June 20, 2001
Stillwater Gazette
Betsy Halden

Waiting to harvest your fruits and vegetables

Each day I look at our tomato plants. Have they grown? Are the blossoms coming? I lose all sense of time. I can hardly wait for fresh tomatoes. As we plant our gardens we look forward to harvest. Harvest may sound like a long way off. For some vegetables the wait is short. Radishes may be ready to harvest in 30 days. Apple trees, however, may not bear fruit for several years. Several varieties of small fruits and tree fruits may flower and produce fruit before the plants are well-established. Although it may be difficult, it is recommended that you remove the flowers and not permit these plants to bear fruit. Removal of the blooms will encourage vegetative growth and bigger yields in later years. Vegetables such as asparagus need to be well established before the plants or stalks are harvested. Here are the harvest waiting periods for several fruits and vegetables.

June-Bearing Strawberries- Remove all blossoms during the first growing season. Go over the plants once a week and pinch off any flowers. Flower production on June-bearing strawberries should end by July 1.

Everbearing Strawberries - Pinch off all blossoms until about July 1. Flowers that bloom after July 1 may be allowed to develop into fruit.

Blueberries - Remove all blossoms which form during the first two growing seasons. The yield will be low to moderate the third year and will increase the fourth season. You can expect a full crop by the fifth to seventh years.

Apples and other tree fruits - Remove all fruit that form during the first three growing seasons. I know that sounds difficult, but gardeners are optimists.

Asparagus - No asparagus should be harvested the first year. Harvest he asparagus for 2 weeks in the second year, 6 weeks in the third year, and 8 weeks in the fourth and following years.

Rhubarb - Rhubarb should not be harvested during the first two seasons. In the third season, harvest the rhubarb for 4 weeks. In the fourth and following years you can harvest the rhubarb for 8 weeks..

Although the waiting time for some plants seems long, the establishment period for these fruits and vegetables is critical. If not harvested or allowed to fruit during this period, these plants should provide rewarding harvests for years.

You can access Info U Hot Topics tapes through the Info-U line, 612.624.2200 then one of the following numbers: Here are the topics for June:

280 Easy Weed control (Good suggestions for mulching)
463 Too Wet for flowers? (Includes suggestions for specific flowers)
467 Keeping Boulevards Blooming (Helpful guidelines)
516 Buckthorn Control (Good description and suggestions for control)
580 Forest Tent Caterpillars (Hot topic in the press)

These topics are available on the internet at www.extension.umn.edu/info-u

The Yard & Garden Line is a great resource for gardeners. If you have a question about garden or landscape plants, insects, wildlife, plant disease, soil testing call the Yard& Garden Line at 612.624.4771 in the metro area or 1.888. 624.4771 in greater Minnesota. All services are free of charge except for sending samples or talking to the University Yard & Garden Clinic experts.

For timely gardening information visit the Yard & Garden Line News at www.extension.umn.edu.

Betsy Halden is a Master Gardener with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. University of Minnesota Extension Service materials were consulted in the preparation of this column. You can reach Betsy Halden at eahalden@comcast.net