Harvesting And Storage

After all your hard work growing your vegetables, comes the best part. Harvesting. It`s a time, hopefully, to enjoy the fruits of your labour.

The time of harvesting is governed by the plant reaching maturity ,the need for them to be used fresh, or whether they are to be stored, and of course the weather and the length of the growing season length.

Methods for harvesting vary from one vegetable to another. Some are simply cut off at ground level such as cabbages. A top tip with early spring and summer cabbages is that after cutting the cabbage you then cut a cross shape in the top of the remaining stalk, this encourages new growth and can produce more heads.

Some vegetables have small heads that can be harvested, like calabrese, and again these can produce more heads.

Some produce many fruits such as beans and peas, tomatoes, which can be picked as they mature.

Some, like root crops, are simply dug up when they are mature.

Some can be left in the ground for longer periods and harvested as required.

The method depends on the individual vegetable type.

Storage
The storage methods for vegetables, again, vary according to the type of vegetable.  In general the main cause of vegetables deteriorating is through water loss. You should also be sure to only store healthy crops, any showing signs of disease should be either used straight away if edible or destroyed.

Freezing
Many vegetables freeze very well and this is probably the most popular and frequently used method.

It is recommended that most vegetables that are frozen should be blanched first. Blanching is carried out by placing into steam, or boiling water before being cooled quickly.

Vegetables that freeze well include:-

• Asparagus
• Beetroot
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbages
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Kale
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Small and New Potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Rhubarb
• Swede
• Turnips

, and there are many more.

Winter cabbages, can be stored on a straw bed in a shed or cold frame where they are protected from frost or even in hanging nets.

Storage of Bulbous Crops
Onions, shallots, and garlic for the most part can be stored for long periods. If lifted at or near maturity, then allowed to dry in the sun, or indoors if wet outside, until the skins are paperlike in feel, they can then be stored in plaited strings or in spaced out trays.  They should then be kept in a frost free, well ventilated area.

Storage of Root Crops
Parsnips are very hardy, and in mild winters will survive very well in the ground and can be harvested as and when required.

Most other root vegetables like potatoes will require lifting and storing in a frost free environment. For your root vegetables make sure you remove all leafy material, and that you store only good, healthy, unbruised crops. Potatoes can be stored in light-proof sacks, whereas other root crops are better stored in layers in boxes. It helps to also have them stored in moist sand, to help prevent dehydration in a cool, but frost free shed.

Outdoor storage can be possible in `clamps`. These are made by putting your crop on a layer of straw and covering with more straw and sometimes a layer of soil to keep out the frost.

Storage of Fruiting Vegetables
These include cucumbers and tomatoes for example. These usually are harvested at maturity and used before they deteriorate. Sometimes they can be harvested slightly before maturity and kept cool until they are used.

If however you wish to store them for a longer period or for winter use it may be that they are best made into preserves or are frozen.

With some cultivars of marrows and squash it may be possible to store them for a few months. Pick the fruits when mature and cure them in the sun. This hardens the skin and prevents water loss. They can then be stored in a frost free environment.

Sweet peppers will keep for many months. Dig up the whole plant and hang to dry in a frost free environment.

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