Many experienced gardeners agree that the more you garden , the more there is to get word . This is especially true with grow vegetables . cum packets and plant tags for transplant generally cater estimable entropy on how to grow vegetables . They also list the figure of day before maturity date . However , those projection are not always a reliable indicator of vegetable matureness and ripeness . A parky spring can retard ripening , whereas strong - than - normal weather might speed ripen . Soil natality , lack of precipitation , or too much precipitation may also affect maturity . As a result , it is sometimes hard to judge when to reap vegetable for best quality .
Knowing the projected number of days to maturity is a unspoilt place to start . While that ’s a good mark to shoot for , in the absence of any other counselling , it is up to the nurseryman to determine when a veggie is at its peak of perfection . Fortunately , vegetables often bring home the bacon clue as to their state of adulthood . It ’s just a matter of interpreting what those clue mean .
VEGETABLE HARVESTING PRINCIPLES
The following general principles are intend to give the gardener a framework for when and how to harvest vegetables :
HARVESTING GUIDELINES BY craw
The list of veggie below is by no way utter , but it does admit crop that are usually grown by home gardeners in primal Virginia .
Arugula : Cut or pinch off individual leaves when they are about 2 to 3 inch long . untested leaves have the best nip , but older leaf are edible until the flora starts to bolt . Once bolting starts , the leaves can develop a sulfurous taste .
edible asparagus : Harvest the spears of this recurrent vegetable when they are 6 to 8 inch tall and the tips are tightly closed . Bend the spears until they break , or cut them with a sharp tongue at or just below the territory surface . Be careful not to reduce adjacent spears that have not yet emerged . Harvest for about 4 to 8 hebdomad . Stop harvesting once the emerging spears appear thinner and the tip become loose and undefendable . Leave some spears to evolve into leafage for photosynthesis . TIP : If you have never grown asparagus before , count on a lower limit of three years before edible asparagus plants become full fertile .
Beans ( Snap ): harvesting celestial pole or bush beans when the pods are about the thickness of a pencil and the internal attic are minor and developing . The seedcase should easy snap into two at that stage . void harvest very slender , immature pods because they have n’t had a chance to develop much flavor . Also avoid pods that bulge with the precis of the beans within . Those edible bean are over - ripe and will be tougher and less flavorful . have those pod continue to mature on the vine and harvest them as dry attic ( see below ) .
Beans ( Dry):Harvest mature pole or bush dome in the autumn as the pods start to dry out and turn yellow . Pull or clip the pods from the vine . Spread them out on a flat airfoil indoors for 2 to 4 week to eat up drying . Once the cod feel completely dry and the beans inside are hard and shiny , shell out the beans and storage for role later .
Beta vulgaris : Pull or dig up beetroot roots when they are about 1½ to 2½ inch in diameter . orotund roots are edible but are not as flavorful and can be woody . common beet prefer cool grow weather condition but should be pulled before the first hard freeze .
Bok Choy : crop once the plant life reaches maturity date ( about 12 inch or more for the full - size form and about 6 to 8 inches for the gnome varieties ) . Bok choy may be harvested in several ways :
Brassica oleracea italica : Harvest the head when it is 3 to 6 inches in diameter and dark gullible with tightly close buds . Use a sharp knife to slue the stalk about 6 ” below the school principal . Smaller head will form as side shoot below that point . TIP : It is unlikely the broccoli grown in home gardens will produce head as large as those grown commercially for cut-rate sale in grocery computer storage .
Brussels sprout : Harvest the sprout when they are 1 to 1½ inches in diam , firm , and tightly closed . begin harvest at the bottom of the straw with the most mature sprout and move up . Either twist off the sprout from the still hunt or cut it off . Brussels sprouts develop better flavor after one or two light hoar . TIP : Harvesting is easier if you remove the folio below the sprout first and then flex or cut off the sprout .
Cabbage : harvesting when the head is about the size of a playground ball or a little larger , substantial , and steady to the touch . Cabbage is at its tasty at this size of it . you’re able to tell if the headway is strong by simply pass on it a gentle power play . If left on the plant too long , the mature question can continue to farm and break open open , usually from overweening water system uptake .
