Harvesting properly is critical to getting the best quality vegetables from your garden, but it's something gardeners commonly fail to do.
The process can be confusing. Some vegetables are harvested while immature, such as cucumbers and snap beans. Other crops, such as tomatoes and winter squash, are harvested when ripe or mature.
I'm devoting this column to the subject, focusing on some of the warm-season vegetables in our gardens now as well as cool-season vegetables that will be in our gardens through next spring.
Remember: For the best nutritional value, eat the crops soon after harvesting.
Snap beans should be harvested when pods are still tender, and the seeds are very small. If beans are allowed to mature on the plants, they can be shelled and cooked as dry beans.
Cucumbers are harvested in the immature stage, and can be picked at the desired size. However, harvesting should be done before the cucumber begins to turn yellow (ripen) and have well-developed seeds. Often, they become bitter when over-mature.
Eggplants should be harvested immature, when they are one-third to two-thirds full size. The skin should be glossy. Dull skin indicates over-maturity; the fruit will be seedy and often bitter. Harvest using pruning shears, since the stem is tough.
Peppers, both sweet and hot, can be harvested at any size, immature or mature. Most peppers will turn red at maturity, but some mature yellow or orange.
Tomatoes can be harvested any time after the green fruit fades to a pale green or almost white color. Many gardeners harvest at the pink stage to get them out of harm's way. Best quality is obtained when fruit are allowed to ripen on the plant. If early harvesting is done, ripen the fruit at room temperature without direct sunlight.
Summer squash should be harvested immature while the skin is easy to puncture with a thumbnail. Harvest frequently. Use a knife to remove the fruit, leaving one inch of stem attached.
Winter squash (pumpkins, Hubbard, butternut, acorn) are harvested mature and should develop a tough skin (cannot be punctured with a thumbnail) before harvesting. The squash will have a bland flavor if harvested too soon.
Bulbing onions and garlic are generally ready to harvest in May or early June. They should be dug when the leaves are half-dead and the tops are falling over. At this point, the bulbs are as big as they will get. Harvest on a sunny day and allow the plants to remain in the sun for at least one day to dry. Remove the roots from the base and cut the stem about one inch above the bulb.
Bunching onions and green shallots are harvested for their flavorful foliage and small, white, undeveloped bulbs. You can harvest the foliage simply by cutting it as needed. To harvest the bulbs along with the foliage, dig the whole clump, separate half to two-thirds for harvest and replant the remaining clump back into the garden to continue producing.
Root crops are harvested when the root is the proper diameter. Usually, the top of the root is readily visible at ground level. Brush aside soil at the base of the leaves if you need to for checking. Harvest radishes and carrots when the root is about an inch across, turnips at 2 to 3 inches, and beets at 2 inches.
Broccoli should be harvested based on the size of the flower buds, not the size of the head. When the largest flower buds in the head are about the size of the head of a kitchen match, it's time to harvest. If you leave the head on too long, you will begin to see yellow flowers. Smaller florets will form after the main head is harvested, so leave the plants in place.
Harvest cauliflower while the head is still smooth and tight. Again, you cannot go by size. If the head begins to get rough and the florets begin to separate, harvest immediately. No more heads will form, so pull up the plant when you harvest the head.
Harvest cabbage when the heads feel hard and solid when squeezed. Unlike broccoli and cauliflower, cabbage does not have to be harvested immediately when it is ready, and may be brought in over several weeks.
Collards are harvested by cropping, which means removing only the lower leaves. As the plants grow, break off the largest lower leaves from each plant. This allows the plants to continue producing over a long period. You could also harvest the entire plant when the leaves reach full size, but that ends the harvest.
Leaf lettuces tend to be the easiest to grow and are often more productive. Harvest by cropping to extend the harvest season. Or, you can harvest the whole plant when it reaches full size.
Semi-heading lettuces (bib, buttercrunch, romaine) are harvested once the plant reaches full size by cutting the stem at ground level. Heading lettuces are considered more difficult to grow successfully here. Harvest when a firm head has formed by cutting the stem at ground level.
Garden peas (green peas, English peas) are harvested when peas are fully developed and mature. Snow peas are harvested when the pods are full size, but before seeds develop. The pods should be flat. Sugar Snap types are harvested when the pods are round and full size, but before the seeds have developed much.
Spinach is generally best harvested by cropping. But, the entire plant can be harvested by cutting the stem at ground level when the plants reach full size.
I couldn't include all the vegetables in this column. Write or e-mail me and I'll send you a more complete listing.
DAN GILL'S MAILBOX
Tell me about naked ladies. I have dug several bulbs and need help with planting time, fertilizer, etc.
Replant the bulbs immediately. This is the beginning of their blooming season. I've seen red and yellow types already blooming. Generally, it is best to allow them to bloom first and then dig up the bulbs to divide or transplant. They are not heavy feeders and generally are not fertilized much. However, after you plant them, you could sprinkle a general-purpose fertilizer over the area, following package directions. They are in active growth over the winter and go dormant in late spring. Other names include spider lily and hurricane lily. The Latin name is Lycoris radiata.
I want to give my friend some of my banana plants, but don't know when or how best to accomplish that. For instance, should they be transplanted to a pot after being dug up? When is the best time to transplant? Any information would be welcomed.
The best time to transplant them is in April or May. That way they have all summer to establish before the winter. You can pot them for transportation purposes, but there is no need to grow them in pots for any length of time before you replant them. You could move them in big garbage bags instead. Cut the bananas back as much as you need to in order to make their size manageable for the move.
My grass is dying in part of my front yard. I don't know what is causing it, and I would like your help in correcting the problem. This began developing a few weeks ago.
Judging by the photos you sent, the damage appears to have been done by chinch bugs. These small insects were particularly bad this year because of the unusually hot and dry early summer. They kill the grass by sucking the juices out of the leaves and stems. Where the grass is brown, it is dead; it will not come back. It looks like the grass in that area was just about wiped out. You might want to consider killing the weeds taking advantage of the situation with glyphosate (Killzall, Roundup, Eraser and other brands) before they get any worse. To repair the damage, remove the dead grass, loosen the soil, rake it smooth and lay new sod. This should be done by mid-October. It's hard to say if the chinch bugs are still active. They do not appear to have spread outside of the dead area, and it looks like all of the St. Augustine in that area is dead, so there is nothing left for them to feed on. If you feel the need to apply an insecticide, however, bifenthrin (Talstar), Orthene (Acephate) or any insecticide labeled to control lawn insects should be used.