Is it common practice to remove plant/roots and all when harvesting.

[Growzay]

Are there certain varieties of veggies that when harvested will grow back again & again without losing flavor or productivity? My peas produced & died as did my zuchinni. Spinach, lettuce, kale continue to grow and produce w/out any difference in flavor as I cut them back. 

Any ideas anyone?  

 

[TCLynx]

Many plants where the fruit is our goal will produce as much fruit as the annual is used to doing (to provide enough seeds to get next years generation going) then they will be done.

 

Other plants where the veggie is leaves and we tend to harvest and harvest and try to keep them from bolting so that we can continue to harvest.  Spinach, lettuce, kale, chard, collards, and even broccoli can all keep going for a long season given the right conditions.

 

When the plant is done or you decide it's done, most people pull the plant and what roots come with it from an aquaponics grow bed but sometimes I'll cut things off and wait till later to remove the stump and roots.

 

[Growzay]

Thanks TCLynx- much appreciated!

TCLynx said:

Many plants where the fruit is our goal will produce as much fruit as the annual is used to doing (to provide enough seeds to get next years generation going) then they will be done.

 

Other plants where the veggie is leaves and we tend to harvest and harvest and try to keep them from bolting so that we can continue to harvest.  Spinach, lettuce, kale, chard, collards, and even broccoli can all keep going for a long season given the right conditions.

 

When the plant is done or you decide it's done, most people pull the plant and what roots come with it from an aquaponics grow bed but sometimes I'll cut things off and wait till later to remove the stump and roots.

 

[Chris Smith]

Celery is a good one. I have harvested off the same plants for 6 months by simply harvesting mature stalks. The more it is picked the more it grows. After many months it will put out baby plants at the bottom which can be used for your next planting. It is very slow in the beginning but makes up for that by longevity. Rainbow chard is another one. I harvest it in the same way. Remove mature stalks and the plants can go for more than 3 months.

My peas and beans will produce for many months. They need regular picking to promote more fruiting. I not picked they will stop and die thinking they have successfully reproduced.

Some peppers will grow for many years. I have a ghost pepper plant that is going on two years old. I have harvested many pounds of the hottest peppers on the planet.

When using this technique it is important not to remove too much off the plant. In cases where I do harvest the entire plant at one time I have a "teen age" replacement plant to go immediately in the harvested plants spot.

 

[TCLynx]

Yea, I had a pepper plant that powered along for about 3 years I think before it finally died back and well just pulled it out a couple weeks ago.

[Carey Ma]

Absolutely; Many plants that we consider annuals, can keep on growing if conditions are right. I had Swiss and Rainbow Chards grow continuously for three years in my greenhouse. As mentioned above, beans etc have to be continuously picked or they will stop. A lot of it depends on whether or not they are day neutral or long day plants (affected by sunlight hours) as well as temperature.