When and How to HARVEST Everything in your Garden | Gardening Tips and Advice

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[@angelakaufman6153]

Timestamps Best time to harvest: 2:27 “Soak the heat off”: 6:00 Alliums (onions, leeks, garlic): 23:52 Basil: 13:23 Beans: 16:01 Brassicas (kale, lettuce, leafy greens): 10:56 Cucumbers: 3:32 Eggplant: 40:13 Ground cherries: 39:00 Heading brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage): 26:17 Melons (kajari, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew): 33:54 Okra: 6:58, 27:37 Peppers: 37:03 Potatoes: 33:05 Root vegetables: 19:19 Squash (zucchini, courgette, marrow, pumpkin, etc.): 28:15 Sunflowers: 21:41 Tomatoes: 41:02

[@essjay4260]

Thank you for this! I came back to rewatch the 'take the heat off' part and I was like ''oh man where was it?!". You're a life saver. ;-)

[@angelakaufman6153]

@@essjay4260 You're welcome!

[@BrandeHarris]

This is a labor of love. Thank you for your generosity.

[@pamelawilson3370]

Thank you! This is so helpful. I usually watch on my SMARTV. I don’t know how to find comments or contribute, other than thumbs up and save to garden botany. This is my cell phone. So again, From my heart and garden to yours~~~Thank You! You too Jess, all yours are saves and thumbs up! 👍🏼 💚

[@cv7357]

thankis!

[@abbym9395]

For watermelon, there is a tendril next to the where the stem is, I wait until that is dried up before I pick it. After I learned this I never picked an unripe watermelon again. 😊

[@kateprice8753]

my grandma says the same about pumpkins... the tendril closest to the fruit, when it dries up then it's ripe & ready to harvest

[@ramibu239]

Awesome! Thanks!!! I am growing some miniature watermelon for the 1st time this year - nice to know this tip!😁👍🍉

[@kathrynplett8386]

Great tip, thanks!

[@rochelledelucia9237]

And I do believe a watermelon is one of the few fruits that will NOT continue to ripen off the vine...sad day if you've gotten jumpy.

[@abbym9395]

Rochelle DeLucia yep that’s right! Watermelon doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to help it ripen off the vine like foods do

[@rachelsheppard7232]

One of our Dobermans we had when I was growing up absolutely LOVED veggies. He'd constantly get into the garden and steal green beans and get in trouble when he was in my Mom's tomato plants LOL But his absolute favorite was zucchini, particularly the "zucchini logs" that we had missed. You'd see him sneak into the garden and come out carrying a huge zucchini in his mouth. He'd then plop down with this front paws flung over it and start happily chomping away on it. It was hilarious. So much so, we'd leave some in there for him to "find" and feel all proud of himself. Every time I harvest a zucchini from my garden now I always think of that silly dog chomping away on his zucchini logs LOL

[@viceb7]

So cute!

[@TheDolphace]

My dog used to go around all the tomato plants, sniff out the ripest one and carefully pull it off and munch. 😂

[@gabbygertie8709]

My yellow lab used to steal my cucumbers!

[@toniatalley1977]

I would love to have seen that. It sounds so great and hilarious. I'll bet that baby was so excited everytime he got one!!!🤣🤣🤣

[@tammyi363]

Lol! Our German Shepherd would pick all of the ripe tomatoes before we got to them! She loved eating them.

[@Lillystromhollow]

Jess pumping out that content to feed our soul during covid-19!

[@melinda3196]

Yes she is! I thank God for her and her family.

[@CindDJo]

TIP: Put shredded zucchini in meatloaf to make it nice and moist. My grandmother taught me to use the older squash for that purpose. You can shred it and put it in the freezer then use it for meatloaf or zucchini bread when you're ready.

[@Bigblue769]

So your substituting the squash for a liquid in the recipe? Or you just add the squash as an extra to your normal meatloaf recipe?

[@singingfrogfarmlouise9693]

I freeze it shredded for winter baking. Bread, muffins, pancakes.

[@singingfrogfarmlouise9693]

I still need to add a bit of liquid buy I drain my zucchini when it's thawed.

[@briannatuttle1028]

Shredded zucchini is great to add to soups/sauces too. I add it to my pot pie filling, no one notices and its sneaking some nutrition in

[@marytymoshuk7176]

@@briannatuttle1028 Do you have to blanch or simply shred , bag and freeze? Thanks

[@idrankveritaserum]

Jess: "Quick reference video" Video: is 45 mins long I love this channel ♥

[@claireisacamel]

My grandparents always said “ya gotta put it in the bathtub and get the field heat off it!” Because our gardens were always so big that to get everything cool we had to soak in the bathtub 😆

[@LadyofHuntingdon]

I don’t understand how anyone can give the thumbs down, Jess is full of information that is easy to understand!!

