Now that the garden is planted, it's time to start thinking about harvest. Besides drooling at the thought of vine-ripened tomatoes and dreaming about crunchy radishes, there are other ways to prepare. These are the 3 things I do every Spring so I can make sure I'm not too overwhelmed when the produce is ready to pick.
First I make sure I have 1 or 2 large containers for compost scraps, ready to go. This year I'm using large cat litter pails. When I'm pulling off leaves or peeling a lot of veggies at once, a little compost container fills up too fast. The big pails will be handy for those days. I store those right outside the back door so I can grab one on the way in with a heavy load of produce.
I also scrub out the tubs I used to carry the plants from the basement to the garden. They're just old dishpans and storage containers. They have a spot right beside the littler pails where I can grab them on the way out to the garden. When I bring them in loaded up with veggies, they can hold everything until I have time to start washing and putting veggies away.
And the third thing I do to prepare for harvesting is inventory my storage situation. I run these questions through my mind and make a list of what I need to stock up on: Do I have plenty of canning jars, lids, and freezer bags? What about pickling spices, vinegar, and salt? Am I going to be fermenting? Do I need to use up anything left from last year? All of those questions help me to stay organized and prevent waste. If I wait to ask them during harvest, something will be missed or forgotten. There's nothing more frustrating than sterilizing a load of jelly jars and THEN realizing your sugar canister is empty!
*Bonus tip: Investing in a quality tools can be such a great help. If you're frugal like me, using old tubs and repurposing cat litter pails can save you the money to buy the ones that will pay off in the long run. For example, I got this large salad spinner and I'm very pleased with it! The size makes it easier to get things done faster. And the outer bowl has done double duty as a serving dish so I cut down on the number of those I need to store. If you purchase one through this link, I may make a little extra change but your price will stay the same. Thanks for supporting my blog and Happy Gardening!
