Seasoning Your Produce (for a Year-Round Harvest)

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Veronica Lorson Fowler

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Plant potatoes in spring, and a few months later they’ll be ready to be dug and enjoyed (or stored for later use).

What a wonderful notion, to be able to eat from the garden throughout the year. And as more gardeners become interested in eating locally and seasonally – not to mention saving money on grocery bills – growing edibles in the garden year-round just makes sense.

With surprisingly little space, you can have something to eat out of your garden every month of the year. Here’s a general listing of what you can be harvesting from your garden each season:

Harvests from cool-season gardens (USDA hardiness zones 3-7)

Early spring:
● Asparagus, a perennial
● Chives, a perennial
● Lettuces and spinach, planted from seed as soon as the ground can be worked
● Radishes, also planted from seed once the ground can be worked
● Rhubarb, a perennial

Late spring:
● Broccoli, planted from seedlings in early spring
● Cilantro, planted as a seedlings in early spring
● Collard and beet greens
● Green, snap and snow peas, started from seed as soon as the ground can be worked
● Lettuces and radishes from earlier plantings
● Mint, a perennial
● Oregano, a perennial
● Parsley, planted as a seedlings in early spring
● Rosemary, a perennial in warmer regions of the country
● Sage, a perennial
● Thyme, a perennial

Early to midsummer:
● All the perennial herbs listed for spring
● Basil, planted from seedlings after all danger of frost has passed
● Beets, planted from seed in spring
● Blueberries, bush fruit
● Cantaloupe, watermelon and other melons, planted from seed or seedlings in spring two weeks after all danger of frost has passed
● Cherries, tree fruit
● Cucumber, planted from seed two weeks after all danger of frost has passed
● Eggplant, planted from seedlings after all danger of frost has passed
● Green beans, planted from seed two weeks after all danger of frost has passed
● Hot peppers, planted from seedlings after all danger of frost has passed
● Peaches, tree fruit
● Peppers, planted from seedlings after all danger of frost has passed
● Plums, tree fruit
● Potatoes, planted from potato pieces in early spring
● Strawberries, a perennial
● Summer squash, planted from seed two weeks after all danger of frost has passed
● Tomatoes, planted from seedlings after all danger of frost has passed
● Zucchini, planted from seed two weeks after all danger of frost has passed

Tips

Some vegetables (think onions, garlic, potatoes, squash and pumpkins) store best if you “cure” them first. This is a simple process that basically lets the surface dry thoroughly before storage so it doesn’t mildew. Simply brush off any dirt and spread the produce out on newspapers in a breezy, warm, dry place sheltered from rain and dew. (A porch or open garage is great.) Allow to cure for three or four days before storing in a cool, dry place for up to several months.
Got too much left over from the year’s harvest? Consider freezing it. Tomatoes can be frozen simply by dipping them in boiling water for 1 minute, peeling them and freezing whole in plastic containers. You can also easily freeze pitted cherries; berries; cut-up rhubarb; peeled, sliced peaches; and most other small fruit. Freeze them first on a sheet of wax paper on a baking sheet, then store them in a plastic bag in the freezer until you want to enjoy.

Tools

Use a cold frame to extend your growing season. It’s basically just a bottomless wooden box with a glass or transparent top that acts like a mini-greenhouse. With it, you can plant lettuces and greens weeks earlier in spring and extend their harvest for weeks later into fall. Cold frames are also great for getting tomato and other cherished seedlings off to a fast start in spring before transplanting them into your regular vegetable garden.

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Preserving fruits, veggies and herbs not only saves you money, it’s a wonderful way to enjoy your harvest long after the growing season!
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