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Harvest summer squash young and tender. Harvest summer squash when the skin is glossy and soft enough to be easily pierced with your thumbnail. When to Harvest Summer Squash Summer squash is edible as soon as the skin is glossy and can be pierced with a thumbnail. Harvest zucchini, crookneck, and yellow squash when they

Harvest melons when small cracks appear in the stem where it joins the fruit. Once the cracks circle the stem and the stem looks shriveled, the melon will break off with a slight twist. If more than light effort is needed to remove from the vine, it is not ripe. When to Harvest Melons Harvest

Harvest leeks when they are big enough to use. Most leeks mature 100 to 120 days after sowing seed, but a few varieties mature in as few as 60 days. Some varieties mature at ½ to ¾ inches in diameter; others can grow to 1 inch (2.5 cm) or more in diameter. When to Harvest

Spinach, baby chard, and crisp lettuce are easy-to-grow spring salad greens. When to plant and soil temperature are the keys to spring vegetable gardening. Greens—arugula, beet greens, collards, kales, and lettuce–are foundation crops for early spring because they germinate in chilly temperatures. Greens will take longer to grow in early spring than in late spring

San Marzano Tomato Paste tomatoes have a meaty texture and concentrated flavor. They are also known as “sauce,” “pear,” “plum,” “saladette,” “Roma,” and “Italian.” Use paste tomatoes for cooking sauces, juicing, drying, or eating fresh sliced in salads or on the side. Paste tomatoes come in a variety sizes—from an inch or two long to

Growing Organic Potatoes: Start potatoes from “seed” potatoes—which are not actually seeds, but small potatoes or pieces of potatoes. Potatoes are easy to grow organically. Plant potatoes in spring raised beds or mounded beds after the soil warms and dries out. Plant potatoes where they will grow in full sun. To prepare potato planting beds

Blueberries are easy to grow in a home garden and yield abundant sweet, delicious, and colorful berries. Plant blueberries in compost-rich soil that is well-draining. Blueberries like acidic soil with a pH between 4.5 and 4.8. Lots of organic compost should make the soil just right, but you can add pelletized sulfur to the soil

1. Peppers prefer deep, aged-compost–rich soil. If your soil is heavy with clay, grow peppers in a raised bed, adding loam and sand. 2. Growing peppers in your native soil: add at least 2 inches of aged compost across the planting bed and sprinkle with 5-10-10 organic fertilizer, then turn the soil to at least

  Eggplant seedlings When nighttime temperatures are consistently warner than 60°F it will be time to plant tender crops such as eggplant, melons, squash, and zucchini. Prepare the planting spots these crops by for digging holes 12 inches square, 12 inches deep, and 3 feet apart. Add a forkful of well-rotted compost or manure to