This is the time of class when everything is reaching its zenith of production .
Big harvests are already starting , with massive ageing of peppers , tomatoes and melons . Picking crop like beans and harvest potatoes and carrot are ongoing . Yet , soon the gloam will be amply upon us , and storage crops will be lift and put away for a winter supplying .
fresh potato and onions will postulate curing . And wintertime squash will need a timely harvest to ripen fully but not be left out for the rime .
The descent is also the sentence when all the fountain crop come back into season . you may grow lettuces , radish and Spinacia oleracea of upright calibre in the cooler days of autumn .
One of the biggest fall line of work , though , is harvesting . So here are 9 wind for fall harvest success .
1. Proper Maturity
Every harvest has proper computer storage maturity . Under - mature squash vine wo n’t salt away , for representative , while over - ripe carrot are bitter .
Every crop variety has a “ days to maturity ” ( DTM ) marked on the germ packet . In some face , this is the twenty-four hours to harvest from seeded player . Sometimes it is the days to reap from transpose into field , though , so verify to show the seed packet boat .
2. Indicators of Ripeness
Every crop has signs of its maturity and indicator that it is good for harvest . Solanum melongena , for example , will be a rich coloration and , although unbendable to the touch , will depress a little when bosom slightly .
watermelon have at least a dozen “ index of ripeness . ” We could save a short novel about whether or not a particular melon is advanced enough to suffer the harvest home of hideous luck .
Some say it is the yellow spot on the bottom , or the distinct variance between the grim green lines and unaccented green pelt . Or perhaps it is the speech sound it make when you roleplay drums on it . I usually go with the dried - up first foliage that is connected just past the where the stem meets the master vine .
Zach Loeks
Garlic is ripe when 40 to 50 pct of its dark-green leafy cloth is juiceless or jaundiced .
Here are 4 ways to get more ripe tomato plant before the first frost .
3. Harvest Gear
Always have the proper tools to glean properly . When it is time to reap — and especially if you have a expectant harvest — you will need to have tools to help you . You also need containers to take the fruits of your parturiency and the right equipment to process your harvest time .
carrot and garlic need a good get the picture fork for an efficient harvest . Apple picking can benefit from aJoey Apronto prevent bruising while nibble . And a quality wash gun can help clean off soil .
4. The Weather Outside Is Frightful
Timing your harvest to cooccur with ripe conditions conditions is authoritative .
Crops that need to bring around ( garlic , onion , etc . ) are better harvested in dry ground . Otherwise , they descend out dirty and require more drying to meet ideal memory essential .
Overall , you should annul harvesting in the rain as much as possible . Unless you have very sandy soil , showery harvest days bring forth dirty crops that need more aggressive cleansing for utilization or storehouse . Even if you hive away your carrot dirty , you do n’t want them caked with mud .
Zach Loeks
Excessive cleanup and muck removal can damage your crop in post - harvest handling procedures . This result in shorter storage times and a low craw character .
Here are some tips for harvesting and curing homegrown ail .
5. Avoid Harvest Damage
It is easy to damage a crop while you harvest , before it is even out of the ground . The classic lesson is piercing your carrot , garlic or Solanum tuberosum with your digging ramification .
Proper pecker use can assist you stave off this problem . Put your garden forking hint into the footing 2 to 3 inches away from your words of crop and push it fully into the soil with your foot . Then , and only then , pull back on the hold and angle the tines under your row of ascendent craw to aid rear them out of the soil.courtesy of Zach Loeks
6. Helping Hands
A harvest harvest can be a big action . We often lowball the amount of labor needed to get the harvest out of the ground in good experimental condition and in a timely manner .
Plan for enough people baron to get the crops out before fall pelting come and bankrupt the Allium cepa wrappers or frost destroy the squash rackets .
go over out these tips for using rowing cover in the garden .
courtesy of Zach Loeks
7. Avoid Frost Damage
Jack Frost may correspond a retardation of the garden season and a sentence for quietus and planning the next season . But verify you glean before he come and ruin your hard work .
have it off your rime - tender and frost - tolerant crop . Hardy crop like cole and cabbage can be left in the garden for previous harvest while you prioritize sensitive crops like Lycopersicon esculentum , peppers and cucumber vine . you’re able to bulk up on harvest these crops slightly under - ripe to countenance them ripen indoors to maximize your fall harvest .
In other cases , you could avoid a mild frost by using row cover to protect a crop , gaining another 7 to 14 day of hoarfrost - free harvesting . On the other hand , crops like pumpkins and carrots can handle mild hoarfrost .
Zach Loeks
In the case of squash , a minuscule frost kills off the foliage and reveals the squash rackets for well-off crop . For Daucus carota sativa , a mild frost results in a angelic crop . But leave either too long and you’re able to get damage and a loss in storability and quality . Zach Loeks
8. Cure and Clean Your Crop
Some crops require curing , the process of subject them to right humidity , temperature and air catamenia , and light conditions .
For onion plant and ail , curing dries the wrappers . You bring around crop like fresh potatoes and squash , though , to harden the out skin .
All crop take a little cleanup to take excess dirt , dust and hemipteran . Research the skilful cleansing and curing operation for your crop to check they last as long as potential in storage .
9. Store it Properly
Proper memory board — meaning both the right container and conditions — is the last and critical measure in downfall harvest home preparation .
If you do n’t have a storage plan for your harvest , you could terminate up losing your harvesting to rot , mold and spoilage . You will no longer have the delicious fall vegetable to enjoy over fall and wintertime .
You also will have lost your crop after the point of maximum investing . All the work of growing a storage crop — from seeding to weed to harvesting — maxes out just before store . So , whether you store it in a fridge , a root cellar or a teetotal cellar — or even if you process or freeze out it — your crop is only safe when it has been lay in by rights .
Keep growing , and have a dandy harvest !
Zach
