Harvesting
You’ve spent a great deal of time to prepare and work your garden. Now, it’s time for the harvest. But how do you know when to harvest your organic produce? Should you harvest them when they’ve reached full maturity or color? Or do you have to pick them while they’re young?
Learning how and when to harvest your produce is an important process in organic gardening. By picking your fruits and vegetables at the right time, you’re not just providing yourself with better and great-tasting food, but you’re also preserving the integrity of the garden that you’ve worked so hard for. Here are some helpful tips when it comes to harvesting your organic garden:
· Some vegetables need some protection when cold temperature starts to kick in. You can protect these vegetables form withering with the help of cover sheets like burlap sacks or large boxes. There are, however, vegetables that can withstand colder temperatures. These vegetables actually get sweeter after a frost, so they can be left unprotected. Some of these include kale, cabbage, parsnips, carrots, and Brussels sprouts.
· Since tomatoes cannot survive in cold temperatures, it’s best to harvest them by pulling them out entirely by the roots and let them ripen gradually by hanging them upside down, on growing them on an indoor vine.
· Although each seed packet is equipped with “Days of Maturity” information, it’s equally important to consider the environmental conditions, like your temperature and the length of the day since these can affect the duration of these ‘maturity days’.
· Some crops are grown for their vegetative part (roots, leaves, stems). Examples of these crops include lettuce and radishes. Crops like these should be harvested while they’re young, tender, and immature. For these kinds of crops the rule is to “harvest early and often.”
· There are fruits that are best to be left to ripen on their plants. Examples of these include tomatoes and apples. There are fruits that we often consider ‘vegetables’ that are best to harvest while they’re young. These include summer squash, snap beans, and eggplant.
· Pumpkins are only harvested when they reach full maturity. To determine this, you can do a simple thumbnail test. Mature pumpkins have a very hard rind that resists puncture from a thumbnail.
· Onions and potatoes can be harvested when their tops began dying and have fallen over.
· Peppers can be harvested regardless of their color and can be eaten at just about any size or color. However, they are best eaten when they fully ripen.
· Harvest your crops early in the morning. During this time of the day, your crops are cooler and have both a higher water content and crisper texture.
If you’re ready to harvest the crops that you’ve worked hard for, you’re going to need the following materials:
· Gloves
A pair of gloves will protect you from plants that naturally irritate the skin. These will also protect you from thorns and brambles. Pair your gloves with a long sleeved top.
· Sharp knife
Don’t get just any knife — prepare a sharp knife. This is helpful when cutting vegetables such as squash, broccoli, and cabbage.
· Scissors
This can come handy when cutting herbs and leafy vegetables.
· Pruning shears
This is a great tool for harvesting crops that have woody stems such as peppers, pumpkins, and squash.
· Spade
When harvesting root crops, a spade will be your go-to tool. Just be careful though when using it do you don’t damage or ruin your crops.