Tonight from 6-7:15 p.m., Tracie Mears leads “Harvesting Secrets,” including a discussion of what to harvest when to promote a garden's health.

The class will be held at Silvana's Community Garden across the street from the Silverthorne Recreation Center.

Mears, who has been gardening in Summit County for nearly 10 years and has a wealth of knowledge on edible landscaping, has learned a few tricks of the trade that could be helpful for novice gardeners like those at the community gardens.

“For whatever reason, I seem to have a pretty successful garden,” Mears said. “I'm excited so many people are getting excited about gardening.”

She'll tour the garden, taking a look at how crops are growing and what can be done to help them, when to identify they're ready to eat and more.

One things Mears has noticed in the community gardens is gardeners let their plants go too long before harvesting. Greens can turn bitter, pea plants can be signaled to stop producing and broccoli can turn to flowers if not tended to.

Mears added that thinning is important for root vegetables, so they have room to grow into plump products.

She'll advise participants on what can be harvested once each summer — like carrots and beets — and what continues to produce — like lettuce. She'll show how to harvest the ongoing producers so they continue to grow.

The workshop is free and open to the public, with a suggested $5 donation for those who wish to support the Summit Prevention Alliance.