Harvesting, Post-Harvest Handling & Storage

Video: Johnny's Harvest Knives, Machetes, and Shears


Hi, I'm Niki Jabbour and today I want to show you a selection of garden tools and knives that make harvesting quick and easy. These high-quality tools are budget-friendly, practical, and not only speed up the harvesting process, they make clean, precise cuts.

You'll find a wide range of harvesting tools from Johnny’s Selected Seeds including machetes, knives, pocket knives, shears, sharpening tools, and sheaths. Here are some of the ones I use in my own garden.

This is the Modesto Heavy-Duty Knife which I use to harvest Brassica vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.

It has a six and a half inch long steel blade and is curved to allow you to harvest from a range of angles. You can also use it to trim stems and leaves while still in the garden and the plastic handle is non-slip for added safety and the bright yellow color makes it easy to spot in the garden or field.

I use the Serrated Greens Knife for harvesting lettuce as well as different types of leafy vegetables like arugula and spinach and herbs like oregano and parsley. The six-inch-long stainless steel blade has a gentle curve and is serrated on the inside for quick work. The rounded plastic handle is comfortable in the hand and has a non-slip surface.

The Lettuce Field Knife is a handy tool for cutting whole heads of lettuces like romaine, iceberg, and Salanova® varieties. It has two cutting edges. The long edge runs along the side of the blade and the short edge is at the top. Use the long edge to make straight cuts or push the shorter end into the stem of the lettuce plant for a very fast cut. The blade is seven and a quarter inches long with a bright yellow non-slip handle.

Victorinox Serrated Knife is one of my go-to harvesting tools because it's compact, cuts really well, and is easy to clean. The entire tool measures seven inches and the serrated blade makes very quick work of picking greens like spinach and lettuce as well as other vegetables like cucumbers and zucchini. The bright red handle stands out in the garden to help you keep track of your tool and because I use this so much and want to keep it close at hand, I have a sheath to hold the knife. This makes sure the knife is safely stored while I'm working in the garden. It's a heavy-duty nylon sheath with a spring steel belt clip.

I love a handy pocket tool and the curved Grape & Tomato Shears are a multi-purpose shear and extremely versatile in the garden. It's ideal for harvesting tomatoes as the two-inch curved blade slides easily in between tomato leaves, stems, and still ripening clusters to cut the fruits or trusses you want. I also use it to harvest eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, and other types of crops. The dipped handles are slip resistant and as with other tools I've talked about, the brightly colored handles are easy to see in the garden.

Happy growing!