[@nancyd.2881]

Exactly. I don’t get it either

[@thegrowinggardener]

It always seems like the same amount too... I think she has some trolls her follow her just thumb everything down and rain on her joy. They probably don't even watch any of it!

[@ameliakat9982]

Bots are also a problem

[@justpatty7328]

Ignore the negativity- always.

[@tiffanykopper9612]

Yes. I was going to say...trolls with nothing better to do!

[@dianepettis8438]

You teach me so much, hey, I’m 60. We learn from absolutely everyone!!! Your heart for gardening is wonderful! Thank you so much. ❤️💖

[@paperchaser9565]

The world 🌎 needs more folks like you and your husband

[@christycoalson36]

I absolutely agree with you

[@JP-os7ph]

Yes absolutely agree❤️

[@LindaERyanArt]

I'll second that!

[@diannamc367]

Amen!

[@zaviahopethomas-woundedsou9848]

My mom worked in a restaurant for years, her tip with wilted lettuce was to soak it in room temperature water and let it sit 10-15 min then refrigerate it. A few hours later it is all crispy.

[@heycrisper]

Oh this is a wonderful tip! I learnt this too when picking my lettuce in the humid summer, even in the morning. I let it sit in the room temp water and then after I shock it in the cold water and let soak for a few minutes. Ready to eat for lunch!

[@alisonjanvrin5448]

I wash it, wrap it in a wet paper towel put it in a ziplock bag and put it in my crisper in the refrigerator and it comes to life and stays crisp for just about a week. If it’s a good harvest that was growing good with no issues and the perfect temperatures, it will last wrapped in a wet paper towel for a good two weeks. I just make sure the towel stays moist by adding a few drops of water.

[@andread8169]

I grew up working in my family's bakery deli. We did this except for we put lettuce in ice water and put it in the fridge for while then drain and refrigerate

[@mt7427]

After soaking in water my mom would wrap it in thin cotton towel then put in fridge.

[@nancywear9789]

I was taught to wrap the lettuce in a damp paper towel and wait for a bit. Yep, it perks right up.

[@lulin3171]

A note on pepper: remove all the leaves below the first major branch point can significantly increase the yield

[@RootsandRefugeFarm]

Thank you!

[@lulin3171]

Roots and Refuge Farm no problem😊, you can do a easy control experiment, just make sure you do this when they are a bit larger. Removing the first pepper formed at the branch point can also help the growth. Love from China

[@howthetidefalls]

I did that last week and then I was worried that I ruined them!! I am so glad to know that they will be ok!

[@bonnieguisewhite9657]

Jess, you are the reason I am not going crazy with this staying at home order!!!

[@johnchaffin5494]

Grow a pair, and go live your life

[@sarahdowns6351]

Me too! So inspiring!

[@patriot20000]

@@johnchaffin5494 She already chose to Live by staying home.

[@myshuda1]

I like to take a pot of cold water out with me when I pick greens like spinach so it doesn’t wilt before I can get it into the house to wash it.

[@pamt8430]

That is a good tip I will try!! TY

[@myshuda1]

You’re welcome🙂

[@BradfordHomestead]

Keep it in a cooler with your ice cold waters/beverages

[@maureenmoore4104]

Great idea, thanks!

[@myshuda1]

@@maureenmoore4104 you’re welcome🙂

[@messybeautifulmotherhood645]

I cannot even begin to thank you enough for this video and your channel. This is my first year really trying to grow food for my family, and while it's become my happy place, I often feel overwhelmed because I don't know what I'm doing. I've sat outside and cried countless times because the one person I know that was an avid gardener and knew e v e r y t h i n g about it, was my daddy. Sadly, we lost him several years ago, loooong before I got bit by the gardening bug. My heart has been hurting because I have ALL the questions and I know he'd know the answers. So I'm SO VERY THANKFUL that I found your channel. It has answered so many of my questions and sparked a new joy in me and my heart is full again. I'm looking forward to this new journey and just hoping that he's up there watching me, with that proud twinkle in his eyes. THANK YOU again, from the very bottom of my heart. ❤

[@elderlawarnrobinson7282]

Heart thanks for sharing. Enjoying the memories.

[@JayDeeBee3]

I just want to say thank you for helping me with my garden. It’s my first year and you are the only reason I’m still going. Gardening makes me so happy, I wish I would have started sooner, but you definitely make the hardest parts easier ❤️🤍

[@allthenuts9179]

That hat is like a mullet, business on the top, party underneath.😄

[@RootsandRefugeFarm]

Gotta keep it funky.

[@chomama1628]

Where did you get it?

[@seanaames6855]

I think Jessica buys a lot of gently used clothes.

