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| Seed packets give "Days to Harvest" and other information |
Sunday, January 15, 2023
If you are thinking about how to maximize what you get from your garden space, one easy way is to start earlier and leverage the seasons longer. There are a few of ways of doing this. Leverage different varieties of the same crops you are currently growing, try new crops or use cover to give your early and late crops a "coat" to weather the colder dips in temperatures in spring, fall and winter.
If you are growing exactly what you like to eat already, you can look for varieties of the same crops that have quicker "Days to Harvest" as the variety you are already growing. "Days to Harvest" is the time from planting to when the crop is ready to harvest or pick from. There are a wide range of "Days to Harvest" in almost every crop grown. The "Days to Harvest" is listed on most seed packets and on the plant label if you are buying a transplant. If your seed packet or plant label does not have a label or you don't have the information on the variety you are currently growing, a quick google search will give you the info.
Some companies will say they don't like to give that information because "Days to Harvest" varies based upon region, when you plant, and your weather that particular year. Even if it is not exact, you can use the information to know which are "early" producing varieties and "late" producing varieties. It is a good guide to compare against the variety you are currently growing. You can just substitute a variety that comes much earlier and one that comes to bear much later. Keep a journal to get a better idea in your specific garden and area when your varieties come to bear to fine tune for the future. Keep a garden diary
I also look for varieties that are more "hardy" for the conditions I want to be able to grow them in. When I begin planting for salad greens, I start with those that have descriptions like "cold" hardy, winter types, etc. I can start the spring season with these and sow these again in late summer for fall and winter harvesting. After early spring planting, I start planting lettuces that are "heat resistant", "slow to bolt", "stays mild in summer", etc. This way, I keep the lettuce harvest going as long as possible into summer and sometimes all the way through summer. You can use this approach for almost any crop. There are cold tolerant tomatoes that you can plant for earlier and later harvests as an example.
Another option is to try new types of crops that grow best during a different season than the ones you are currently growing. They can be ones that fulfill the same need in your diet as the ones that you currently grow or something totally different. For instance, I have been experimenting with different greens that do well in the summer months to find a substitute for spinach and lettuce for salads. At the same time, I keep trying new varieties of lettuce that are better at heat resistance.
Your local farmers market is a great place to go through the seasons to try new veggies, fruits and herbs. You know they grow in your area and you get to try them before you commit to growing them. I also look for a new veggie or fruit that I would like in a smaller quantity than the most common type. For instance, I grew Tigger melon instead of the common cantaloupe varieties. It produces small fruits and over a longer period of time. Most canteloupe I have seen grown in my area produce many over a very short time. Way too much for just 2 of us to eat. Tigger was just right.
The last easy way to start earlier and go later is to use cover to give your crops a "coat" for dips in temperature early and late in the season. You can use sheets, light weight materials made for gardening, a portable greenhouse, cloches and other techniques for keeping your tender plants warm enough to make it through a cold snap.
For those that have the time, you can start seeds indoors that gives you a few weeks jump on the season if the variety you like isn't available at your neighborhood big box store, farmers market or nursery. If the variety is available there, it costs more to buy the transplant, but requires less time investment on your part. Using transplants for many varieties gets you a jump on the harvest by a few weeks.
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