Vegetable gardens are at their maximum production and that quantity of fresh produce can be almost overwhelming, but this is the vision for every gardener.
Beans are being produced in quantity, and you may get tired of harvesting. But if you don’t keep picking, they stop producing, and beans produced late in the season are amazing.
Onion tops have kinked over, indicating that they are finished growing. As those tops dry, it is important to pull the onions and dry them on cardboard or a wire rack indoors. For maximum storage life, wait to cut the tops off until they are completely dry. Leaving them in the ground when the tops are dry will result in neck rot.
I’ve had lots of inquiries about squash vines suddenly wilting and dying, and that is evidence of squash vine borer. The beetle lays its eggs at the base of the plant. The eggs hatch as larvae that bore into the stem and continue feeding inside the vine until they destroy the vascular system of that section of vine whereby the stem wilts and dies.
I have not found an effective remedy once the symptoms become apparent. This egg laying happens in early to mid June. Prevention means applying an insecticide to the base of the stem prior to the eggs hatching and hopefully the rain will not wash it of before it does its job, which was my experience this year. I add liquid soap to the spray to act as a “sticker,” but the rain took away the protection on some of my plants. Squash vine borer attacks pumpkins and gourds in addition to every kind of squash.
It is important to dig potatoes when the vines have died and become dry. You can harvest before that, but if you leave potatoes in the ground after the vines are finished, they could start growing again which will decrease their storage life.
Cantaloupe are ready to harvest when the stem slips from the fruit easily. That means checking frequently, because it seems to happen almost overnight and an overripe melon is just as bad as an under-ripe melon.
Watermelons are ready to harvest when the tendril on the vine opposite the melon stem dries. The melon should also have a distinct yellow blotch on the bottom.
Cucumbers are another fruit that will stop producing if you stop harvesting.
My spinach is growing again, and I am looking forward to fresh spinach salads for the rest of the season.
Pears are ready to harvest when the seeds turn brown. Most varieties are best harvested while they are green to prevent the fruit becoming “gritty.” After picking the fruit, we recommend ripening in a paper bag at room temperature. The bag captures the ethylene gas that the fruit gives off as it ripens hastening the process without allowing the fruit to dehydrate. To speed up ripening, add an apple to the bag. An apple produces more ethylene than other fruits and that gas promotes total internal ripening.
Early-maturing apples are ready to harvest as well. Again, the seeds should be dark and the distinct “green” taste should be gone. Zestar is our best-flavored early apple, and it has a reasonable storage life. That is not the case with many varieties of early apples. They tend to not have a lot of flavor and storage is quite limited, but if you can’t wait for that first apple crisp, they can be your answer.