[@mly9956]

@@sparkleemojidotjpeg Idk if she got it from Amazon, but there's a link to it in her description box -- "My hat: amzn.to/37WwXWK"

[@squigburger]

That is an all-party hat!

[@stacyannwalker8637]

What would we do without you Jess you're an awesome teacher we love and appreciate you.

[@melinda3196]

Thanks so much for this valuable information. My family laughs when I talk about my professors at KZbin University!

[@sarahlarson7797]

I love that expression you made up!!!!!!! I'm totally in KZbin University too! God bless lots of love

[@monicabrewer3526]

Lol

[@michelehollander3949]

Luv it! “you tube uni"❤️

[@skylarkenwood1422]

I love that saying! Oh so true! May borrow it from time to time. Take care.

[@tammyhanson7843]

My goodness Jess, you have so much knowledge in that noggin of yours. I’m missing a garden devotional. I need a devotional if you have the time. 🇺🇸🙋‍♀️🦋💜

[@beebeebrooks]

Melissa K. Norris is another garden KZbinr that has scripture at the end of her podcast. She is also a wealth of knowledge.

[@onalennasehume4586]

Hey Jess, 36:22 another sign of watermelons being ripe is when the 'spoon leaf' right next to the stem of the watermelon gets completely dry; or when the first tendril next to the stem is completely dry

[@itzakpoelzig330]

"Spoon leaf", I never heard of that. Thanks!

[@melissan9199]

Jess = A Friend In My Head. Loving all the goodies your giving us 🌱🍆🥦🥕🌽🌶🥒🥬🧅🥔

[@jackieburk2992]

Grate the zucchini and use pound for pounding place of hamburger in recipe FYI I add beef bullion for flavor

[@janetbecker4282]

@@jackieburk2992 Waa

[@jolynneify]

I called my husband Mia today while he was building in our garden. He smiled proudly!!

[@BrandeHarris]

My husband will ask, “well, what does your best friend say abt this (gardening problem)?” 😂 so yes, my friend too.

[@albanymountainhomestead]

For the middle sized zucchini I like to slice thin and use them as a lasagna noodle substitute, be sure to salt the zoodle to draw out the extra moisture before assembling your lasagna. And AWESOME substitute!

[@BekWeller]

Eggplant is another one to use like this. Oil, salt and grilled either first adds to the flavour

[@jackwilkinson9343]

You can harvest all your carrots at once and preserve them in a dark plastic storage bin with pine shavings covering each layer of carrots, if they are kept cool they can last for months!!

[@Donotmesswithmegirl]

Jack Wilkinson do you put the cover on after you layer them all like lasagna? Thank you!

[@jackwilkinson9343]

@@Donotmesswithmegirl sry for the delay, Yes! you put the cover on!

[@laurahalonen6781]

Some use clean, dry sand for that too

[@patriot20000]

Dampen the shavings?

[@Cheeksmakeup]

This is one of those videos I will watch again and again for years to come! Thank you 🙏🏻

[@walkbyfaithfamily9177]

I try to pick my eggplant while they are still shiny. Once they start to get a dull look to them they start to taste bitter.

[@RootsandRefugeFarm]

Great tip!

[@schex9]

The problem is that by the time they lose their shine is to late. I like jess's method of picking when they stop getting bigger.

[@toniatalley1977]

Thank you for this info

[@ABamaGardener]

Wow Jess, That coffee really was kickin. You gave a ton of info in such a short time.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Every Canadian gardener watching this is just pining for the harvest season 😂

[@user-di6cn2ne7u]

I have 3 open tomato blooms right now and all I can harvest is lettuce right now lol

[@SKJEAN3107]

Heck, even the michigan gardeners are. Lol but I've gotten a few things, peas and beans. Fruit setting on tomato plants! 😍😍

[@lindsayvlogslife]

I have a bunch of green tomatoes that I’ve been checking every day 😂

[@villagesteader3552]

I feel your pain! We’re in 6a, south side of Lake Ontario. Only lettuce and greens for now but all is looking good!😎

[@jourdynqura4940]

Same for us in New england!

[@SignsForSustenance]

I aspire to be as beautiful, intelligent, talented as well as such a blessing in people's lives as you are. Thank you for this video. I'm taking notes. May The Lord bless you 100 fold. In Jesus name.

[@RootsandRefugeFarm]

Wow, thank you

[@lizdennett9002]

So agree! Always wanted to garden because of my mom and have tried for the pass couple of years and this was my year, lucky to find this channel. Found you guys before the virus hit! It's been wild watching you grow! Saw you on a commercial and just am so happy to have a great resource! Thank you and God bless 🙏 ❤🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅

[@louisewhite3391]

Great tip with the dollar store loofah, we call it the scrubber puff 🤣 to pull apart and hold the melons 🍈 👍👍

[@fallinapart2]

Your videos inspired me to try a garden this year, it’s my “Rona Garden”😂 I’d be lost without your insight and tips! My garden is my therapy and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your knowledge, your humor, your kindness and beautiful spirit with the rest of us!😊💕👩🏻‍🌾

[@kathytaylor9798]

Garlic- I learned that you do not want to harvest your garlic when it’s been raining. It will not store as well. You’re better off waiting a couple more days until the ground dries a little.