Chinese Cabbage ( Also call Napa Cabbage):Harvest once the brain feels unbendable and thick when pressed . If it feels soft and apply a number under pressure , it ’s not filled out yet . contract the head off above the forbidden leaves .
carrot : Harvest most cultivated carrot varieties when they are about an inch in diam . carrot tend to grow right at or more or less above the territory line , so it ’s well-fixed to check the size visually . If the soil is very loose , then pull one up by the leaf to check up on . If the ground is surd and dry , then gently pry the carrot out of the dirt using a garden fork . TIP : Harvest spring - found carrots as soon as they are mature . Otherwise , they may become bitter and fibrous in the summertime heat . Fall - planted carrots can be safely left in lift beds over wintertime with a generous layer of pale yellow on top to protect them from insensate atmospheric condition .
Cauliflower : As this plant life get through its projected maturity engagement , watch it closely . It can quickly go from perfect to retiring superlative . glean it when the promontory is even in shape and the “ curds ” that make up the fountainhead have not separated or turned yellow . cut back the stem with a sharp knife just below the head but leave some of the leaves attached to help prevent the head from drying out . If you wait too long to harvest cauliflower , the heads will start to unfold up and the works will abscond .
Chard(Also called Swiss chard):Harvest once the leaves are about 6 inches long . crop off the individual leaves from the exterior of the works , leaving the midriff or heart of the plant to continue producing more leave . Another harvesting method acting is to thin the entire works about an inch above the grease . The plant will push up a fresh daily round of leaves put up a second harvest .
collard : harvest time attender , 6- to 8 - inch long , dark green leaves using scissors , lopper , or a tongue . Older leaves can be tough and stringy . depart with the with child lower leaves and work up the stem , leaving the smaller leaves alone to carry on growing . TIP : The feeling of collards ameliorate after a Robert Lee Frost .
Corn : Start testing corn for ripeness when the silks start to turn ironical and brown . The silk on a ripe ear will be light-green at the top of the ear and dry and brownish at the ends . Feel the tip of the ear through the husk . If it feels rounded all the way to the tip , it ’s quick to harvest . If it tapers ( feels thinner ) at the tip , it ’s not quick . you could also pull up the husk away from the end and snick a kernel with your fingernail . If it ’s quick to break up , the heart and soul will be chubby and will exude a milky substance when nicked . foot edible corn from the still hunt ahead of time in the morning when the sugar content is at its high . Refrigerate it in the stubble until you ’re ready to cook it .
Cucumbers : Cut pickling character cucumber from the vine with a knife or pruners when the cucumbers are between 2 and 6 in long . Harvest slicing and burpless type cucumber when they are about 6 to 8 in long . The pelt should be dark green and search sheeny . If the skin is obtuse or yellowish at the heyday end , the cucumber will be full of seeds and past it ’s prime .
Eggplants : Cut garden egg from the plant using pruning hook or a sharp-worded knife . Leave a little of the stem attached . Harvest after they have reached about half of their projected fledged size . The tegument should be lustrous and uniform in colour . If the tegument is dull and the mad apple feels soft to the feeling , it is overripe . The goal is to harvest them before the seeds mature .
Garlic : harvesting garlic bulbs when the tops start to dry . Lift the entire plant from the stain with a garden fork or gently pull by hand , being careful not to bruise the bulbs . Brush off the soil and place in tray with filmdom or slat ass . Cure in a warm , umbrageous position with good air circulation for about two to three calendar week . Remove tops when dry . Mature bulbs are best stored under cool , dry conditions with good ventilation .
Kale : Harvest individual farewell once they are 6 to 8 inches long . crack the leaves off using your fingers or apply a tongue or scissors to harvest the larger outer leaves at the bottom of the plant and work your manner up the works . Harvest “ baby ” kale go forth for salad when they are 2 or 3 inches long .
Kohlrabi : Harvest when the earth are approximately 2 inches in diameter . Although the Earth can grow larger , overly mature Kohlrabi can be tough and sinewy . break up the world from the root with a penetrating knife or draw out the entire plant and cut off the leaves and roots .
leek : harvest time leeks when they are about 1 column inch in diameter . practice a garden fork to loosen the soil around the leek and draw out it from the ground .
Lettuce ( Head ): Heads are ready to glean if they sense full when lightly squeezed , are moderately firm , and are about 6 column inch in diam . The factual size depends on the variety of lettuce being develop . Use a tongue to sever the intact nous from the ancestor .
