Harvesting for Halloween and the upcoming holidays is such a treat, with mild and beautiful weather.  And even that glorious rainstorm soaking the garden!  Here’re some tips for picking and handling the glorious goodies at their prime.
 
Pumpkins

• Harvest winter squash, pumpkins, and decorative gourds when the vines are dry and the rinds are hard and resist easy puncture by a fingernail. Cut the stems rather than breaking or tearing them, and leave two inches of stem attached to the squash to lessen the chance of spoilage. Be careful to not nick or otherwise bruise the fruits, as these areas will be especially  prone to decay. 
• Toast--don't toss--your pumpkin seeds when you carve your Jack O'Lantern. Separate the seeds from the stringy pulp by washing the seeds well. Spread them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt if desired. Toast them for three or four minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, stir, and toast another two or three minutes until they're evenly golden. Cool them to room temperature, and enjoy!

 
Ornamental Gourds

• Allow ornamental gourds to dry completely before picking them (the seeds should rattle inside when the gourd is shaken).   Gourds will dry more quickly if you drill a small hole at each end. Let them cure in a dry, well-ventilated area at room temperature for two weeks.
• Store cured squash at 50 to 60 degrees in a dry area. Check them weekly for mold. If any appears, wipe it off with a paper towel moistened with vinegar.
• Dried squash should keep up to six months.
• Wipe the harvested gourds with a mild solution of bleach and water, and pat them dry with a towel. 
• If you prefer the glossy look, give them a coat of varnish or shellac, and let them dry for a full day, turning them once or twice to assure complete drying.

 
Herbs

• Harvest herbs for making wreaths or vinegars as holiday presents.
• Herb wreaths are easy to make and can include whatever herbs are most enjoyed by your recipient.
• Good choices include basil, oregano, marjoram, anise, parsley, thyme, sage, dill, and tarragon.

 
Leaf Lettuce Through the Winter

• Leaf lettuce can be harvested little by little -- literally, leaf by leaf -- over several months' time, rather than waiting for a single harvest of each mature head.  
• For continuous  harvests of tender and succulent leaves, pick only the outer two or three, and leave the two or three innermost ones to continue growing.  
• In this way, many plants  can be planted closely together in a small area and yield tasty  high-quality  salads over a long period of time.  
• Be sure to remove  outer  leaves that  are damaged or overmature,  so snails and sowbugs will not be attracted, and bolting will not be initiated too early.

 
Potatoes

• Harvest potatoes now, being careful not to cut or bruise them, or leave them in the soil for harvesting through the winter.
• Take care to not expose them to sunlight or soil cracks, however, or they'll develop inedible, bitter green areas. (After cutting off these greenish areas and discarding them, the remaining potato can be eaten.)
• After harvest, hold the potatoes at 75 to 85 degrees for a week, and then store them at 50 to 60 degrees with high humidity. They should keep for six to fifteen weeks.
• But don't refrigerate them – keeping them at 36 to 40 degrees will turn some of the starch into sugar, making them taste oddly sweet and fry dark.

 
Sweet Potatoes

• Harvest sweet potatoes when the vines yellow.
• Try to get them before the leaves are killed by frost.
• Air dry them for a day, keep them at 85 to 90 degrees with 90 to 95 percent humidity for one to two weeks, and then store them at 55 to 60 degrees and 90 to 95 percent humidity.
• The flavor gets sweeter during storage, as part of the starch content turns into sugar (what you didn't want to happen with the white potatoes).

 
Grape Branches

• Use grape branch cuttings to create wreathes for winter  holidays, Valentine's Day, birthdays, etc. Strip off the leaves, weave the vines into the desired shape, and decorate them.

 
Sunflower Stalks

• Save sunflower stalks, stripped of their branches and leaves, to use next year as trellises for peas and beans.

 
Turnips

• See my just-posted "News" item that turnips were the precursors to carved pumpkins.

For more "Monthly Tips," see November.
 
For more seasonal past blog discussions, see the "Major-Topic Blog Articles" listing on my homepage.

Pay close attention to plants' requirements for sun - or no sun.

Lots of vegetables will grow and produce well in containers.

Fruit and ornamental trees also can make good container plants.

Flowers also can do well in containers.

Plant high-yielding vegetables in containers.

Container gardening can allow gardeners to grow anything anywhere, but some guidelines will foster greater success.
 
Why?  Why Not?
Advantages

• Patio or balcony, fence or steps…anywhere where light level matches plant needs
• Move per seasons to follow or avoid direct sun
• Move for enjoyment when in bloom or fruiting
• Create special soil mix as for blueberries or orchids

 
Disadvantages

• Roots restricted
• Sensitive to weather – summer heat, winter cold, wind, indoor ventilation
• Frequent irrigation and fertilization
• Frequent root pruning and repotting

 
What Type of Container?
Almost any kind of container is usable, but here are some basic requirements.

