Nice! we are finally getting the whole point of this project – harvesting!
The harvest time is the most fun part of the process. And if you’ve got young kinds, or even a reluctant spouse, this is the best time to get them involved. Who can’t resist picking ripe tomatoes or fresh green beans right off the vine?
In fact there are many times the food I grow never makes it out of the garden because it is eaten right there. Sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, sugar snap peas… These are a few that disappear before they ever get a chance to make it inside the house.
And I am delighted about that! My kids treat the garden like a snack bar, and I hope your kids start the same.
I think of harvesting in two different categories; those crops that mature all at once and those crops where I can ‘cut and come again”.
Here is a brief list of the two kinds:
Matures all at once crops:
- Potatoes (Irish and sweet)
- Determinate tomatoes
- Heading lettuces (romaine, buttercrunch, etc.)
- Bush beans
- Peanuts
- Broccoli (although some varieties you can cut 2x or 3x from side shoots)
- Most grains (wheat, rye, oats, etc.)
- Winter squashes, pumpkins
Keep Coming back to harvest crops:
- Kale, collards, spinach, most green leafy vegetables
- Indeterminate tomatoes
- Vining green beans
- Bell peppers
- Okra
- Strawberries
- Some varieties of lettuce
- Summer squashes
- Sugar snap peas
The videos below from the BI (bio-intensive) method start out discussing a bit about harvesting different crops, but then mostly focus on harvesting and processing rye. The BI method grows grains for two reasons; first for the grain to eat, and secondly for the plant organic matter to compost.
I am not a huge proponent of growing grain for food. As you watch the videos you’ll see how much work is involved in harvesting and processing when it is done on a backyard sized scale.
Why are grains so prevalent in the commercial food supply? Primarily because they are easily harvested by machines. There are huge tractor combines that can harvest, thresh, and winnow the seed from grain plants. Operators can hire college kids (and they do) to operate these machines and process vast acres of crops with just a few people. Plus, grains can be stored for a much longer period of time than fresh foods.
Other vegetable crops such as broccoli or tomatoes have to be harvested by hand and require vast amounts of manual labor – which is more expensive than machinery.
The ‘food pyramid’ sanctioned by the US Gov’t which focuses heavily on grain based foods, is strongly influenced by large agribusiness which can make the most profit by producing grains.
I do enjoy a nice loaf of bread made from homegrown grain every now and then. But watch the videos below and see how much work is involved, and decide for yourself.
Oh, there are some nice tips about when to harvest lettuce right at the beginning – that was a new piece for me to learn!
Watch both of these videos .
Homework:
This weeks homework is super easy. If you have some vegetables ready – invite a friend or a relative to harvest and eat something from your garden. Congratulations!