Halloween Harvesting In The Garden

My official gardener's Halloween tile.

Many expressions of carved pumpkins.

Snail pumpkin.

Glass pumpkin.

Watch out on Trick-or-Treat night!

Antirrhinum seed pods!

Succulent-filled pumpkin.

A green bell pepper gets into the act.

And a whole set of other veggies gets creepy!

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.