[@sandracarter9675]

I am bringing in a little stick of celery and some pretty small lettuce leaves but thrilled to have something to eat tonight from my garden!

[@RootsandRefugeFarm]

Wonderful!

[@kprairiesun]

I've found overgrown cucumbers make great sweet relish. I look forward to your great garden videos. Please try this drill pickle recipe that an older Mennonite neighbor in Kansas taught me to make. They are so good, flavorful and mild and their flavor depends on using young, green, leafy Dill leaves and young seed heads. This gives a great Dill flavor that is not harsh. This recipe is really good for making spicy, Dilled green tomato pickles, too. Don't use cherry tomatoes, only use cherry size regular green tomatoes which are firmer. Add a hot pepper or 2 or 3 along with the Dill. Also good for Dilly Beans and Dilled okra pickles. Brine: 1T. Sugar 2T. Pickling salt 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 3 c. Water Have jars heating up in the water bath canner so they don't break when hot brine is added. Place a clean grape leaf into each quart jar. Grape is best, but horseradish leaves or Mulberry leaves will work. The tannins in them are thought to make crispier pickles. Add 1 or 2 cloves of garlic and a few fresh, leafy stems of Dill to each jar. (More Dill than usual). Then pack fresh picked, small pickling cucumbers (best if only 3-4 inches)into the jars. Bring brine to a boil. Have water bath canning kettle or large stock pot filled with water heating up on the stove. Pour hot brine into jars, leaving about 1/2 inch space at top. Gently rub a butter knife around inside of jar to remove any bubbles. Wipe top of jar off, place new canning lid on jar and screw the ring on so that it's just finger tight. Don't over tighten. Place jars in warming water in canning kettle. Make sure water is 1 to 2 inches over top of jars. Put cover on pot. My friend taught me to just have water till about 3/4 the way up the jar and she said bring it to a boil and boil 10-15 minutes until they turn "pickle color!" I think 10 minutes is typical or 15 if you live above 1000 foot altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid and leave them in the kettle 5 minutes. Remove to towel on the counter and leave for 24 hours. Remove rings once they have sealed. I am going to start adding a little vinegar to the water bath canner so the jars come out clean like I've seen others do.

[@iartistdotme]

I always wondered why the old recipes said to add a grape leaf - thanks for the info. I just learned that cutting a sliver off the blossom end of the cuke helps make the pickles more crunchy, also. So many old tricks to learn again.

[@justpatty7328]

Thank you for sharing ladies. :)

[@chlnaturester]

I love to pick tomatoes during the day because they taste like sunshine 😁

[@joywhitley3141]

You are such a blessing! You explain so freely and in a plain and understandable way. Thank you for sharing your garden with us! ❤️

[@sarahgoninan3124]

When the cucumbers got all yellow on me last year, I turned them into relish. So good!

[@SR98889]

Sarah Goninan oooooo great idea!

[@inyayardhomestead5693]

G'day, great idea thanks for sharing and God bless you.

[@susangarland6869]

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: teaching Jess is best Jess. I love all of your videos, and Miah's also, but you absolutely shine when you're teaching. You could offer gardening classes to the local schools, or your local community education program, etc. As a retired teacher myself, I know good teaching when I see it. Case in point: "Just a quick reference video" is 45 minutes long. Classic teacher. 🙃

[@samwalker1735]

Wow, now that is one Impressive and funky hat, you should definitely wear more hats, you suit them so well! You're looking like a true farm girl, Go Jess!

[@KenS1267]

Corn is ripe when the silk turns brown, it starts off kind of gold colored. Takes 2 or 3 weeks from the silk first appearing. Also look out for fungus growing on your ears (corn smut), do not destroy those ears, unless you don't like huitlacoche, don't know anyone who does and don't want to sell those ears to restaurants who will pay a premium for them. This isn't so much about determining when something is ripe but planning for when that will happen. I grew up with an absolute tomato fanatic mother. She grew indeterminate globe tomatoes so we'd have fresh tomatoes for sandwiches and the like most of the summer. She also planted a bunch of determinate tomatoes for canning later in the spring. He idea was for all those plants to produce in September when it was more likely to be cooler. This was to make life easier as canning a lot of anything in a few days is a good way, even with AC, to make a house unbearable if it is also 90+ outside. As a general rule do make sure things you'd like to put up a lot of are determinate varieties, if the plant has determinate and indeterminate varieties. That way you can spend a day or two doing the work, which tends to be a lot easier in big batches, than putting up a jar of this and that all summer long.

