Harvesting Crops
After the growing season has come to an end it is time to reap the rewards put into the care and nurturing of your crops. Here are some tips when it comes time to harvest.
- The quality of your vegetables connot be improved after harvest.
- Vegetables should be harvested at proper maturity to provide the best food for table, freezing and canning.
- Vegetables picked at the peak of maturity and prepared promptly and properly almost always are superior in nutritional content, flavor and appearance -- the secret is freshness and proper handling.
- Be careful in picking or digging the crop to avoid injuring the vegetables. Damage of any type will lower both keeping and eating quality.
About Mulches
Just as important as cultivation, is the health of your garden and the use of a mulch; and here at Miller Plant Farm we focus on both types of mulch for gardeners. The following information shows why and how to use mulch most effectively.
- A mulch will conserve moisture and maintain uniform moisture, help keep weeds down, help prevent soil from packing and crusting, keep fruits from direct contact with the soil.
- There are two basic types of mulches, organic (straw, grass clippings, leaves, peat moss, etc.) and black plastic mulch. Plastic mulch will tend to increase soil temperatures while organic mulches will maintain a cooler soil temperature. Problems with organic mulches such as weeds, loss of nitrogen if it is not completely composted and pH changes can occur. Plastic mulches are much more trouble free. One benefit of organic mulches is soil conditioning -- at the end of the crop it is merely turned under where it adds organic matter to the soil. Plastic mulches do not disintegrate and need to be removed at the end of the growing season.
- Before mulching, remove all weeds and condition the soil for best plant growth.
- Some gardeners have begun to use black plastic mulch over the entire garden wherever transplants are being used. After the first rain when puddles of water form; go around with a nail or pencil and make a small hole to drain the water. The hole is enough to allow rain to penetrate but not big enough to allow weeds to grow.
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Watering
One question often asked of our Miller Plant Farm experts pertains to how much watering do plants require. The following tips should give you the information you need to see that your plants thrive.
- Although rainfall is a good source of water, there are usually some dry periods during the growing season when you will have to water your garden. It is important to do it properly.
- One thorough watering per week, equivalent to about an inch of rain, is enough.
- An inch of rain is about 28,000 gallons of water per acre or 65 gallons on 100 sq. ft. of garden.
- Water early enough in the day so that moisture on the plants will dry off before dew appears; this will help prevent disease.
- A thorough watering should wet the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.
- Frequent light waterings encourage shallow rooting. These plants are poor feeders, are damaged more readily by high winds and suffer most severely in hot weather.
- Apply water to the soil gently and avoid runoff.
- Apply water with sprinklers or soaker hoses. Adjust them so that they give even distribution over the garden area.
- Consider drip irrigation so water is not lost through evaporation and to keep foilage dry.
Cultivation
As your garden grows, we at Miller Plant Farm stress the importance of controlling weeds and maintaining loose soil around your plants. During this time, cultivation is one of the most important garden jobs. Whether your garden is in York, PA, or elsewhere, you can follow these guidelines to help your plants thrive.
- Proper cultivation loosens the soil and permits the rain to soak in so that none of it is lost.
- It preserves moisture by killing weeds which, if allowed to grow, would rob the crops of both moisture and nutrients.
- It provides favorable conditions so that beneficial bacteria in the soil can do their work.
- Begin cultivation as soon as plants are up, provided the soil is not to wet. Never work soil when wet.
- Cultivate as often as necessary to keep weeds under control. Weeds are easily killed when they are small.
- If a crust has formed on the soil because of hard rains before the seedlings are up, break the crust by going over the surface with a rake. Care must be taken not to work too deep and disturb the seeds or seedlings.
- Roots of many vegetables are near rhe soil surface and can be damaged easily by a hoe or cultivator if care is not taken when cultivating. As the season progresses set the cultivator shallow, and do not get close enough to the rows to disturb the plant roots.
