Gardening may not be on many households’ minds as summer draws to a close.
However, as the temperature starts to drop this month, there is one important task you need to complete now.
While there isn’t much to do in the ornamental garden at this time of year, if you have a fruit or vegetable patch, you’ll be busy harvesting.
Horticultural professionals at the Royal Horticultural Society have urged gardeners to harvest their fruit, especially raspberries.
Early varieties of summer-fruiting raspberries should be ready to harvest from June, with later varieties ripening by September.
The harvest of autumn raspberries starts from mid-August, often continuing until the first frosts.
Raspberries should be harvested regularly so that the fruits are ripe when they are colorful, plump and easy to remove.
Professionals claim that in dry weather, raspberries must be picked early in the morning, as moist berries can “mould quickly”.
With wet weather expected for most of the month, this Friday is shaping up to be one of the driest days.
Carefully pick them off the stick and place them in the container, don’t drop them. Use a shallow container so that you don’t squeeze all the berries to the bottom with the weight of the crop on top.
Raspberries don’t ripen all at once, but in a couple of weeks. So if you’re in doubt about the readiness of a berry, leave it on the vine for a day or two to make sure it’s fully ripe.
After picking for the day, put them in the fridge. Only wash them right before you’re ready to eat them, as moisture causes the berries to break down quickly.
Do not store berries for more than a few days. Chances are good that it’s not a viable threat because it’s nearly impossible to stay away from fresh berries.
Raspberries are best eaten fresh, juicy, sweet and delicious. If you end up eating them, they freeze well and make lovely jams, sauces and desserts.
