Autumn is the typical harvest time. Many types of fruit and vegetables are ready to be harvested. This seasonal calendar for the month of October clarifies exactly which and what needs to be considered when harvesting and storing.
Table of Contents
fruit
Autumn is the peak season for many tree fruit varieties. Stored fruit in particular is now ripe and ready to be harvested. It should be noted that there is a difference between ripeness for consumption and ripeness for picking. The storage varieties of pears and apples only develop their best aroma after a few weeks.
Apples (penalty)
- Varieties: mainly late storage apples, for example Boskop , bell apple, red ice apple
- Harvest: only when the fruit easily detaches from the tree
- Storage: Store picked and fallen fruit separately, in one layer in wooden trays, cool, frost-free, dry
- Alternatives: dry, boil down, applesauce, jelly or juice
- Durability: until next spring
Pear (Pyrus)
- Variety: Conference, Gellert’s Butter Pear, Good Luise
- Harvest: when fruit easily detaches from the tree
- Storage: flat in wooden trays, here too separate fallen fruit from stored fruit
- Alternatives: boiled down, jam or dried
- Shelf life: several months
Grumbling Bears (Rubus sect. Rubus)
- Harvest: pick regularly
- Storage: store cool when fresh, freeze, process or boil down
- Shelf life: fresh a few days, preserved up to a year
nuts
- Varieties: walnuts, hazelnuts
- Harvest: Do not pick nuts, only those that have fallen from the tree are really ready for harvest
- Storage: dry , hang up in fabric bags in an airy place
- Shelf life: several months to a year
Quitten (Cydonia oblonga)
- Harvest: pick when they turn yellow
- Storage: cool and dry in one layer in wooden boxes, processed into jelly
- Shelf life: fresh several months, processed up to a year
Grapes (Vitis)
- Harvest: cut from the vine
- Storage: fresh cool and dry, dried
- Shelf life: fresh a few days, dried months to years
Zwetschgen (Prunus domestica subsp. Domestica)
- Varieties: late plum and damson varieties in October
- Harvest: pick or shake from the tree
- Storage: cool and dry, freeze, dry, boil down or process
- Shelf life: fresh for a few days, preserved for several months
vegetables
The late varieties ripen in the vegetable garden in October. These are particularly good for storing into winter or even spring. Vegetables can be stored better when they have been processed, but this requires a lot of space. Hardy vegetables can remain in the bed until they are used, but root vegetables can only be harvested in frost-free weather.
B to K
beans
- Varieties: pole beans, fire beans
- Harvest: pick regularly
- Storage: store fresh in a cool place, freeze, dry or boil down
- Shelf life: preserved for several months, fresh for a few days
Fenchel (Foeniculum vulgare)
- Harvest: Take the tubers out of the ground in October, remove leaves and roots
- Storage: fresh in the fridge, freezing is possible
- Shelf life: fresh a few weeks, frozen several months
Carrots (Daucus carota)
- Varieties: late storage varieties
- Harvest: get out of the ground with a digging fork
- Storage: remove excess soil, wrap in sand or freeze for longer storage
- Shelf life: several months
Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)
- Varieties: late storage potatoes, such as Laura, Adretta
- Harvest: with the digging fork
- Storage: do not wash, just wipe off the soil a little, store in wooden boxes in a cool, dark place
- Shelf life: until next spring
Kohl (Brassica)
- Varieties: late varieties of broccoli and cauliflower, red and white cabbage, reseeding of radishes and kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, pointed cabbage, savoy cabbage
- Harvest: pick or dig up depending on the variety
- Storage: store cool when fresh, otherwise boil down or freeze
- Shelf life: fresh a few days to weeks, frozen several months
Pumpkins (Cucurbita)
- Harvest: in October, separate the pumpkins from the plant with a knife or scissors
- Storage: fresh, cool and dry, boil down or freeze processed
- Shelf life: several months
P to R
Pastinaken (Pastinaca sativa)
- Harvest: with the digging fork
- Storage: wrap in sand and store in a cool place, freeze processed
- Shelf life: several months
Petersilienwurzel (Petroselinum crispum subsp. tuberosum)
- Harvest: with the digging fork
- Storage: wrap in damp sand, cool
- Shelf life: can remain in the bed for a long time, stored for several months
Porree (Allium ampeloprasum)
- Harvest: with digging fork
- Storage: Wrap fresh in sand or freeze
- Shelf life: can remain on the bed even in frost, otherwise several months
Rettich (Raphanus)
- Varieties: Autumn and winter varieties
- Harvest: Pull out of the ground, possibly loosening the soil with a digging fork beforehand
- Storage: fresh in the refrigerator or wrapped in sand
- Shelf life: several weeks to months
Rote Bete (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris)
- Harvest: pull from the ground
- Storage: cool and dry, pickled
- Shelf life: fresh a few weeks, canned up to a year
S to Z
Salads
- Varieties: lamb’s lettuce, lettuce and iceberg lettuce, rocket, endive
- Harvest: as needed
- Storage: in the refrigerator
- Shelf life: a few days
Schwarzwurzel (Scorzonera hispanica)
- Harvest: with digging fork, roots break easily
- Storage: wrapped in sand, boiled down
- Durability: hardy, can remain in the ground, otherwise several months to a year
Sellerie (Apium graveolens)
- Varieties: cut, tuber or stick celery
- Harvest: Harvest stalks and cut celery continuously, dig up celeriac
- Storage: Wrap bulbs or stalks in sand or freeze celery in the refrigerator
- Shelf life: several weeks to months
Spinat (Spinacia oleracea)
- Harvest: first young leaves, later harvest the entire plant
- Storage: fresh in the refrigerator, freeze
- Shelf life: fresh a few days, frozen several months
Steckrüben (Brassica napus subsp. rapifera)
- Harvest: pull out of the ground, remove leaves
- Storage: fresh in the refrigerator, wrapped in sand
- Shelf life: fresh a few days, stored a few months
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo convar. giromontiina)
- Harvest: cut continuously from the plant
- Storage: fresh cool and dry, freeze or pickle
- Shelf life: fresh several days to weeks, preserved several months
frequently asked Questions
It depends on the type of vegetable or fruit. Baskets or baskets, knives and scissors are important. A fruit picker is helpful for tree fruit.
Some varieties in the seasonal calendar actually do not tolerate frost, but for others it does not matter. Cabbage varieties, leeks and black salsify can remain on the bed even in winter.
It should be neither too cold nor too warm. Storage cellars like in the past with a natural floor and just the right humidity hardly exist anymore. However, self-made earthen heaps are well suited
