This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
The vegetable gardens have flourished this summer and they continue to offer a variety of vegetables. Some won’t be ready to harvest until late fall, while others are already. In order to find your way around, here is a short guide to the fall harvests.
What to harvest in September?
Tomatoes
We continue to harvest! And we cook homemade sauce with surplus or less beautiful tomatoes. As long as frosts are not announced, the tomatoes can be harvested.
peppers
The last will be harvested in September. Very sensitive to frost, the plants must be covered if a cold night is announced.
Cucumbers and zucchini
They must be harvested regularly. It’s easy to overlook these vegetables and discover a gigantic one hidden under the foliage. The plants will be uprooted during the first frost, which they cannot resist. You can freeze leftover zucchini for cooking during the winter.
Beans
They should be collected often in September. The plants will not resist the first frost: they are uprooted as soon as they no longer produce.
Carrots
Harvest as needed. The cold increases the level of sugar in the roots: they will then taste better. They can withstand temperatures as low as -10°C, so there’s no rush to harvest it all.
Leeks
Pick the biggest ones as needed. The little ones will then have time to grow.
Onions
The last onions will be harvested for conservation. When ? Three to four weeks after folding their foliage, which will then be half yellowed. They will be left to dry in the shade for a few days. Yellow onions have the longest shelf life.
Lettuces and spinach
If lettuce or spinach has been resown in the rows left empty after the summer harvest, then it will be ready for picking. Lettuces tolerate temperatures of -5°C, and spinach -10°C.
Radish
The spring radishes have all been tasted. If there is room left in the vegetable garden, there is still time to sow some for a late harvest (they tolerate -5°C).
Cabbage
All summer cabbages will be harvested: they do not resist frost well and can see their center split if they are left too long in the vegetable patch. But no rush for kale and winter cabbage: they tolerate low temperatures. Harvest as needed.
What to harvest in October?
Tomatoes and peppers
These vegetables should all have been harvested before the beginning of October, not supporting the frosts.
Carrots
Harvesting continues. To obtain carrots as long as possible, a layer of straw (20 cm) is applied to the carrots and a plastic tunnel (mini-greenhouse). We can thus harvest until the end of the year.
Leeks
Leeks tolerate temperatures down to -5°C, but cannot withstand permanent ground frost. They are picked before the temperature drops permanently. A plastic tunnel can also help prolong harvests.
Lettuces and spinach
Since lettuce and spinach tolerate fairly low temperatures, we can hope to harvest until December with the addition of a plastic tunnel.
Radish
Watch the weather: radishes should be harvested before temperatures drop below -5°C. As with many cold-tolerant vegetables, the tunnel can be useful.
Cabbage
Since winter cabbage and kale can withstand -15°C, you can harvest as you need it. Using a mini greenhouse can be a good idea to extend the harvest period.
Maintenance tips
If the fruits of tomato, eggplant, pepper and pepper plants are not quite ripe and there is a risk of frost at night, they should be covered with a protective cover sold in garden centers or with an old sheet.
Cool fall temperatures help keep the soil moist; watering needs are reduced. Only water if necessary.
To save time in the spring, we clean the vegetable garden in the fall. We pick up all the residues that are on the ground, especially those of plants that have been affected by disease or insects (powdery mildew on cucumbers and zucchini; ringworm on leeks, onions and garlic; all diseases on tomatoes , etc.). This will prevent insects or diseases from overwintering in the ground and easily contaminating new crops the following year.
The secrets of a bountiful autumn harvest
In September, the head of the tomato plants is pruned to allow the fruits already present to ripen: the plant will concentrate its energies there instead of producing new ones.
Some fast-growing vegetables, such as radishes, can be sown in late August for harvest about a month later. To stimulate their production, the soil is fed with an organic fertilizer which is also optimal for growing in pots.
We think about planting our garlic
It is in autumn that it is ideal to sow garlic to obtain beautiful bulbs the following summer. Garlic is sown approximately one month before the final frost of the ground.