I’ve lived in Southeast Texas for going on 12 years, you would think I would be used to it by now.
It’s over 85 degrees by 8 AM here.
Ok, we get it, it’s hot…..
So, what’s my point?
When it is this hot, it’s hard to know when it’s a good time to harvest a crop.
After all, we all want the best, most flavorful veggies and fruits possible.
You could get up at the butt crack of dawn and pick, but that doesn’t sound like a pleasurable experience to me. This is however, what farmers do and it really is the best time to do it.
If you wait too long, then veggies become limp and wilt quickly, having evaporated much of their moisture and absorbed the midday heat.
However, this isn’t always feasible.
So what is one to do?
Here are 8 Tips for Peak Harvesting in the Middle of Summer
Pick in the evening after the heat of the late afternoon sun has begun to wane. Fruiting vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers and zucchini are less sensitive to wilting, so they can be picked later in the day.
Harvest when you intend to consume soon or preserve. The moment you pick a cucumber or a tomato or pull a lettuce head or cabbage from the soil, its nutritional value starts to decrease slowly. Vitamin C is very delicate. Peas, for instance, lose almost a major half of its nutrient when it crosses 48 hours after harvesting.
Beets: For best flavor in hot weather, keep beets well watered and don’t leave them in the ground so long that they become pithy or woody.
Cucumbers: Don’t wait too long – bigger is not better — and pick at least every other day, since over-mature cucumbers become bitter and unpleasantly seedy. Frequent picking also increases production of new fruits.
Peas: Pick peas in the morning at least every other day for maximum harvest and crispest texture.
Peppers: Sweet peppers taste much sweeter and are most nutritious when they’ve been allowed to fully color up from green to glowing red, orange or yellow on the vine, depending on variety. If your growing season is too short for peppers to ripen completely, pick your last green peppers as late as possible and keep in a cool place to color up, checking them often for rotting.
Summer Squash: Smaller is better when it comes to summer squash. The longer the fruits remain on the vine, the tougher on the outside, seedier and more watery they become on the inside.
Tomatoes: For best sun-ripened flavor, pick tomatoes when they are richly colored and have no trace of green on the skin. If, however, you are experiencing alternately wet and dry weather and are concerned about cracking of thin-skinned heirlooms, you can pick them when they are just blushed with color and let them ripen indoors (not in the refrigerator). I will also do this as the weather gets hotter and the stink bugs come out.
What other garden questions do you have?
Email me at thechosenweeds@gmail.com or post them below
