Fall harvesting is the payoff for a season of work, and it is also a race against the weather. Some crops must be picked before the first frost, others taste better after a light frost, and a few can stay in the ground well into winter if they are protected. Knowing which crop belongs in which group, and how to tell when each one is ready, is the difference between a harvest that stores for months and one that rots in a week. This guide covers the main fall crops, how to pick them, and how to cure and store them so the harvest lasts into winter.
The general rule is to harvest in dry weather, in the morning after dew has dried, and to handle everything gently, since bruises are where rot starts. Use clean, sharp tools for cutting, and do not pull crops roughly from the ground. Taste is often the best test of readiness, especially for fruit and roots, and a small trial harvest tells you more than any calendar date. Keep a note of what you harvested and when, so next year's timing is based on your own garden rather than a guess. If you are unsure about harvesting or storing a crop in your area, check your local extension service.
What to harvest in fall
Fall is harvest time for a long list of crops. Root vegetables such as carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips and potatoes are lifted in fall, and many of them taste sweeter after a light frost. Our guides to harvesting carrots, harvesting beets and harvesting potatoes cover those crops in detail. Winter squash and pumpkins are harvested when their skins are hard and their stems are dry — see our harvesting pumpkins and harvesting butternut squash guides. Apples and pears are picked in fall, and the test is whether the fruit comes away easily when lifted and twisted; our growing apples and growing pears guides cover fruit picking.
Brassicas such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts are at their best in fall, and kale in particular tastes sweeter after frost. See our harvesting kale, harvesting broccoli and harvesting cabbage guides. Late lettuce, spinach and other salads are picked as cut-and-come-again leaves through fall — see our harvesting lettuce guide. Garlic planted last fall is harvested in summer, not fall, but garlic planted this fall is a crop for next year; our harvesting garlic guide explains the difference. Herbs are harvested before frost for drying and freezing, covered in our fall herb care guide.
How to tell when crops are ready
Each crop has its own signs of readiness. Carrots and beets are ready when their shoulders show at the soil surface and they are the size you want; pull one to check rather than guessing. Potatoes are ready when the foliage has died back, and they should be lifted carefully with a fork to avoid spearing them. Pumpkins and winter squash are ready when the skin is hard enough that a fingernail does not dent it, the stem is dry and corky, and the fruit sounds hollow when tapped. Apples are ready when the pips are dark brown, the fruit lifts easily with a twist, and a taste test is sweet rather than sharp. Pears are picked slightly under-ripe and ripened indoors, since they go mushy if left to ripen on the tree.
Brassicas are ready when heads are firm and dense, and they should be cut before they loosen or flower. Kale leaves are picked from the outside in, taking older leaves and leaving the centre to keep growing. Lettuce is picked as outer leaves or as a whole head before it bolts or turns bitter in a warm spell. Sweetcorn is past its best by fall in most zones, but any late cobs are ready when the silks are brown and the kernels release milky juice when pressed. Taste, size, colour and firmness together are more reliable than any single sign, and a trial harvest of one or two items is always worth doing before you pick the whole crop.
Frost and the fall harvest
Frost changes the fall harvest in both directions. A light frost sweetens many crops, including kale, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips and beets, because cold turns some of their starches into sugars. That is why these crops are often left in the ground into late fall and taste better than the same crop picked in summer. A hard frost, on the other hand, damages tender crops such as lettuce, beans, courgettes and tomatoes, turning leaves black and fruit mushy, so those crops must be picked before a hard frost is forecast. Our fall frost protection guide explains how to protect crops from frost and when to give up and harvest.
Root crops can stay in the ground through light frosts if they are mulched, and in mild zones they can be lifted as needed through winter. In cold zones, lift them before the ground freezes hard, since frozen ground makes lifting impossible and frozen roots rot when they thaw. Potatoes must be lifted before hard frost, since frost damages the tubers. Squash and pumpkins must be picked before frost, since frost damages their skins and they will not store. Apples can take a light frost on the tree, but a hard frost damages fruit that is meant for storage. Use the frost date calculator to find your average first frost, and watch the forecast rather than the average, since a single cold night can arrive earlier.