[@MelSr8]

Girl you’re the reason my first vegetable garden is doing great so far! 🥰

[@fowlerfarmstead4725]

And yet another video going in my saved list

[@erikas974]

Me too

[@fowlerfarmstead4725]

@@erikas974 we're in the building process and then will be starting our own family farm, so I think I have half of their videos in my saved list haha

[@sharonabner3156]

Harvest sweet potatoes after the first fall frost. They have a long growing season.

[@JP-os7ph]

Sharon Abner , when did you plant your sweet potatoes ?going to try a few tomorrow.

[@mamaAimEC]

I always harvest my sweet potatoes just after the 1st frost too. They need curing time as well. With warmth & humidity. If you live in the south you may be able to harvest sooner with good outdoor curing weather. In the northern states we usually have to do this indoors.

[@mamaAimEC]

Jean Payne I always plant mine at the end of May, or beginning of June.

[@carlagarrett8584]

Rhubarb, can be boiled into a cordial and jarred - delightful to have the syrup in a soda! or on vanilla ice

[@almakelly5248]

I ate some onion and squash for my dinner tonite. From my garden.

[@kc_cobra]

Once I tried to pass off an oversized courgette as a marrow. My Dad was not happy. So now they get diced, lightly steamed and frozen for use in winter stews. The odd few make it into cakes, breads or soups.

[@andrewlittlefield3425]

Cool Jessica, I actually picked my cherry tomatoes today at lunch before it rained by accident. And then you just confirmed that 👍🏻😁

[@elizabethjermyn1392]

My husband is a stroke survivor by the grace of God...wish I could upload our first harvest you would be impressed

[@elizabethjermyn1392]

Gardening is surely healing for him. Wish I could clear my whole acre and just grow food for stroke survivors and their families. Not a lot of help out there.

[@emdobz]

Quick queens english lesson : Courgette "Cor-shet" and Marrow "Ma-row" :D Marrows are baby-sized courgettes. Traditionally eaten stuffed after you've been on holiday for 2 weeks during the growing season :') Thanks for this vid, super helpful !!!

[@rosemarythyme8225]

Sweet potatoes are ready to harvest after the first frost. Once frost has hit the leaves, they need to be dug up. Once dug, they should be cured. Also, just a garden tip to try- once the vines start growing they will grow and grow and take over everything, and while the vines are pretty, the vines aren’t what you eat. When the vines cover about a 3-4ft area, take your hoe and chop (prune) the ends. The plant will put more effort into the potatoes. You could try doing this to a few plants and leaving the rest in order to compare and see how it works out for you. I enjoy your garden tours and Love the hat😉 There is always something new to learn.

[@janenichols3880]

Never knew you could eat okra raw. Just never thought to do so. Love it fried, though! Blessings!!

[@nahnisjourney1406]

Did I ever tell you that I LOVE your colorful hat!!! This comment is a year after you did the video, but I enjoy going back and watching videos your posted years prior to the current time. The videos still feel current to me when I watch them. I’ll be planting cucumbers again this year! Thank you for sharing your beautiful gardening journey.

[@LauraAnn1980]

I tend to pick tomatoes a day or so after they blush. I have lost way too many ripe ones off the vine to critters in my garden. It may affect the taste slightly but it's still light years better than store bought.

[@ellenclayton5955]

A tendril grows directly across from the watermelon on the vine. When it dries up your watermelon is ready.

[@ameliakat9982]

You inspired me to garden big. My garden heals my heart💞 I have no idea how to thank you for that. It's so appreciated, it's beyond words

[@mikkileon6380]

Love 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽The Hat🤸🏽‍♀️🤸🏽‍♀️🤸🏽‍♀️

[@SmallTNHomestead]

You are truly amazing, I could not stop watching. The information is so valuable and much appreciated! Thank you so much.

[@RootsandRefugeFarm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Bunefoo401]

Having only grown tomatoes and peppers in Containers until this years “going on” 8 raised beds with an assortment, this was inVALUEable. Thank you so much. I truly enjoy watching your channel and the progress on your garden. Thank you for sharing ❤️❤️

[@kimmieb8882]

Don't forget that after radishes go to seed, they put off delicious edible seed pods with the texture of snap peas! So if they go to seed fast, just keep them in the ground and harvest the pods for weeks afterwards. It's Virginia June right now, and I'm still enjoying radish flavor (the seed pods taste like sweeter radishes!) in all my salads, and even just snacking on them whenever I go out to the garden.

[@joaneyharris4115]

What does the expressions go to seed mean?