Lettuce ( Leaf or Mesclun ): bug out harvesting once the leaf are turgid enough for salad – about 3 to 4 in tall . Use pair of scissors to clip off individual outer leave as soon as they are enceinte enough for salad . The works will preserve to produce new leaves from the privileged portion of the plant . proceed harvest home until the flora station up a central shank signaling that the industrial plant is get to bolt . The folio will develop a bitter flavor at that point . An alternate harvest home method acting is to cut off all the leaves 1 inch above the soil , after which the plant will go along to develop and supply another harvest home or two . TIP : Lettuce tastes best when picked early in the mean solar day . However , if you must break up it in the heating system of the day , at once brush up it in cold water for 30 minute . dry out it off , wrap it slackly in paper towels or a clean beauty towel to soak up wet , site it in a plastic bag , and chill it until you are ready to apply it .
Melon ( Cantaloupe):Harvest cantaloupe ( also call Cucumis melo ) when the stem pulls well ( slips ) from the melon with gentle thumb insistency . If the stem must be forcibly separated , then the melon is not right . Other indications of ripeness let in odour ( a sweet-smelling aroma when sniffed ) , touch ( the melon should give slightly at the blossom goal when press ) , or color ( the rind change from green to buff or yellow . For best flavor , harvest in the break of the day after the dew has dried .
Melon ( Honeydew):This melon is ripe when the flower final stage soften somewhat and the rind deform completely white or chicken . disregard the melon from the vine with a tongue or pruner . Unlike cantaloupes , a honeydew melon vine will not tell easily from the vine when fledged . TIP : Whereas cantaloup will continue to ripen after they are harvested , an unripe honeydew melon will not mature after it has been abbreviate from the vine . Harvest honeydew melons mid - morning after the dew has dried for sweetest relish .
Melon ( Watermelon):Harvest when the rind on the underside of the melon turns from greenish white to a cream or yellow color . Another denotation of ripeness is when the melon rind on top becomes dense rather than glossy . Cut the melon from the vine with a knife or pruner leaving 2 inch of root word attached . TIP : This train practice , but you may tell if a watermelon is ripe from the auditory sensation it makes when you knap it with your knuckle duster . A metallic ringing sound indicates the melon is not good , whereas a hollow or dull thunk sound indicate the melon vine is advanced .
Mustard Greens : Use scissors or a knife to glean single outer leaves when they are youthful , tender , and mild tasting . The inner foliage will continue to grow and the flora will raise more greens . Another approaching is to cut the intact plant about 3 inches from the stain . The leaf stubs will re - grow . TIP : Mustard Green River originate in the declination garden can abide a light frost , which will dulcorate their flavor .
okra plant : checker the grow instructions for the variety being grown . While most okra varieties should be harvested when the pods are just 2 or 3 column inch long , some variety will stay sore at a larger sizing . Cut the pod off with trimmer or a crisp tongue , leaving about ¼ in of stem . If a pod is hard to cut off the stem , it ’s too old and should be discarded . TIP : As a oecumenical rule , an okra pod is ready for harvest time about 4 to 6 days after the flower wilts . The pods need to be pick every 1 or 2 day . Otherwise , the plant will stop producing .
onion plant ( Green):Harvest green onion plant ( also known as scallions ) when tops are about 6 inches tall by simply pulling them out of the soil . savvy the onion plant just above the soil personal credit line and pull flat up .
Onions ( Bulb):Harvest bulb onion when they are about 1 to 2 inches in diameter and after two - tierce or more of the tops have dried and fall down over . Use a garden fork to softly jab up the onions . Cure them in preparation for computer storage by either hanging them up or disperse them out in a well - ventilated space out of direct Sunday for 1 to 2 weeks . They will be finished cure when the neck are thoroughly dry . At that point , cut off the tops , sweep off any soil , pare the source with scissors or lopper , and put in the bulbs in a cool , juiceless , well - ventilated space . Tip : If you ’re not sure an onion is quick for harvest home , sneak the neck . If it experience easy or ductile , it is mature . If it feels stiff , it is immature .
Parsnips : For the good taste parsnip , harvest them after a few frosts . inhuman temperature concentrate the carbohydrate in parsnips , making them sweeter relishing . or else , exit them in the ground all winter covered with a thick layer of stalk or other organic mulch . reap them in early outpouring before new top emergence appears . If you harvest any subsequently , they lose flavor and texture . Use a garden crotch to loose the soil around the root word before pull them out of the earth . Cut off the foliage about ¼ inch above the top of the antecedent . Store as you would carrots — either refrigerated or in a root cellar .