Curing and storing the fall harvest
Curing is the step that makes fall crops store for months. Winter squash and pumpkins should be cured in a warm, dry, ventilated place for a week or two after picking, which hardens their skins and heals small cuts. Onions and garlic should be dried in a similar way, in a warm, airy place out of direct sun, until their necks are dry and their skins are papery. Potatoes should be dried briefly in the dark, since light turns them green, and then stored in the dark. Our harvesting pumpkins and harvesting garlic guides cover curing for those crops.
Store only sound, undamaged produce, since one rotting item can infect the rest of the store. Check stored crops regularly and remove anything soft, mouldy or smelly at once. Root vegetables store well in boxes of damp sand or in a cool, dark, ventilated place, and they should not be washed before storage, since washing removes the protective skin and invites rot — brush off loose soil instead. Apples store best wrapped individually in paper in a cool, dark place, and they should be kept away from other produce, since they release a gas that speeds ripening. Squash stores in a cool, dry place with air around each fruit, not piled in a heap. Keep stores cool, dry and ventilated, and protect them from mice, which are covered in our mice in garden guide and in our fall pest control guide.
Preserving what you cannot store fresh
Not everything stores fresh, and fall is the season for preserving. Herbs can be dried in bunches hung in a warm, airy place, or frozen in ice cube trays with water or oil. Fruit that will not store can be cooked into sauces, jams and chutneys, or frozen. Vegetables such as beans, peas and sweetcorn freeze well after blanching, and root vegetables can be pickled. Tomatoes that are still green when frost arrives can be ripened indoors in a box with a banana, or cooked into green tomato chutney. Our harvesting tomatoes guide covers the end of the tomato season.
Drying is the simplest preserving method for herbs, and it works well for chillies and beans too. Freezing is the easiest for most vegetables, as long as they are blanched first to stop enzymes that spoil flavour and colour. Fermenting and pickling suit cabbage, cucumbers and beets. Whatever method you use, label everything with the crop and the date, use the oldest preserves first, and store preserves in a cool, dark place. If you are unsure about safe preserving methods, check your local extension service, since food safety matters more than saving a crop.
Common fall harvesting mistakes
The most common mistake is leaving tender crops out for a hard frost and losing them overnight. The second is harvesting root crops too early, when they are small and flavourless, or too late, when they have gone woody. The third is bruising produce during harvest, which causes rot in storage. The fourth is skipping the curing step for squash, onions and garlic, which shortens storage life dramatically. The fifth is storing damaged or diseased produce with sound produce, which spreads rot through the whole store. The sixth is washing root vegetables before storage, which invites rot. And the seventh is forgetting to check stores regularly, so a single rotting item spoils a whole box before anyone notices. Harvest gently, cure properly, store only sound produce, and check stores often.
Frequently asked questions
What vegetables should I harvest in fall?
Root vegetables such as carrots, beets, parsnips and potatoes, winter squash and pumpkins, brassicas such as cabbage, kale and broccoli, and late salads such as lettuce and spinach. Apples and pears are also picked in fall.
Does frost improve the taste of vegetables?
A light frost sweetens kale, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips and beets. A hard frost damages tender crops such as lettuce, beans and tomatoes, so pick those before a hard frost is forecast.
How do I store winter squash?
Cure it in a warm, dry, ventilated place for a week or two after picking, then store it in a cool, dry place with air around each fruit. Store only undamaged fruit, and check stores regularly.
Should I wash root vegetables before storing them?
No. Brush off loose soil and store them unwashed in a cool, dark, ventilated place, in boxes of damp sand if you have them. Washing removes the protective skin and invites rot.
What do I do with green tomatoes at the end of fall?
Ripen them indoors in a box, or cook them into chutney. If frost is forecast and they are still on the plant, pick them rather than losing them overnight. If you are unsure, check your local extension service.