[@kimmieb8882]

@@joaneyharris4115 it's when they start "bolting." The center of the leaves will send up a central stalk, which produces flowers. After the flowers, seed pods form in the same spots. At the point of flowering, the tap root isn't really good to eat anymore, it gets very fibrous, woody, and bitter. But you can still get a harvest off of the plant, in the form of the edible seed pods!

[@sherihale3715]

I just filled 4 pages with notes on harvesting! Thank you for all the wonderful info. As a first time vegetable gardener, I am learning so much from you!

[@thebarefootgardner4687]

Meeee too!

[@claireisacamel]

Short window between beautiful head of broccoli and beautiful bouquet of broccoli haha

[@diannamc367]

😅😅😅 The first time I tried to grow broccoli I had some very beautiful bouquets!

[@Wildevis]

Phew a lot of fantastic advice and info. I will have to come back to this once my gardening season starts going. Last frost date 12 Sept in South Africa where I live. So I am planning and preparing garden now and planning when to start seedlings. My winter veggies are coming along nicely so something is still producing. A nice thing to do with Zucchini (courgettes, baby marrow) is to slice and dehydrate, but then put those dehydrated slices in olive oil for a fantastic relish, spicing up the oil as much as you would like. Absolutely delicious

[@aquamarine0317]

The sound of your voice and wisdom you share are salve for my soul. I am inspired to try/do/learn more with every video. You truly are a blessing. 🌱

[@jaebae93]

When cucumbers get big and turn close to that yellow color, sometimes we take them and scrap out the flesh with a spoon. Then add a couple tablespoons of sugar and couple cups of cold water to make a sweet snack.

[@kathyearhart]

I've been gardening a while and learn something from every one of your videos! Just pulled off a tomato sucker to try to root it and get another plant. Excited to see someone harvesting already! I'm in 6a and have a good month or so to go on my tomatoes 🙃🍅

[@andrestepanov1993]

Hi Jess, you said earlier in the video courgette, and I found it interesting because a year ago, I was living in France for five years (where I discovered your channel and started gardening) and I would buy my seeds from French companies and they wouldn’t have categories such as winter and summer squash, but courge (winter squash) and courgette (summer squash). The g is pronounced the same as a j so you actually pronounce it as courjette and courje not courguette as you had. If it didn’t make sense, you can always look it up and listen to the prononciation. I hope this helped and I love your channel so much, I have learned more from you than anywhere or from anybody else.

[@ravenh8115]

I love your pronunciation - courgette is said like "Cor-jet" and they are massive! Great for soup with some onion and curry powder -mine are just starting to flower here in Scotland :) thanks for sharing :D

[@pamt8430]

Raven H would you mind sharing that soup recipe it sounds delish!!! Love curry!!

[@ebrakefml]

Courgette is a French word. It's pronounced with a zh. Koor-zhet.

[@CampK9DogWalking]

@@ebrakefml maybe in france, but in england it is cor-jet

[@xoAmyTaylor]

@@ebrakefml that how I pronounce it in Australia 😊 We call them zucchini mostly though

[@fayeberrie9088]

CampK9DayCare it’s definitely not cor jet in the UK 😆 koor zhet is far more accurate.

[@13Jerred]

I live in a hot, hot place, and on warm spring days, lettuce can get kind of "limp" (it will get limp in the fridge too) when that happens, a soak in cold water for an hour or two (I just put in a dish of water and place in the fridge) will bring back the "crunch". I have saved many a lettuce from the grocery store and from the garden this way.

[@christinedehn3257]

A good drink is something I have always given my fresh produce from the store, green onions in a glass of water, leafy greens soak for an hour, cabbage, head lettuce, celery, cauliflower trim a thin slice off of the core and set in water. basically treat like you would cut flowers that need a chance to re-hydrate.

[@gwencrawford9617]

Soo glad you clarified using a dollar store "loofah" to tie up your melons! I was confused by that all this time😂. Thanks Jess!

[@luferrari6462]

I love harvesting nasturtium seeds when they're still green to pickle them! They're referred to as "poor man caper" lol 🤣 they're delicious.

[@danasmith1812]

I didn't know you could pickle nasturtium seeds. Can you share your recipe? Pickling and preserving is one of my favorite things.

[@nancywager4956]

I would love to know more about this topic....

[@iartistdotme]

what they said,

[@happyrapture1370]

Yes please

[@ramibu239]

Well they do have a peppery taste raw, so this only makes sense! Awesome!😁👍

[@vfuller5395]

I saved bean and pea seeds for the first time last year. It's so fun to see them growing like crazy this year. Gardening is eork, but so much fun!

[@Kittysews]

Watching your videos is just making spring seed order get bigger and bigger 😅 winter solstice means the countdown is on to start my spring seeds 😍 hoping to get my greenhouse up and running in time 🤞

[@ramblinrosecottage5983]

Wow! This one was jam-packed with lots of valuable information. Thank you, Jess! I'm still waiting on my tomatoes to ripen, too!

