Gardener's Almanac

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

— Bill McDorman, Seeds Trust, High Altitude Gardens, Hailey, Idaho

Pacific Northwest

August and September are peak harvest months, and knowing when a vegetable is ripe can make a world of difference in the taste. Some vegetables — such as beets, carrots, salad greens and summer squash — can be harvested when young for a sweet, delicious taste. Others — such as beans, corn, peppers, winter squash and tomatoes — reach their peak flavor when fully matured. A cantaloupe or honeydew is ripe when it easily detaches from the vine, but wait on watermelon until the tendril nearest to the fruit turns brown. If you find that your harvest is too plentiful for your own table, call the local food bank. Plant kale, broccoli, turnips, winter radishes and cabbage in vacant spaces in the late summer garden. Sow mâche (corn salad) in mid-August or early September — the overwintered seedlings will form heads in early spring. Saffron crocus bulbs planted now will bloom in October and provide a small harvest of this precious spice.

— Rose Marie Nichols McGee, Nichols Garden Nursery, Albany, Ore.; Josh Kirschenbaum, Territorial Seed Co., Cottage Grove, Ore.

Southwest

Even though it’s too hot to think about much besides watering and harvesting, now is the time to plant for a succulent winter harvest. Sow carrots, lettuce, brassicas and a multitude of other cool-weather plants, depending on weather and when the first frost is expected. Plantings every two weeks through October will keep succession harvests going through the winter in many Southwest locales. These plants will grow much more slowly with shorter days and cooler weather, so plant more than you would in the spring. A board laid over the seedbed will help maintain moisture for good germination, but check daily and remove it when the first seedlings appear. On hot days, pick vegetables and fruit first thing in the morning, before the sun starts warming them up. This will extend their shelf life and improve the taste quality. Tomatoes, especially, develop a grainy, mushy texture when they are cooled after being picked in the heat of the day.

— Erica Renaud, Seeds of Change, Santa Fe, N.M.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print