I Grew It, Now What? Harvest and Beyond…
Few things are more frustrating than watching, waiting and caring for your plants for weeks and weeks only to have the harvest ruined before it ever gets to the table.
If you wait too long to harvest lettuce, it will bolt and taste bitter. If you harvest a watermelon too soon, it won’t be sweet.
Knowing when and how to harvest is part science, part art.
We certainly encourage you to note the expected days to maturity in your gardening journal. But observation will be your best tool!
At Rita’s Roots, we’ve taught hundreds of clients what to look for as they walk through their gardens each day. We’ve learned through trial and error so that we can take the guesswork out of gardening for you!
The keys to harvesting are timing, tools, and technique.
Read on to learn about all three!
WHEN TO TIME YOUR HARVESTING
The best time to harvest is early in the morning before the sun has been shining on the plants for very long. Evening after the sun is off of the plants will work too. Why? Because when the vegetables are hot, water runs out of them.
So that means if you harvest them when hot, they’ll wilt quickly!
MUST-HAVE TOOLS FOR HARVESTING
I’m a big advocate of having good gardening tools! They’re a great investment and will make gardening easier AND more enjoyable.
Keep a couple of buckets dedicated for harvest whether it’s a big bowl or a 5-gallon bucket. If using a metal bowl, be sure to move it indoors or in the shade as soon as possible.
Metal bowls get hot in the sun and will cause your greens to wilt. Other tools we love include bonsai scissors and felco clippers.
You can get the complete list (including links to purchase) of our top 5 must-have gardening tools right here.
HARVEST FROM THE BOTTOM UP? OR TOP DOWN?
To prolong production, harvest your greens from the “bottom up” by only taking the outer leaves from the plants.
You can remove half of the leaves and they will grow back and keep producing for an entire year. We call them the “cut and come again” plants.
The kale and parsley will produce for the year if they are kept pest free, but many of the greens will bolt, such as lettuce and arugula, and will need to be replanted each season
Greens such as lettuce, arugula, kale, collards, Swiss Chard and spinach can all be harvested this way. The cool season herbs, such as parsley and cilantro, should also be harvested from the bottom up.
Most of the warm season/Mediterranean herbs should be harvested from the top down. Do this by taking the leaves from the center of the plant.
For basil, for example, clip the leaves in between nodes to create a bushy plant. Thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary and lavender all are harvested using the “top down” method.
Want to learn how to garden like a Lowcountry local AND get alerts delivered straight to you when it’s time to harvest?
WHAT’S BOLTING?
Have you ever noticed when a plant shoots up a flower stalk right in the middle? That’s called bolting, and it happens as a plant completes its life cycle.
When a plant starts to bolt, it’s time to harvest whatever is left. Most plants, including arugula, kale, and collards, are still edible during the bolting stage. Lettuces, however, become bitter.
HOW TO WASH + STORE YOUR HARVEST
Now that you know how to correctly harvest your vegetables, it’s important to learn how to store them— proper storage means your harvest will last for weeks or even months!
First, discard any yellow or brown leaves before you even bring them into the house. Also shake or rinse off as much dirt as possible outside.
Once inside, fill a big bowl with water and swish the greens around. Let all of that dirt and debris fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Here’s where I see many people make a mistake by dumping out the water. If you dump, you’ll just dump all that sediment back on the greens. Instead, lift the harvest out and set in a colander.
Cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts will be really clean because they have not touched the soil, but greens may require two rinses.
Put your greens in a salad spinner or lay on a big towel to dry as much as possible. Then, put them in a plastic bag or container of some sort to hold moisture in and prevent wilting.
For some plants, such as berries and sweet potatoes, you should only wash them when you are ready to eat them.
HOW TO HARVEST SEEDS
Once gardeners have experienced a bit of success with growing their own food, many start to wonder if they can harvest vegetable seeds for the next season.
Collecting your own seeds from your backyard garden takes sustainable living to the next level!
You might want to give it a try and below are step-by-step instructions:
STEP 1: PICK THE MOST SUITABLE PLANTS TO EXTRACT SEEDS
Think of it this way: Only collect seeds from the plants you would like more of: the healthiest and the tastiest.
This does create a dilemma. You have to choose: eat it or save it for seed.
Most plants reach maturity for harvesting before they reach maturity for seeds. More on that later.
We recommend you start with the following plants, which all have flowers that are self-pollinating.
Peppers
Beans
Peas
Peppers
Arugula
Cilantro
We do not recommend saving tomato seeds since the plants are 95% likely to have a disease. You don’t want to save seed from any diseased plants as the disease can transfer.
Cross-pollinators, such as corn, cucumbers, melons, squash, and pumpkins, are more complicated, and we don’t recommend them for beginners.
If you have more than one variety of a cross-pollinator growing near each other — butternut and acorn squash, for example, the pollen will end up in the flowers of the other. They produce will be inferior.
Also avoid hybrid varieties.
STEP 2: CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIMING TO COLLECT SEEDS
Like so many things in the garden, timing is everything.
You’ll have to sacrifice eating the crop because the seed matures after the crop matures.
With tomatoes, for example, we recommend you harvest them while they are still green and let them ripen fully on the counter.
But not if you want to save the seeds. They must fully ripen on the plant or they won’t germinate.
For example, for Peppers, allow to fully ripen and wrinkle on the plant before harvest. Allow to dry on a paper towel or newspaper.
With Peas and Beans, allow pods to ripen until dry and starting to turn brown before harvesting. Allow to fully dry before shelling.
STEP 3: STORE SEEDS PROPERLY
Seeds can last a year or more if you store them properly. The key is to keep them cool and dry.
You can use an envelope or packet for each type of seed. Be sure to label it with the variety and date it was harvested.
All the packets can be stored together in an airtight container such as a glass Mason Jar and kept in the refrigerator or a cool dark area in the house.
You might try including a silica gel packet (the kind that comes in shoeboxes) or calcium chloride to keep the moisture out.
WHAT’S NEXT?
It won’t be long before it’s time to sow the seeds you took such great care to collect and store.
One of our favorite resources for everything related to seeds is the Seed Catalog of Johnny’s Seeds.
We reference it frequently inside the Garden Growers Club, our online membership community.
Inside the Club, we walk you through the process for how to start seeds indoors. It’s an advanced technique, so we include videos to guide you step-by-step.
So, are you ready to collect and store your own seeds? Like many things in gardening, we recommend you give it a shot. See how it works and then go from there!