Autumn is David’s favorite time of year in the garden. There is so much to harvest after months of plant growth. From cooking with carrot or turnip tops to saving seeds, here are a few of his tips to get the most out of your harvest.

Gardening in Spokane and the Inland Northwest can be exciting and rewarding. Our spring weather is ideal for vegetables like lettuce, beets and broccoli to grow and thrive. During summer we have plenty of cloud free days and heat to help ripen warm weather crops like tomatoes and peppers. By fall the slow growing vegetables like pumpkins will be ready to harvest.

Rosehips are the fruit you see hanging from rose bushes across the Inland Northwest after the flowers and leaves fade away in autumn. After a few frosts, rosehips become sweet and tender. Perfect for topping many desserts, you can purée them fresh and use them as a sauce over cake and ice cream or dry them and use for tea.

While many vegetables are planted in spring, it is important to plant garlic in fall. Most varieties of garlic need a few months of winter weather to produce strong and large bulbs that will be ready to enjoy come summer!