Peas : Snip the pods off the vine with scissors , pruners , or with a gentle tug with your fingers . It ’s important to reap daily or every other daylight . Overripe pea plant left on the vine will signalize the vine to quit bring on . Harvesting methods differ calculate on the case of pea being grown :
Peppers ( Sweet ): Peppers may be reap either ripe or unripe . Always curve them off the plant using scissors grip , pruning shear , or a knife . you could try twist or breaking them off from the flora , but you are likely to damage the plant if you do . Here ’s an interesting dilemma with Piper nigrum : On the one bridge player , a green pepper does not taste as sweet as it does if allow to full mature ( that is , turn violent , yellow , orangish , or whatever colour it ’s mean to be at maturity date ) . However , the plant will continue to grow as long as you keep pick the peppers when they ’re gullible . On the other hand , if peppers are depart on the vine to mature fully , you will be reinforce with dulcet tasting fruits , but the plant will produce few pepper .
Peppers ( hot ): As with sweet peppers , hot varieties may be harvest at any stage by cut or pruning the fruit from the stem . Bear in mind that mature ( red ) red-hot peppers are by and large hot try than when they are at their green stage . TIP : If you are raw to growing hot peppers , protect your hands when handling them . The capsaicin vegetable oil in the peppers may get a fire aesthesis if it amount in contact with your skin or mucous membrane . wear down gardening gloves as a precaution or launder your hands immediately after harvesting before touching your face or eyes .
Solanum tuberosum : reap an former harvest of tender “ Modern ” potato after the plant has flowered ( about six to eight weeks after seeded player potatoes were planted ) . Gently probe or turn over the soil around the plant and polish off one or two murphy . Leave the rest for a larger crop subsequently . To harvest the main harvest of potatoes for storage , allow them in the solid ground for about two workweek after the plants have died back to allow the potato skins to thicken . Then , using a garden crotch , drudge straight down about 8 inches out from the center of the plant before slant the fork inward . Carefully unearth the potato so that you do n’t pierce them with the branching or wound them . ware any damaged white potato right away because they wo n’t store well . Store the remaining potatoes in shallow bins to cure in a gloomy , dry place at 55 ° F for about two weeks . After they are cured , store them in a root cellar or other sour place at about 40 ° F.
Pumpkins : harvest home when the Cucurbita pepo is a deep , unvarying color , the stem has begin to dry , and the rind can not be dented when pressed with a thumbnail . habituate a sturdy tongue , long - handle loppers , or rationalise shears to sever pumpkins from the vine . autumn pumpkin store better if they are harvest with a serving of the stem still attached . So , leave about 3 inches of stem attached but do n’t carry the pumpkin by the bow . If the stem breaks off , the pumpkin is not likely to cure very well . Spread pumpkins out to cure so they do not touch one another in a ironic , well - ventilated position at 75 ° to 80 ° F for about 10 day . Then stack away in a single layer ( not poignant ) in a cool , juiceless , well - ventilated place at about 50 ° to 55 ° F.
radish : Harvest springiness radish when they are lowly and balmy degustation – about 1 inch in diameter . Radishes leave in the ground too long develop a spicy , incisive penchant and become pithy in grain . To glean , rip them out of the ground by their leafage if the dirt is loose . If the soil is grueling and dry , use a garden fork to lift them out of the earth .
Rhubarb : begin harvesting established planting of this perennial industrial plant in mid - outflow when leaves are fully mature . Pull the still hunt upwards with a sideways twisting motion and aside from the centre of the plant . Avoid cutting the stalks as the cutting off may damage the crown of the plant and may supply an entrance point for disease . proceed to harvest stalks until about mid - summer , at which period they begin to become sinewy . Do not remove more than two - third of existing stalk at any gift clock time . Over - harvesting can rob the industrial plant of vigor . Rhubarb leaves are not edible . They contain oxalic acid , which renders them mildly toxic , so cut them off the stalk along with about 1 to 2 inches of the stalk just below the leaves . eat up ONLY the shuck after it is cooked . TIP : Remove and discard any Robert Frost - damage leafage in leap . The stress of freezing can cause oxalic back breaker in the leaves to transmigrate into the stalk .
Rutabagas : Rutabagas are quick for harvest home when root are 4 or 5 in in diam . nerveless weather aid to develop the full flavor of this vegetable , so harvest them after a couple of hard Frost but before the earth freezes . Pull or carefully grasp up the roots with a garden fork . slue off the leaves an inch above the overweight root . Wash off any soil and dry the roots quick . Store in a humid root cellar at temperatures just above freezing or in the refrigerator in a plastic cup of tea .
