A high and high-quality crop is the dream of any gardener and gardener who spends time, labor, material and financial resources on growing a crop for a whole season. How pleasant is the moment when the crop meets all expectations or exceeds them! Therefore, it is important to know the harvesting time, which is individual for each crop, because any deviation directly affects the quality of the fruit.
When to harvest potatoes?
Everyone’s favorite and practically irreplaceable potato ... Timely and proper harvesting of such a garden crop determines the degree of its storage. With premature or late digging of root crops, their quality decreases markedly, which leads to significant crop losses. This is due to the presence of thin integumentary tissues, characterized by poor development and high susceptibility to mechanical damage. In overripe potato tubers, disease resistance decreases and commodity and food quality deteriorates.
Potato harvesting time depends on many factors:
- varietal affiliation (early, middle and late ripening);
- planting time: spring or summer;
- economic purpose (use in the current period or long-term storage).
Potato Harvesting Dates
- The end of June - the beginning of July . Harvesting early varieties intended for use in the summer.
- The beginning of September . During this period, harvesting of varieties of medium and late ripening is carried out. It is recommended to clean in dry weather, preferably in a short time, in order to be in time before the onset of constant frost. It is noted: if at the time of harvesting the temperature of the soil does not exceed 3 ° C, then there is a risk of 80% yield loss. If the harvesting period coincided with night frosts that occurred earlier than the due date, then you should wait for the complete thawing of the soil. It is not recommended to be late with harvesting potatoes in years when there is a strong overmoistening of the soil. In this case, the resistance of the culture to late blight and other diseases is greatly reduced, and this negatively affects the quality and shelf life.
Signs by which it is possible to determine the maturation of potatoes under the correct growing conditions:
- Theoretical knowledge of the characteristics of planted varieties and the timing of their harvest.
- Yellowing of the tops and its natural death, after which, as a rule, the plant stops growing and growing. It is worth knowing that summer varieties of potatoes can be dug up even if the tops are not yet completely wilted. To accelerate the maturation of potatoes in the early planting period, it is recommended to mow the green tops first (for 2-3 weeks), this will cause the formation of a rough crust on the roots and the ingress of nutrients from the aerial part to the tubers. Mowed green mass needs to be burned, buried or removed from the site in order to avoid the development of diseases. It is important that at the beginning of harvesting the leaves have a healthy appearance, not be affected by late blight.
- Trial digging. The tubers ready for harvesting in diameter should exceed 3 cm and have a dense peel.
Features of preparing potatoes for storage
Harvested potatoes, harvested in a timely and high quality, should be dried - this will cause coarsening of the skin. It has been proven in practice that post-harvest drying of potatoes reduces exposure to late blight by 9 times. When harvesting potatoes, the plot opens up about 2 hours before the collection of tubers, which are not recommended to be left in the furrow for a long time, otherwise this is fraught with burns on the skin. Potatoes dug in wet weather must be dried (under a canopy, in storage or temporary collars using a ventilation system). Dried potatoes need to be sorted out, discarding diseased and damaged root crops, which must be consumed first. The laying in the cellar is required not immediately after cleaning, but after 15-20 days.
In industrial horticulture, a potato harvester is often used to facilitate harvesting. Modern agricultural technology has taken a big step forward - in the process of harvesting, they not only dig up potatoes, but also peel them, sift small clods of earth. The potato harvester is suitable for harvesting potatoes on light and medium-dense soils; potatoes are harvested with minimal mechanical damage and at the same time peeling of tubers.
Collection of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers
- Tomatoes Mass ripening of these vegetables takes place in August - early September, harvesting is carried out gradually, as the fruits ripen. When planning transportation or laying for long-term storage, the vegetable is torn somewhat unripe. Healthy fruits (preferably of the same size and variety) that are not affected by low temperatures are laid for storage. Tomatoes must be laid in shallow drawers, without stalks, in one or two layers.