• Drainage holes allow water to drain fully from air pores.
  • Use a piece of window-screening, coffee filter and a clay piece to block the drainage hole so soil mix won’t run out.  Using more than a single clay piece or “peanuts” reduces the space the root system can grow.
  • Planted container with drainage can be placed inside an larger container without a drip hole if drained water is poured out so it doesn’t stagnate. Filling the interspace with soilless mix will help insulate the plant’s root system.
• Size matches the plant’s root system – larger is better – to allow roots to develop as large a root system as possible within that confined space. 
• Deeper is better than wider so gravity holds cooler water at the base.  Shallower results in too much evaporation.
• Material and color affects plant growth. 
  • Glazed clay will evaporate less and insulate more
  • Unglazed clay will evaporate more
  • Wood will absorb and hold water and insulate more but will rot
  • Plastic will heat up more and evaporate less
  • Metal will heat up the most.
  • Light color will reflect sun’s heat.
  • Dark color will absorb sun’s heat.
• Hanging baskets require more frequent irrigation, especially if they’re in the direct sun and hot weather.

 
How Much Sun?
It depends on what kind of plant, and why you’re growing it.

• If you’re growing a plant for its foliage, it needs about 6 hours of direct sun daily.
• If you’re growing a plant for its flowers or fruits, it needs more than 8 hours of direct sun daily. This can be difficult to provide for indoor containers.
• Plants that require bright shade like African violets may also be grown as houseplants indoors.

 
What Kind of Soil Mix?

• Don’t use regular dirt since it may contain disease spores and weed seeds; it is generally too heavy to drain well in the restricted space of the container.
• Use a high-quality, sterilized soilless planting mix combination of organic materials that will absorb and hold moisture but also drain well so roots remain evenly moist with access to air pores. 
• When filling the container, leave a 1-inch space at the top after lightly compressing the soil mix with your fingertips to allow watering space.

 
What Can I Plant?
Vegetables
Food production requires as much space for root systems as possible, and more attention to irrigation and fertilization.
 
12” deep container
Beets                     3” apart
Bok Choy              6” apart
Carrots                 2” apart
Garlic                    3” apart
Leaf Lettuce         6” apart
Onions                  3” apart
Radishes                2” apart
Spinach                 5” apart
Strawberries        6” apart
Swiss Chard          9” apart

18” deep container
Beans                    5” apart
Broccoli                12” apart
Cabbage                24” apart
Cauliflower           24” apart
Cucumbers           5” apart
Eggplant                12” apart
Peas                      3” apart
Peppers                12” apart
Squash                  18” apart
 
24” deep container
Blackberries         18” apart
Blueberries           18” apart
Potatoes               6” apart
Tomatoes             18” apart
 
Fruit and Ornamental Trees
The largest possible container is best, and the most attention to fertilization and irrigation because you expect long-term growth.

• Will require root pruning and repotting every couple of years
• Fig trees can tolerate restricted root systems well, and extensive annual pruning will still produce a good-sized food crop.

 
Flowers
Most annuals and perennials will do well if container is large/deep enough and lots of bright light is provided. 

• Annuals will tolerate crowding.  Some include alyssum, begonia, coleus, impatiens, lobelia, marigold, nasturtium, pansy, petunia, snapdragon, sunflower, zinnia
• Bulbs do well when planted in layered depths, especially when topped with annuals. Some include daffodils, tulips
• Perennials, especially drought-tolerant varieties, will thrive for at least a couple of years before requiring root pruning and repotting. Some include bromeliad, chrysanthemum, clivia, coreopsis, geranium, lantana, orchids, salvia, succulents

 
How Many Plants Can I Plant In Each Container?
The more plants in a container, the less successful each will be because they’re competing for irrigation and fertilizer and light.  Estimate space use for both mature root systems and foliage.
 
Seeds or Transplants?
Both are fine when root and foliage space are considered.

• Seeds are best for plants that germinate and grow quickly.
• Transplants are best for eggplant, pepper, tomato, and most flowers.
• Both – at beginning of each season, sow seeds and purchase first seedlings of lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard from nurseries to get a quick start on harvests before your seedlings catch up.
• Choose high-yielding vegetables – beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, lettuces, peppers, radishes, squashes, tomatoes.

 
How Frequently Must I Water?
Keep soil mix evenly moist.  Timing will vary according to season, size of container, soil mix, and amount of direct sun it receives. During hot weather, check containers daily.

• Larger container with more soil mix helps moderate soil temperature so the plant can grow an extensive root system.
• Double-potting moderates even more.
• Determine whether the container needs watering by sticking your finger all the way into the soil mix. If it’s moist more than 1 inch down, it doesn’t need water.  If it’s dry 2 or more inches down, it needs water.
• Water slowly enough so the soil mix absorbs it before draining out the bottom hole. 
• If the soil mix is dry, the water may run down the insides of the container instead of moistening the mix.  Roughen up the surface soil and water again; it may take 3 fillings before excess water exits the drainage hole after moistening the mix. 
• During warm months, provide a drip pan to catch the drained water so the plant can reabsorb it as it needs it.
• During cold rainy months, remove the drip pan so the soil mix won’t remain oversaturated.

 
How Frequently Must I Fertilize?
Since plant roots are restricted in the container, they depend on you for nutrition, and every watering drains away nutrition.

• Use a “balanced” fertilizer which contains all 3 macronutrients:  N = Nitrogen for green leaves.  P = Phosphorus for flowers and fruits.  K = Potassium for root growth.
• Choose fertilizers that also include trace elements for broad-spectrum nutrition.
• Organic fertilizers include fish emulsion, seaweed, kelp, blood meal and bone meal. 
• Feed with a quarter-strength liquid fertilizer every other time you water.