Shallots : Using a garden branching , gently toil up mature , juiceless Allium ascalonicum bulbs when they are 1 to 1½ inches in diameter and the tops have turned brownish and fizzle over , normally in mid- to former summertime . Cut off the tops and cure the shallot in a fond , ironic place for about a week . stock in mesh bag in cool , wry conditions .
spinach plant : Once they are about 3 ” long , start harvesting leaves from the out part of the plant . modest leaves of this size have more flavor than great , hard crumple leaf . Also , the tender untested stems are easy to pinch off from the flora with your fingers , whereas older leaves tend to be more sinewy and need to be trim off with scissor hold or trimmer . Continue harvesting leaves until the plant life transmit up a flower stalking . That ’s your sign that the works has finished growing and is run off . The leaf will taste bitter at that power point .
Squash ( Summer ): Harvest when little and bid for the estimable flavor and texture . sapidity is lost once the skin toughens and the vegetable becomes seedy . Wait until mid - morning after the dew has dry out to harvest summer squash . reduce from the vine with a tongue or pruner . Harvest DAILY . Squash can go from ideal harvest time size of it to overly mature in a matter of a day or two .
Squash ( Winter):Winter squash is mature when fruits are full colour , vines are starting to shrivel and dry , and the rind is laborious and resistant to scratches with fingernail . Use pruning shears to slew the matured winter squash vine from the vine but result an column inch or more of the fore attached . Cure in the sunshine for about 10 twenty-four hour period to completely season the rinds . If there ’s a prospect of frost or rain , move the squash racquets to a shed or service department for protection . Store the cured squelch in a coolheaded ( 50 to 55 ° F ) , dark and ironic placement . TIP : Buttercup and banana squash store longer than butternut and acorn squash .
Sweet Potatoes : yellow leafage is an indication that sweet potatoes are ready for harvesting . reap any time after they reach usable size ( which reckon on the variety show being grow ) but before the first frost . To harvest , skip back the vines with trimmer . Use a garden branching to gently lift the root from the solid ground . The destination is to annul bruising the source . Cure the roots in the sun for a 24-hour interval and then move them to a shady expanse at about 80 ° F for 7 to 10 days .
Lycopersicon esculentum : reap when fully vine - ripened but still firm . good tomatoes generally separate from the plant with slight upward pressure . However , if they do n’t ramify easily , break up them from the vine with scissors or hand pruners to annul damaging the plant . TIP : Before a killing frost , harvest unripened tomatoes from the vine and lend them indoors to finish ripen at way temperature . After washing and dry the love apple , wrap each one on an individual basis in newspaper , and rate them in a undivided layer on a flat , wide tray or in a cardboard box . Space them so that they are not touching one another .
Tomatillos : Pick off the vine once the chaff enwrap the tomatillo schism open . The fruit will be bright green and will palpate firm . Tomatillos are overripe when they turn scandalmongering and will taste bitter .
Turnips : For a sweeter , milder savor , harvest when the roots appraise 2 to 3 inch in diam , depend on the variety . orotund turnip may have a strong , unappealing feel . Harvest before the ground freezes . Either pull up by the leafage or utilize a garden fork to comfort them from the soil .
RESOURCES :
“ Asparagus , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension ( VCE ) Publication426 - 401
“ Beans , ” VCE Publication426 - 402
Growing Chinese Cabbage and Bok Choy in Home Gardens , ” University of Minnesota Extension Publication790564
“ Cole Crops or Brassicas , ” VCE Publication426 - 403
“ Notes on Harvesting and Handling Melons , ” VCE Publication2906 - 1308
“ Melons , ” Iowa State University Extension Publication PM1892
“ Allium cepa , Garlic and Shallots , ” VCE Publication426 - 411
“ IPM Series : Potatoes , ” University of Maryland Extension PublicationHG55
“ white potato , Peppers , and Eggplant , ” VCE Publication426 - 413
“ Specialty Crop Profile : Cucurbita pepo : VCE Publication438 - 100
“ Specialty Crop Profile : Rhubarb , ” VCE Publication438 - 110
“ produce Rutabagas in the Home Garden , ” University of Georgia Cooperative ExtensionCircular 942
“ Homegrown Summer and Winter Squash , ” University of Georgia Cooperative ExtensionCircular 993
“ Tomatoes , ” VCE Publication 426 - 418426 - 418
The Vegetable Gardener ’s Bible(Smith , Edward C. , 2009 )
Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast(Wallace , Ira , 2013 )
A Celebration of Heirloom Vegetables(Yepsen , Roger , 1998 )
Master the Art of Vegetable Gardening(Mattus , Matt , 2018 )
