Harvesting the Garden is the last in our series and the fun part of growing your own garden! The payoff of all of your hard labor! Tons of free recipes too!

harvesting the garden - green tomatoes in decorative basket

Finally, after months of planning and work, you have beautiful vegetables and fruits in your garden! There are a few tips and tricks for proper picking and then storage and preserving your crops, so that they are at the peak of freshness and flavor!

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colorful fall produce on wood background

How do you know a crop is ready to harvest?

Crops to harvest immature

Determining when your crop is ready to harvest varies by type. Here is a nice chart from Iowa State U, that shows this nicely.

Certain fruits and vegetables are best harvested young. They are tender and most flavorful immature. These include;

carrots – use a garden fork to dig them out.
lettuce
radishes
basil
broccoli
summer squash – small diameter vegetables are better tasting and have a nicer texture
cucumbers -small diameter vegetables are better tasting and have a nicer texture
beans
eggplant
peas -when pods have swelled, check on the size of the peas it contains. Smaller peas are sweeter
sugar snap peas and snow peas. Pods should be bright in color and be beginning to swell. Taste them early. They should be tender but the peas inside should be much smaller than that of the green peas.
asparagus – the most tender asparagus is small. The spears should be no bigger around than your little finger. Use a sharp knife or pruners to cut bottom of spear.

Crops that can be harvested at any stage

peppers, (hot peppers are hotter when mature)
tomatoes (they ripen faster on the vine, and are tastier when mature)
berries – some berries may require netting to protect from birds.

Crops that should be harvested fully mature

apples
corn – the silks at the end of ear will begin to turn brown and start to dry out. Check an ear. Nick a kernel with your thumbnail. if white milky liquid oozes out, then corn is ready.
muskmelons and cantaloupe
garlic, leaves will whither and brown.
onions, leaves will whither and brown.
pumpkins – should have a good color and a hard outer rind.
Watermelon – same as pumpkins above. You can also wrap on the outside of full sized melons. It should sound hollow.
cauliflower – self blanching varieties should still be white and curds should not have turned “ricey”. Varieties that are not self blanching should have outer leaves tied loosely together when head is 3-4 inches across.

Fall picked crops – crops that become more flavorful after a light frost

carrots
parsnips
kale
Winter squash

Harvesting the garden

Harvesting the garden is perhaps the easiest of all the steps, and obviously the most rewarding! Many of our most beloved vegetable crops can be picked by grabbing the fruit, twisting the stem of the fruit, and adding a gentle tug, while twisting. Do not tug too hard, or you risk damaging the root system, or breaking the plant. Plants in this category include, tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers.

Root crops, such as carrots, radishes, onion and parsnips, are picked by placing both hands around all of the leaves of the upper part of the plant, close to the ground, and strongly pulling straight up. If the root is very deep, a flat bar tool (link below) can be used to loosen the soil around the vegetable. Then it should pull right out of the soil.

large pile of garlic scapes on wooden board

Storing your harvest – Harvesting the garden

My great grandparents had what was called a root cellar, under their house. Many root cellars were accessible only from the outside. They usually had earthen floors and homemade shelving. It never froze in the root cellar, but maintained a temperature ranging from 40-50°F.

This area was perfect for storing all of their canned goods and much of their produce, like potatoes, apples, winter squash and onions. The area should have adequate ventilation.

Most modern homes do not have root cellars, so the best thing to do is purchase a separate refrigerator (used ones are cheap). Set the refrigerator to around 45°-50°F add a bowl of water and a small battery operated circulating fan to increase the relative humidity, and you have an instant root cellar!

Some crops like potatoes, especially sweet potatoes, and onions may require a process called curing before being able to store them. Clean them of dirt and debris. cure them in a dark area with moderate temperatures and good ventilation.

Most of the vegetables and herbs that you harvest will have a longer shelf life, if they are refrigerated immediately after harvest! Like everything in gardening, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Tomatoes are at the top of the list, they break every rule!

tomatoes

Tomatoes are best stored on a sunny counter, or window sill, (not direct sunlight) after picking. They can be rinsed off, or not.

basil

Store basil, after cutting off of plant with garden shears, in a cup filled with water. “Tent” the leaves with a plastic bag to form a greenhouse. Change water daily.

parsley

Same as basil, above.

potatoes

Store potatoes in a cool, dark space.

onions

Store in a cool, dark space.

garlic

Store in a cool, dark space.

melons

Store in a cool, dark space.

berries

Store in a cool, dark space.

Obviously, some crops will not store as long as others. Potatoes and onions will last a few months, berries only a few days.

Harvesting the garden – preserving your harvest

Harvesting the garden – drying as a means of preservation

Drying fruits and vegetables is an ancient tradition and still a great way to preserve some of your summer crops.

Many vegetables and herbs are perfect candidates for drying. Methods include, the oven, grill, an electric dehydrator, air fryer, or in the sun in dry climates. Those include;

Sweet and hot Peppers

Recipes;

Habanero Recipe- Hot Pepper Flakes

This habanero recipe is an easy way to use up all of the habanero left on your plants in the fall! Hot Pepper flakes are a great habanero recipe to add to your pantry! Use a little bit of heat in all of your dishes throughout the year!

How do you know a crop is ready to harvest?

Crops to harvest immature

Crops that can be harvested at any stage

Crops that should be harvested fully mature

Fall picked crops – crops that become more flavorful after a light frost

Harvesting the garden

Storing your harvest – Harvesting the garden

Harvesting the garden – preserving your harvest

Harvesting the garden – drying as a means of preservation

Freezing as a means of preserving crops

Fermenting vegetables to preserve

Harvesting the garden – pickling vegetables to preserve

Making relishes to preserve garden vegetables

Canning; Making Jams, Jellies, Preserves, BBQ Sauce, Salsas, Pie Fillings, Chutneys and Syrups

Harvesting the garden – Canning; whole or sliced vegetables

Other recipes using produce from your garden

Vegetables

Fruits

Tools I use to when harvesting the garden

Harvesting the Garden and Preserving the Harvest