[@Turtsiepie727]

I love this video! Can you believe how far God has led you?! So very happy for you guys. I have enjoyed watching you and your family/homestead grow, move, and watch you guys through out the “set up” phase in your new space. Continued congratulations to you and your family!

[@elenaermolaeva5001]

i like how ladybug casually walked over Jess at around 30min

[@maryritelli3495]

My Italian grandma (nonie) made them all the time when I was a kid. I’ve been enjoying them for 65 years

[@lauraparker2334]

Jess - I have just recently found your channel and have so enjoyed your tours and all the info you share. I wish I had someone like you when I was younger and gardening to feed my family- I mostly learned by doing- some failures but thank goodness more successes. I used to can 100 quarts of tomatoes each year- and (gasp) never processed them- they were stewed down for a long time them placed i sterile jars 1 tsp if salt and lids screwed on then waited for the blessed ping of the lids sealing. That was in the 70s and 80s. I am in Connecticut so we never could plant before Memorial Day due to frost. One trick we did for cabbages was to once a week we would sprinkle salt on the heads to keep them nice and tight and also to ward off bugs. My biggest help in the garden was when I decided to use black plastic for weed control- my back sure did thank me for that one!! We would roll it up each fall and bring it out each spring. So... thank you for sharing all your knowledge- it is so helpful. As you send blessing out to the world, I hope blessings come back to you tenfold!!

[@callieflanagan3310]

Not sure you know how much of an impact you have on people, even though you are aware of it. I thank God for vlogs like this from YOU. I have trouble with doubting that God is in my dreams but I'm grateful he's in the middle of yours. God bless you, Jessica.

[@callieflanagan3310]

Supposed to be on another vlog. Lol!

[@jobrown7647]

When to harvest strawberries: wait, wait, wait. They should be red all the way through the berry - not white inside. You will be glad you did. There, that's my tip.

[@yeevita]

actually, one time, i harvested some strawberries not quite ripe to save them from birds and insects. i told hubby they might be a bit tart, in which case he can wait a day for them, but he tried one and said it was good that way because our ripe strawberries had so much flavor, he could barely eat one a day lol.

[@msmarygardner]

Yah...wait, wait, wait.... You think, “oh goody, tomorrow they will be ready!” Yup, they were ready & the critters agreed! They thanked me for waiting lol. Ahhhh...

[@giselagermann8556]

@@msmarygardner a netting will help :)

[@JP-os7ph]

Old sheer curtains will also work to keep the critters out

[@eleanorzapanta5139]

My strawberries are all infested with earwigs...so upsetting. I cut them all off and of course there are lots more blooms. How do I keep those pesky things away?! I know they lay their eggs in the soil. Someone help.

[@dawnbrent2346]

What a WEALTH of information, thank you. I have been gardening for 45 years and still learned so much today. I have a tip to share, when my zucchini get too big, really BIG, they make great chicken food, I just split them and toss them in the pen and they devour them, til nothing is left. The large one you showed make wonderful sweet relish, I do this with golden zucchini and yellow summer squash too, makes very colorful relish, and put some red sweet bell pepper in too. I like your hat, I have one that covers my ears, neck and face, be glad you are doing this when you are young!! Thanks again.

[@ambers9463]

I was about to comment on how much I appreciated you making "when to pick" notes in your vlogs! Then you did this! 👏🏻👏🏻❤️ I would love a video on the heirloom tomatoes too... With all the fun colors it's hard to know sometimes when to pick... Or find info. Thank you thank you!!!!!

[@angelalyons3372]

She has a video from last summer or summer before all about her tomatoes and the harvest!

[@GreenWitchHomestead]

A good tip with eggplant is the thumbprint test. Take your fruit in your palm and gently squeeze the eggplant. Once you release, the skins should "bounce back". If indentations remain, the fruit is not quite ripe yet.

[@singingfrogfarmlouise9693]

Jess I'm so grateful to you and this platform. I'm in that "learning everything you can until you can do it" phase that I seen you mention in a video. Avid gardener here, just not home to actually do it and plants don't do well in this truck. Soon I'll be in my own garden!!

[@amywert8088]

I think I listened more the first time through, that HOT AIR BALLOON! So cute!