- Cucumber Collecting a favorite vegetable with mass ripening is required to be done daily (morning and evening), not allowing the fruit to outgrow. During harvesting, the quality of the fruit, the condition of the plant itself should be monitored by removing damaged ovaries and leaves.
- Pepper For sweet pepper, growth is optimal in the southern regions; in the north requires growing in greenhouses or certain agricultural technology adapted to these regions. Pepper is a continuously fruiting plant, the collection of the fruit of which is required to produce as they ripen. Pepper should be cut carefully, otherwise you can accidentally damage or pull out the stem.
When to clean onion and pumpkin?
- The onion . Mass harvesting of onions is carried out in August. You can determine its ripeness by lodging the leaves, drying them, changing the color of the outer scales in certain varieties. Fruits must be picked carefully; to facilitate it is recommended to dig them up and shake off the ground. After it is required to dry in the shade (about 3-7 days) and select according to variety and size, the leaves need to be cut off, leaving up to 3-4 cm.
- Pumpkin: watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini and melon . Harvesting is carried out in September, when the vegetation period of the plant is over, the fruits do not receive nutrients and moisture and mostly dry out. It is possible to determine the ripeness of a pumpkin by tapping; a matured product will sound hollow and dull. Also, maturity stalk, hardened bark with a clear pattern formed on it, will tell about maturity. Late ripening pumpkin varieties can be harvested unripe; they will mature during storage.
Carrots and Beets: Harvesting
Harvesting these root crops is carried out in the last turn, before the start of stable frosts. Roughly in the central regions - this is the second half of September, in the southern - the second half of October. Be sure to clean before the rainy season begins, otherwise it will lead to cracking of the fruit.
If the autumn is too warm, beets are also not recommended for a long time on the bed, otherwise the fruits may become fibrous and even lignify. External signs of beet maturity:
- the size of root crops has reached the required value, which is indicated on the bag with seeds;
- the lower leaves turned yellow and dried.
Many gardeners harvest carrots after frosts and even after snow, it is important to take the tops of plants to the ground before this. Carrots dug out from under the snow, according to observations, will have time to cool before laying for storage, which will significantly extend its shelf life. In warm weather, it is not recommended to harvest carrots - the vegetable will be stored worse.
In order to facilitate the harvesting process, it is recommended to carefully dig up the vegetables, while pulling them to shake off the ground. Tops need to be broken off or cut off, leaving a 2-centimeter stalk. It is recommended to store carrots, beets, celery, turnips, radishes in small boxes mixed with a 3-cm layer of wet sand or peat. Before laying for storage, in order to prevent diseases of the root crops, it should be dusted with chalk or ash.
Cabbage: collection and storage
Late varieties of white cabbage should be removed from the beds before the onset of frost, tentatively - until mid-October. When cutting cabbage, it is recommended to leave long stumps and a few covering green leaves. It is recommended to store vegetables in cellars on wooden floorings or in drawers in 2-3 layers, laid up by the stumps. You can also store cabbage in nets and bags that are hung from hooks or poles. This will provide good ventilation and prolong storage.
Grain Harvesting
Harvesting of winter wheat is carried out in the middle of wax ripeness (at a grain moisture content of 20-35%) by direct combining and separate methods, lasting no more than 10 days, otherwise grain losses from shedding are possible.
Spring wheat (its growing season is about 90 days), harvested in early July in the southern regions, in August - the second half of September - in the eastern and northern. In the phase of wax ripeness, cleaning is done in a separate way, with full ripeness - direct combining.
Harvesting of sweet corn is carried out in the phase of milk ripeness of grain, an external sign of the onset of which is the formation of a drying edge on the outer layers of the wrapper. The grain is full, has a yellow color, its rows are tightly closed. When pressed with a fingernail, the shell bursts, white milk fluid flows from the grain. Corn is harvested gradually, in 2-3 doses, as it ripens.