Consistent watering will help prepare your garden for the harvest

Jeanne Crisp and Julie Kelly | Mukilteo Community Garden

Most plant growth takes place from May to September. Although we get plenty of rain during the winter, these months are quite dry and hot in our region. Vegetable gardens need about an inch of water each week during the growing season. If rainfall is not sufficient, you must be Mother Nature. Here are a few water tips that will help:

• To reduce evaporation, water during the cool parts of the day. Try not to water during windy times.

• To help prevent disease, water in the morning or early enough in the evening so the foliage can dry before nightfall. Always water tomatoes, peppers and squash at the base, not with overhead sprinklers.

• Avoid over watering, which may leach nutrients from the root zone.

• Remove weeds that take needed water from your vegetables

• Better to water for a longer time, less frequently.

Harvesting: It is now time to reap the rewards of your labor. Several garden practices will maximize the quality and quantity of your produce.

• Check your garden each day and pick vegetables as soon as they ripen. Vegetables continue to grow and take up plant energy and before you realize it, they are overgrown. Your food will be at its best flavor and tenderness when harvested at the appropriate time. And, removing vegetables in a timely manner will often encourage the plant to produce more later in the season.

• Care for plants properly. Look for and remove signs of trouble. Consistent watering is a crucial factor for all young plants so check often and water deeply. Avoid bruising or damaging vegetables, as this causes decay. Remove yellowing leaves and rotting fruit. If tomatoes have cracks, usually from too much rain, pick them to leave more energy for healthy fruit to mature properly. Keep an eye out for bug or slug damage and fix the problem using appropriate horticultural practices before pests spread further around your garden.

• Most vegetables should be kept cool and out of direct sunlight immediately after picking and until processed or consumed. Many root vegetables such as carrots should be dug rather than pulled straight from the soil so they don't break off, while peas, beans and tomatoes can be picked from their vines. Broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbages should be cut off with a knife or pruning tool.

• Use scissors to cut leaf lettuce from the outer leaves, letting more grow from the inside.

• Harvest summer squash when they are 4-7 inches long and skin is soft and rubbery. Check often! Market cucumbers are best when young with smooth, firm fruit.

• Pick tomatoes when they are fully colored but firm. Peppers will vary with variety and how hot you prefer them. Eggplant is best when slightly immature with shiny, firm fruit.

• New potatoes can be dug when flowers form on the plant. Wait for full growth die back to harvest mature potatoes for storage, giving them time to form a firm hardened skin.

If you've had great success with your garden this year, or if you've had a mysterious failure, we'd love to hear from you. Perhaps your experience will benefit others.

Please send us an email at gardenadvice@mukilteogarden.org and we'll get in touch. In the meanwhile, happy harvesting!