Knowing when and how to harvest vegetables is as crucial as knowing how to cultivate them. Some require multiple harvests, while others must be picked at just the right stage. Harvesting at the wrong time may result in your veggies not ripening properly if too young, or tough and bitter when too old. As days-to-maturity numbers vary from year to year with regard to factors like rainfall, temperature and nutrition conditions; instead use each vegetable’s traits as indicators as a way of knowing when is an ideal time for you harvest: here are a few clues as to when best time can be harvested:
Lima beans should be picked when their pods are full but before their leaves start turning yellow. Immature beans tend to be tenderer and meatier when mature. Similar results apply when harvesting snap beans: when half their full-sized seeds or larger are present in their pods, their texture becomes fibrous and starchy for greater fiberous starchy harvesting.
Cantaloupe can be harvested when its stem easily detaches from its vine, its “netting” turns light tan color, and its blossom end (opposite the stem) feels soft when you press gently with your thumb and has a sweet aroma.
Feel the tips of sweet corn ears to determine when they’re ready for harvest, when they feel full through their husk and show signs of dry silks. Peel back the top of an ear by opening up its top section, opening up all its husks, and kernels should have begun to fill out as you press one with your fingernail – pressed kernels should produce milky sap when pressed against. Use immediately upon harvest for optimal sweetness!
Cucumbers vary greatly in size when mature, typically being about one and one-half to two and a half inches across, and five to eight inches long. They should be harvested when spines are still soft and seeds have not become half sized for optimal harvesting results.
Eggplant maturity and size depend upon its variety. As a general guideline, harvest when near full size with bright and shiny surfaces; when dull colors emerge and seeds turn brown they have passed their prime and should be harvested immediately.
If your onions were harvested too late for eating when small, harvest when their bulbs reach one to one and one-half inches across for boiling and pickling purposes. Otherwise harvest once their tops fall over and their necks start shriveling for storage and general cooking purposes.
Harvest hot peppers as needed; young, green ones tend to be hotter than mature and colored varieties. Once harvest season ends, pull up the entire plant and dry peppers in a warm, well-ventilated space. Meanwhile, sweet peppers should be harvested when fruit are full and firm, leaving some on their plants until fully mature (some varieties stay green while others turn colors) with little difference in taste either way; although eventually colored peppers may turn up on store shelves!
New potatoes should be harvested within two weeks after blooming; main crop potatoes can be harvested when their tops have died down later in the season and when soil moisture levels have subsided (preferably when soil dryness can be ensured by using a garden fork instead of spade to loosen soil). Dig carefully when harvesting to avoid any bruised tubers; dig using a garden fork, not spade, to loosen soil). Allow to cure for two weeks at 45 to 60 degrees F with dark conditions for optimal curing ( ideally within two weeks ). Sweet potatoes must be harvested during early fall before frosts and freezes have taken hold before curing dry warmth of 80 to 85 degrees F is applied before curing can take place for one week instead compared with their counterparts!
Summer squash should be harvested when young and tender enough that a fingernail easily nicks the surface, while winter squash should be picked when mature fruit has hardened into hard shells that cannot be scratched with a fingernail. Harvest winter squash before the first frost hits with a sharp knife leaving an inch or two of stem attached – without this extra support, fruit may start decaying from scar tissue forming on its scar. Dry for 10-20 days in a warm environment (75-85 degrees F). Harvest and treat pumpkins similarly.
Harvesting tomatoes depends on their variety, but in general it should occur when their surface color has become uniformly red (or colored in the case of yellow varieties) while their ends remain firm and not soft. Ripe fruit should sink when placed in water. If late season frosts are predicted, harvest green tomatoes as they will still ripen easily under darkness without light delay ripening; store at 55 to 70 degrees F until ready to store for three to five weeks this way.
Regular inspection is key to the most fruitful harvest season possible for vegetables of all varieties. Cool season crops such as lettuce, carrots, and cabbage should be planted out during late summer for harvest during fall – additional tips on growing these and other northern vegetables can be found through Cornell Cooperative Extension articles (gardening.cals.cornell.edu).
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