Simple Garden Harvest

In the past few years of my garden, I have learned a lot about harvesting. Harvesting has not been my strength and mostly, I learned through my failures. I have learned to keep things simple and harvesting can be simple too. Use this step by step guide for your garden harvest.

It is easier for me to treat harvesting like a journey. Let’s start together on this journey at the beginning, which happens to be spring. Then, we’ll go by seasons. Not by spring, summer or fall. But by food season.

I live in Central PA and that is zone 6. Please check your zone hardiness here.

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A vegetable garden growing next to a blue house.

ASPARAGUS

Asparagus is one of the early vegetables to harvest, as early as April or May. It is a perennial, coming back year after year.

HINT: Spinach and radishes are also ready to harvest in May. Keep an eye out to start harvesting these too. Harvest spinach until the first week in July and keep harvesting radishes until the first week in November.

RASPBERRY LEAF TEA

The first thing to harvest in the garden is one that will last well into the winter. Raspberry leaf tea is great for women for menstrual relief. It also helps with labor. I drank two cups a day in my third trimester, and I am convinced it helped me have a smooth labor and delivery.

Before there are flowers on the raspberry bushes, pick bright green leaves to keep as tea.

STRAWBERRIES

Red strawberry against leaves of a strawberry plant, ready for a simple harvest.

It is strawberry season in June! Enjoy the fresh fruit until the first week in July. Preserve the fruit to make the season last and to take advantage of the harvest. Make canned strawberry jam or freeze the berries.

HINT: Also don’t forget to harvest lettuce and peas. Keep a look out for these the second week of June. Harvest peas until the end of July and lettuce until the third week in October.

CHERRIES

In the last few weeks of June, cherries are in season. Make a lot of pies or ice cream. Freeze them and save them to make fruit cocktail. The possibilities are endless.

HINT: What’s also ready to harvest in the last weeks of June? Beans, broccoli, and cabbage are ready now. Freeze the beans and broccoli, or make some sauerkraut!. Fresh Slow Cooker Ham and Cabbage, yes please!

RASPBERRIES

Raspberry leaves growing up a wrought iron porch post.

It is time to pick some raspberries. It’s July! Raspberries are ready to harvest in July. Also in September until the end of October.

HINT: Cauliflower, tomatoes, and squash are ready to harvest now. Keep enjoying the fresh harvest of radishes, peas, lettuce, cherries, broccoli, cabbage, and beans. However, strawberries and spinach harvest is done the first couple of weeks in July. Time to preserve!

PEACHES

Yes! What a treat peaches are when eaten fresh. Enjoy them starting the middle of July.

HINT: Mid July is when a lot of vegetables are ready to be eaten fresh. Harvest beets, cucumbers, sweet corn, eggplant, onions, peppers, and potatoes.

BLUEBERRIES

Blueberry bush still green but past harvesting.

Start stocking your freezer at the end of July with freshly picked blueberries!

HINT: At the end of July, harvest carrots, and keep harvesting the vegetable garden. However, peas and cherries are done their harvest.

APPLES

Finally, August is apple season. Make some applesauce, cider, pies or juice. Enjoy this harvest. It is one of my favorites.

HINT: Melons are ready to harvest at the beginning of August. In the middle of August, enjoy plums, pears, and grapes. Keep harvesting blueberries, cauliflower and the vegetable garden. Sow spinach and peas for a fall harvest. Raspberries are done harvesting now.

PUMPKINS

September brings on pumpkin season. Decorate a front porch, create a jack o’ lantern, or make pumpkin puree. Pumpkin season brings a chill in the air, which feels wonderful after the August heat.

HINT: Keep harvesting the vegetable garden. However, it’s time to preserve blueberries, peaches, and cucumbers. Melons and plums are also done for the season.

FINAL HARVEST

Pick the last of the beans in the beginning of October.
Can the last of the corn in the middle of October.
Harvest eggplant, pears, peppers, lettuce, pumpkins, and tomatoes in the middle of October.
At the end of October, pull up the onions and potatoes. Also harvest the last of the grapes and apples.
Harvest squash and radishes in the beginning of November.
Harvest in the end of November: cauliflower, beets, broccoli, cabbage, and carrots.

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Poster with strawberry, melon and a chamomile plant, advertising for a simple garden harvest.