Maximize Your Harvest By Planting These 5 Amazing Crops

Written by - Kaitlynn from MIgardener 

In order to get the absolute best results out of your garden, there are a few practices you can put into place which we talked about last week. There are also a handful of varieties that share the miraculous characteristic of growing exponentially with every harvest. This means these varieties will produce double, or even triple than you'd expect after you pick the first fruits of their harvest. Planting these varieties will help you get the most from your space in the garden, and is an ideal technique for beginners to try out.

Let's get started.

Beans

Pole and bush beans are both known for mass production, especially when they are harvested continually. Beans left on the plant will set and grow to reach full maturity and stop fruit production. However, harvesting beans early will give you an extra 75% production per plant. For more on growing beans click here and here.

Peppers

Like beans, peppers appear in "flushes". Waiting for peppers to mature on the plant will eventually decrease flower and leaf production. In northern regions, if timed correctly; three flushes of pepper yields are possible. The amazing thing about continually harvesting peppers is that the third or final rounds of harvest are often the most productive of all. For more on growing peppers click here or here.

Zucchini

Zucchini is famous for growing BIG. We all know zucchini will grow to be absolutely ginormous if left on the vine unattended. This can be fun for growing contests or zucchini boat recipes. However, if you want your plant to reach its fullest potential, harvest early for a multiplied harvest throughout the whole season. Zucchini's produce more than anything else in the garden, and they grow earlier than anything else. For more info on growing zucchini, click here.

Leafy Herbs

Parsley, sage, oregano, mint, etc. Any herb growing leaves for its primary use will grow all season long if it is trimmed properly. Trim off any flowers to avoid plants becoming woody and reaching full maturity. The side shoots of herbs will eventually grow into a large bush after pruning, multiplying the harvest immensely to allow for weeks of fresh cooking, and enough for drying and preserving for recipes later. For more on growing herbs click here.

Cucumbers

Harvesting encourages vine growth. Production will decrease dramatically if you leave fruit on the vine. Regularly harvest to get the most out of each plant. Cucumbers can sometimes be difficult to spot, so make sure to check for fruit regularly. Not harvesting the fruit will suck the energy from the rest of the plant, preventing it from reaching its fullest potential. For more on growing cucumbers, click here and here.

This blog post was based on one of our Youtube videos, one that I noticed had increased in popularity in the last few weeks. These varieties are fantastic to grow if you're hoping to avoid the grocery store, and there will be plenty to share with friends and family as time goes on.

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