harvested. Make notes on the flavor of each crop, this will give you a starting point for future years. Learn from your findings each year and your confidence will grow. For more advice on harvesting your edible garden, visit any English Gardens location and talk with an expert.
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