Harvest cabbage at any size after the head becomes firm and before it splits. Leave two to four wrapper leaves around the head to keep it from drying. Heading cabbage can be harvested when the head is about the size of a softball—5 inches (12 cm) or more across, squeeze it to test firmness.Elongated Chinese
Harvest carrots when they develop their color and the tops are 1 inch in diameter or smaller. Carrots can be lifted as soon as they are a usable size. Carrots are ready for harvest 60 to 90 days after sowing depending upon the variety; they will continue to grow and enlarge if you leave them
Cauliflower is ready to harvest 70 to 90 days after sowing seed. Plant cauliflower so it comes to harvest in a cool part of the year; the optimal growing temperatures for cauliflower are the mid 60°sF (15°+C). Plant cauliflower in early spring for harvest before summer heat or plant in late summer for fall harvest.
Collard leaves are ready for harvest as soon as they reach usable size. They will be most tasty when picked young–less than 10 inches long and dark green. Older leaves will be tough and stringy. Collard greens are ready for harvest 75 to 85 days from transplants, and 85 to 95 days from seed. When
Celery is ready to harvest 85 to 120 days after transplanting depending on the variety. Celery is finicky and can be a challenge to grow. The optimal temperatures for growing celery are 65° to 75°F (18°-24°C) during the day and 60° to 65°F (15°-18°C) at night. Temperatures must stay above 55°F during the daytime and
The Gravenstein apple is one of the earliest—if not the first—apple to ripen in the Northern Hemisphere each year. It comes to harvest as early as late July and early August, a good month or two ahead of most fall-harvest apples. Considered one of the best all-around apples, the Gravenstein has a crisp, slightly acidy
Plantain is a perennial plant, usually a weed. There are two common species of plantain—the broadleaf plantain and the buckthorn plantain. Plantain has thick, egg-shaped, wavy-edged leaves that grow from a ground-hugging rosette. Plantain weed thrives in rich, moist, compacted soil. Plantain grows from seed and from resprouting roots. The leaves are so wide and
The month of May will bring Spring weather to almost all regions of the Northern Hemisphere. May is the time to direct sow warm-weather vegetable seeds in all gardens. Once the last frost is past, vegetable seedlings can go into the garden as well. May planting and transplanting tips Few seeds will germinate if the
August is a month of endings and beginnings in the kitchen garden. In nature, change is about. Summer will begin to fade in many gardens during August giving way to autumn and cool weather. In hot summer regions, heat may continue for several more weeks then give way to warm but not cool temperatures. In
May is the month to get your summer vegetable garden growing in earnest. Warm-season crops can be sown in the garden or transplants set out. The soil in most vegetable gardens in the Northern Hemisphere should now be warm enough for summer crops. If you live where nights can get chilly, keep row covers at
