Gardening Guide: Harvesting your Crops 🌱

 

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Harvesting crops from your garden is incredibly rewarding.  After all, it's where you get to enjoy the literal fruits of your labor! If you're lucky enough to reach the harvesting stage in your crop's lifecycle, it's important to know when and how to harvest.

Before we dive into different harvesting techniques, let's talk about the term "continuous harvest".  The basis for whether crops are considered to have a continuous harvest comes from their growth habit and reproductive strategy.

Examples of crops that can will provide a continuous harvest are lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes.  These are plants that will produce new growth continuously throughout the growing season. Because the growing part of the plant is not removed during the harvesting process, these types of crops allow for multiple harvests throughout the season.  For this reason, these types of crops typically stay in the garden for much longer.

On the other hand, crops that can only be harvested once, such as potatoes, onions, and carrots, are plants that have a shorter reproductive period and a more finite life cycle. These crops have a single growing season in which they develop to maturity and produce a single harvestable crop. Due to the way that they are harvested, there would be nothing left of the plant to produce more growth, and their space in the garden will be empty once the harvest is complete.  Many gardeners will choose to fill the empty spot with a new crop, which is a technique called succession planting (more on that in a future blog post!).

Now that we've covered the phrase "continuous harvest", let's look at how to harvest various crops based on which part of the plant is being harvested.

Stems

Stem crops, such as asparagus, celery, and rhubarb should be harvested when the stems are thick and firm. To harvest stems, use a sharp knife to cut the stem just above the soil level. Leave the newer, thinner stems intact to continue producing for future harvests.

Leaves

Leafy crops, such as lettuce, spinach, and kale, should be harvested when the leaves have reached full size. To harvest leaves, use a sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears to cut the leaves just above the soil level. Start from the outside of the plant and work your way in to ensure that you're taking the oldest growth first.  If you leave the base of the plant intact, and it will continue to produce new leaves for future harvests (this is a technique called "cut and come again").

Flowers

Flower crops such as broccoli & cauliflower should be harvested when they have reached full size and the crowns appear to have the right color. You want to harvest before the flowers open, so keep an eye on these and harvest immediately if there is any evidence that they are beginning to bloom!  If there is still plenty of time in the season, you can use a sharp knife to cut the crown off and leave the rest of the plant.  With this technique, the plant may still grow another head.  Otherwise, if you're happy to get 1 crown, you can remove the entire plant.

Stalks and Bulbs

Stalk or bulb crops, such as onions, fennel, and garlic should be harvested when they have reached full size. To harvest, use a tool to gently loosen the soil around the bulb and lift it out.  If you intend to store your harvest, keep in mind that there are specific drying and curing techniques that can help your bulbs last longer in storage.

Seeds

Seed crops, such as beans and peas, should be harvested when the pods are fully grown and have a consistent color. The pods should be firm to the touch and contain full-sized seeds. To harvest seed crops, use a sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears to cut the stem just above the pod, or simply pick the pods by hand.

Roots and Tubers

Root and tuber crops, such as carrots, potatoes, and celeriac should be harvested when they have reached their mature size. It's tough to know when something underground is ready to harvest, which is where a planning tool like plannt.ca can help by allowing you to keep track of all of your anticipated harvest dates.  To harvest root or tuber crops, gently pull the foliage away from the soil to expose the top of the vegetable. Use a garden fork or trowel to loosen the soil around the vegetable, and gently pull it out of the soil. Be careful not to damage the vegetable when uprooting it.

Fruits

Fruit crops, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, should be harvested when the fruit has reached its mature color and size. To harvest, gently twist the fruit off the vine, being careful not to damage the stem or the fruit. If using scissors or pruning shears, cut the stem just above the fruit.


Finally, we would be remiss if we talked about harvesting crops without mentioning its natural companion activity: harvest tracking.  We'll cover more about this in a future post, but our advice is to consider keeping a log of how much you were able to harvest from your garden.  This can be a very eye-opening activity, and help you understand which crops are worth putting your time into.  

Now that you know the basics of harvesting, you're ready to experience your very own fresh-grown produce at the peak of its flavor and nutritional value. Thanks for reading and happy harvesting!