[@sydneys355]

I have a veggie garden playlist. I rewatch stuff so it seeps into my mind better. 👍

[@takishasallbeautyzone]

Just harvested my corn yesterday! Now granted we had a terrible yield and only got 4 ( 3 1/2) ears of corn (the "half" was only partially pollinated). But man were they the best 4 ears of corn ever! Funny thing, God in His infinite wisdom knew just how many ears of corn to give my family of 4😁. And my 6 year old said that God grew that little one just for her!💗 I like to harvest the corn as soon as the tassels get a tiny bit brown on the tips. You can get them when they're yellow too. But the most important thing is to cook them right away. I mean have the water boiling while you go out and pick them. That way they are the most sweet. I'm going to tear all of my stalks down and try some heirloom corn next. Wish me luck! Jess, you're such a good teacher. These are my favorite types of videos from your channel. Even if it's info I've heard before, it is always nice to get a refresher. That tip about "soakin the heat off the fruit" is awesome! I've never heard of that before. That will help gardens like mine out tremendously! I plant a lot of different things, but not a lot of each. So I am struggling with how to make my small harvests stretch for meals. Besides tomatoes and peppers, is there any other crop that you wouldn't do that with?

[@firebranchfarm1615]

Green variety tomatoes are my nemesis! But I continue to grow them and always struggled on when to pick them. 🍅🤞

[@GrammaRosesHomestead]

You asked. I can add one thing to when sunflower seed are ripe. It's been my experience that when the bracts on the back of the flower are dry is not always soon enough. Like watermelons, you need to wait until the stem below the flower is dry too. Another thing. Now I have hardly any experience with watermelon, but I've read that they're ripe when the tendril opposite the fruit turns brown the watermelon is ripe. I suppose that's sort of the same as what you said about the stem turning brown. Hope this helps! edit to correct grammar!

[@godweprayforamericaonenati9527]

Soak the heat off of it! :p)* Nothing like the wit & wisdom from what worked for grandma & grandpa!

[@notagreenthumb4775]

You’re so right Jess! Your comment sections are like the ultimate gardening book! No word of a lie, your comment sections are the reason I made my own channel. One day I hope my comment sections will be packed full of amazing knowledge too!! I’m only on my 3rd year of gardening

[@8910d]

I tried the egg in the hole trick when planting my tomatoes and they are the best ever! Thanks Jess.

[@gailpetchenik3048]

I did it too, but some critter must have smelled them cause the next day all of my tomato plants were pulled out of the ground & the eggs were gone. To racoon I would imagine 😰

[@diannamc367]

@@gailpetchenik3048 😥

[@tkaart2242]

Jess, I love fried green tomatoes too! You have to try a Fried Green Tomato Salad- mixed greens, sliced tomatoes, fried green tomatoes on top, a few dollops of warmed up goat cheese, drizzle of balsamic glaze. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! You have to try it.

[@dymond92200]

This sounds amazing

[@tiffany02020]

Me up at my garden: man I have no idea when these zucchini’s are “done” Me seeing this when I got back into WiFi range: 😏😍🥰🥰🥰😅😅😅

[@13Jerred]

Zuchini are done when you are sick of waiting XD

[@LilSinger097]

Zucchini grow like weeds. I can never pick them fast enough 😂😂

[@maryblaylock6545]

Those mother's little darlin's are masters at hiding. I've had to start trimming back the foliage so I can find them! The good thing is that the big ones are excellent for 'boats'. Slice in half length wise. Scoop out the seeds. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Place in the hollow browned ground beef or lamb mixed with pre-cooked rice, peppers of any color, Old Bay Seasoning, pre-cooked onions. Top with cheese, make it your favorite cheese(I like feta with this) and slap it in the oven until you can pierce the zucchini with a fork easily. This also works with eggplant! Have fun!

[@pamt8430]

@@maryblaylock6545 trying this!!! Thanks!!!!

[@OhSoCheesy]

@@maryblaylock6545 Thank you Mary!

[@annastasia3581]

Fried green tomatoes...yummmm...been eating em my whole life up here in Northeast Ohio...I do find it comical when people say "you eat what?" You're the best! Thank you and your family for all your amazing videos and love.

[@sandracarter9675]

Love you Jess from Ontario!

[@CharFinley-Causey]

Jess I have a tip for okra harvest, Do a tip snap, If the tip snaps off and doesn;t shred the okra is still tender enough to eat. Love your life!!!

[@SteffieWeffy1]

Hello from the UK! 😍

[@narmrn]

One more very quick tip...we grow a huge organic garden. Springtime we have 10-12 enormous rhubarb plants. The leaves are huge. Some are 18-20 inches across. By the end of June the rhubarb begins to die back. As those big leaves wilt and turn yellow, but are still pliable, we cut them off and lay them as garden mulch. They definitely keep weeds down and retain moisture in the ground...and they are very organic looking

[@RootsandRefugeFarm]

Wow very cool!

[@christinametzger2609]

2:08 please excuse my... DEAR AUNT SALLY?? Oh.. hat. That works too I guess 🤣

[@kayenpea22]

I’m so late, but I laughed out loud at the PEMDAS reference. Thanks 😂

[@justicebriana7508]

I finally realized you remind me of, the beautiful artist Linda Ronstadt. 😍 I so appreciate this video!!