The official arrival of summer was earlier this week and before we know it, our well-tended home gardens will be providing a bounty of summertime vegetables. One of the most significant phases of vegetable gardening involves knowing when to harvest the produce. You can have the perfect garden, well-fertilized and irrigated, completely weed-free. But if the crop is picked too soon or too late, it is likely to be off-taste and potentially tough.

Always harvest in the morning, after leaves have dried down from any remaining dew. This is when vegetables have the highest moisture content. As you pick, keep vegetables cool and in the shade. Don’t harvest in the heat of the afternoon.

For specific crops

Bell Pepper: Harvest when the fruits are firm and full-sized. I’ve never had success allowing green peppers turn to red, so am limited to green peppers in my experience.

Cucumber: Harvest size depends on product use. Pickles: Sweets are less than 2 inches long; dills are 3 to 4 inches long. Fresh slicing cukes are 6 to 8 inches long and bright dark green. Shelf life will be improved if you leave a short piece of stem on each fruit. Harvest daily.

Onion bulbs: A good onion should be close to two inches in diameter before digging. When about half the tops of your bulbing onions have fallen over, they are ready to dig.

Potatoes: Spuds with green vines are still growing. Wait until the vines turn yellow and die back before harvesting. Don’t remove spuds from the ground in wet weather. Wait for a dry spell. Potatoes are patient.

Snap Bean: Green beans should be filled out, but not near the point the pod starts to split. Pick just before the pods are full sized and when seeds are tender and about one-quarter developed. In my experience, this stage usually begins 12 to 20 days after first bloom.

Summer Squash: Pick when fruits are young and tender. A fingernail should easily penetrate the skin. Zucchini squash are best harvested when 4 to 6 inches long.

Tomato: For peak quality, taste, and shelf-life, pick homegrown tomatoes 4 to 5 days after fruits are fully colored. For taste alone, tomatoes can be left on the vine until fully ripened. Tomatoes lose their firmness if they are overripe.

Read or Share this story: