How to Harvest Veg????

Nozebleed · Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 8:09 pm Post subject: How to Harvest Veg????

When harvesting your cabbages are you supposed to cut the heart out and leave the rest of the plant in the ground to re'grow? or do you pull the entire plant out of the ground? which is what i've been doing and replacing with a new plant(transplant)!

Same question regarding Cauliflower? do you just push back the outer leaves and cut the curd out and leave the plants to re'grow?

I just got reprimanded by my mam! lol.. Laughing

back in her day..blah blah!! y'know.. Embarassed

walltoall · Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:57 pm Post subject: cutting cabbage

It is better to pull the whole plant to harvest would be my opinion . Cabbage is greedy on Nitrogen and can be subject to underground predators. I always leave a three year gap for doing cabbages in a given plot.

Nozebleed · Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:08 am Post subject:

thanks walltoll!

Lius · Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:54 am Post subject:

I cut 3 beautiful big heads of broccoli this week and left the plants with smaller spears to grow on. I should get several crops from each plant if I can keep the caterpillars from eating the leaves.

Nozebleed · Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:04 am Post subject:

my broccolli plants are massive!!! still no heads though..i might have planted the wrong variety at the wrong time? (early sprouting white brocolli planted late march/early april).

Maeve Drogheda · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:10 am Post subject:

I have harvested 12 cabbages and they are in the freezer to be eaten later, I have 24 more to harvest and eat later on. I usually pull the whole head of cabbage not just the heart. My brocolli is showing small heads in the past week, so be patient Nozebleed. I have nothing showing on my Cauliflowers yet!!! I know you have lovely Cauliflowers coming on.

Nozebleed · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:04 am Post subject:

had a look in the brassica plot this morning..and i have massive cauliflower curds on about 8 plants!! im so chuffed. im running out of cabbages quick..i've only 2 left! keep giving them away!! i'll pick some up in the garden centre today..maybe one row will do for the rest of the summer.

Maeve Drogheda · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:27 am Post subject:

My tomatoes and cucumbers have been really successful also, I have been eating them along with lettuce and scallions since end of May!! I have taken photos and must post them soon. Flavour is just delicious from the tomatoes, but I think I prefere the Socrates cucumber, I grew last year, to the marketmore I grew this year. How have you got on with your toms?

Nozebleed · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:48 pm Post subject:

tom's are great. im not sure when to pick them though,shoud you wait until they're all ripe on the truss or just pick the ripe ones leaving the rest..i don't actually like tomato(lol)!!!

walltoall · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 2:20 pm Post subject: How to harvest tomatoes

Commercially, tomatoes are picked by visual check on condition. Or take the ones that are red and ripe. Having said that mostly a whole truss tends to ripen as a unit. So yeh pays your euros and takes yer chances. If you don't actually like toms get someone who does like em to pick them. We talkin' tons here or ozs. ? lol

Nozebleed · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 2:38 pm Post subject:

i've 2-3 red tom's on each truss..and the odd flower down the end of the truss. maybe i should start picking..although another week of sun and they might all be ripe. were not talking tonnes this season unfortunately..maybe next year!!

Lius · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 8:20 pm Post subject:

I am getting lots of stuff from the garden. The tomatoes only srarted to ripen last week. I love chopping them finely with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh basil from the window cill on toasted bread. YUM Brushetta.

Maeve Drogheda · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:08 am Post subject:

Hi Nozebleed, I would harvest the tomatoes that you have in the picture, obviously not the green ones!! They look lovely. As you don't like tomatoes what are you going to do with them!!

Also, if you want to ripen the green ones, you can put them in a brown paper bag with a banana as the the book you bought early in spring on how to preserve your garden veg!

Maeve Drogheda · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:12 am Post subject: freezing cabbage

You asked in an earler thread how to freeze cabbage, well just harvest, wash the leaves, tear into to edible size pieces, blanch in boiling water for 2 mins and the 5 mins in cold water. Drain and freeze. For best results, cook from frozen, when cooked at a little butter and salt. You can harvest and freeze kale the same way.

sirpsycho · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:21 pm Post subject:

And broadbeans in the same way I hear...