When to Harvest Vegetables 🍅🌽

Pick at the Peak of Flavor! [View web version]( [FOCUS]( [Duluth-Logo]( [When to Harvest Vegetables: Pick at the Peak of Flavor!]( Guidelines for Harvesting Vegetables and Fruit How do you know when your garden vegetables are ready to be picked? Fortunately, there are clues to tell us when they are at the peak of perfection! See our harvesting guidelines for how and when to harvest potatoes, onions, garlic, and common crops. [Duluth-300x250]( [Harvesting on the family farm] Harvesting on the family farm. Photo Credit Stockmedia Getting Ready to Harvest Got tools? While some crops can be pinched or snapped with your fingers, any vegetable that requires pulling or tearing is better off being cut off with a tool. Broken stems lead to disease. Here are the three most common tools for the backyard gardener: - Scissors or light garden shears are ideal for snipping vegetables such as beans as well as herbs. - Hand pruners are best for tough stems (such as on cucumbers and eggplants). - A garden fork is the best tool for harvesting potatoes and root crops. Dress right because harvesting can get intensive: - Wear a sun hat—ideally, one that has a longer back to keep your neck from getting sunburned—as well as sunglasses and sunscreen. - Put on a durable pair of gloves because some vegetables are prickly. - Long pants are worthwhile because you’ll be doing a lot of bending and kneeling. Look for tough but lightweight overalls or pants with lots of pockets! [Farmer] Credit: [Duluth Trading Company]( VEGETABLE HARVEST GUIDE Beans Harvest beans when they are as thick as a pencil. If the pod is bulging, it’s overripe and will be tough; if it’s too slender, it won’t be flavorful. Snip or break the pod off the stem above the cap; do not yank, or you’ll break the stems. Use two hands to pick, holding the bean stem in one hand and picking with the other. Once beans get going, pick every other day. Beets Look for small to medium-size roots (1-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter). Beets can be harvested at any time, but the larger ones will often be tougher and woody. Beets should have smooth, firm flesh; show a rich color; and have healthy green leaves (not wilted). Broccoli Harvest when the main head is 3 to 6 inches in diameter and the flower buds are compact and tightly closed. Harvest broccoli in the morning. Using a sharp knife, cut 6 to 7 inches below the head. If the underside of the top turns yellow, the broccoli is overripe and will taste tough and woody. Cut the plant about halfway down the stalk to encourage side shoots. Brussels Sprouts Harvest sprouts (buds) when they reach at least 1 inch in diameter, harvesting from the bottom of the stalk first. Remove the leaf below the sprout, then cut (or twist) off the sprout from the stem. Note that a light fall frost or two improves brussels sprouts’ flavor. Do not strip the leaves, as they are needed for growth. Cabbages Look for a firm head that’s the size of a softball or slightly bigger; if cabbage heads get too big, they’ll split. Avoid a cracked head, pale color, or wilted leaves. Once cut, keep cabbage out of direct sunlight. Carrots Round carrots are best when they are 1-1/2 inches in diameter; pick them at this stage for sweetest flavor. Baby carrots can be picked when they are 1/2 inch thick. Look for a bright and rich color, firm body, and smooth skin. The leaves should be crisp and green. Corn Corn is a tough one to gauge without looking inside the husk. Look for a tightly attached husk that is still green and silks that have begun to turn dry and brown. Then, select one ear, peel it back to expose the cob, and stab a kernel with your fingernail. The kernels should be plump, and a light milky liquid should ooze out; if it contains water, looks too creamy, or is dry, it’s not good. Pick corn in early morning when its sugar content is at its highest; cool the ears right away on ice and then refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook. Cucumbers Once cucumber plants get started, harvest frequently. Bigger is NOT better with cukes. If they start to turn yellow, their seeds harden and they’ll taste bitter. Small cukes are the sweetest and have the softest seeds. Pickling cucumbers should be between 2 and 6 inches and other cucumbers between 6 and 10 inches. Look for richly dark, glossy green skin, a firm and heavy body, and no yellowing at the blossom end. Harvest the fruit by cutting stems with a sharp knife or pruners; never pull or tear. Eggplants Don’t ever pull eggplants by hand; use pruners or a sharp knife to harvest them, and leave a stem stub. Harvest eggplants when they’re 4 to 6 inches in diameter and the fruit’s skin is glossy, smooth, shiny, and unwrinkled. They should have a rich color, and their body should be heavy and firm. If you press the flesh with your fingernail, it should leave an indentation. If you cut the eggplant open, it will have a sprinkling of white, immature seeds. Fruit with no visible seeds are immature, and fruit with hard, dark seeds are overripe. Garlic Harvest garlic when the leaves begin to turn yellow in early summer. The wrapper, or “paper,” should be unbroken, tight, and dry (but not disintegrate). The bulb should be firm and plumb, not shriveled or spongy. Avoid sprouts. Use a gardening fork to gently lift the entire plant from the soil to harvest. Brush off the soil (do not wash) and place the garlic bulbs on a screen or hang them in bundles so there is plenty of air movement. Leave to dry (cure) for 2 to 3 weeks until the outer skin is papery. [Farmer] Credit: [Duluth Trading Company]( Kale Harvest kale leaves when they are the size of your hand or a little bit bigger (6 to 8 inches long). As with spinach, younger leaves will be more tender. Cut with a knife or scissors, starting with the outer leaves at the bottom of the plant and working your way up; be sure to leave seven or eight leaf crowns to regrow after harvest. Lettuces Head lettuce should be harvested when the head is about 6 inches in diameter; is firm and compact; and yields slightly when squeezed; leaves should have started to overlap. Use a knife to cut the stem near the soil line, severing the entire head from the roots. Do not wait too long. Lettuce will taste bitter if it has bolted and sent up a flower stem. Leaf lettuce or mesclun should be harvested in the morning, once the leaves are 4 inches tall. Use scissors to snip off the outer leaves first, so that the plant will keep producing new leaves. Once it’s too hot, the plant will start to bolt, sending up its flower stem; after this, the leaves will taste bitter. Onions Harvest bulb onions when they are about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Most of the tops should have turned brown and fallen over. Use a garden fork to gently dig up the bulbs. Leave the bulbs in a shady place with good air circulation for a few days until their necks are completely dry. Then cut off the tops; trim the roots, using scissors; and store in a cool, dry place. Peppers Always harvest peppers by cutting them with pruning shears, scissors, or a knife; do not twist or break them off by hand. The size isn’t as important as the color. Sweet peppers can be eaten unripe (green color) or ripe (yellow, red, or orange); the taste gets sweeter as they color up. But also remember: The more you pick, the more they produce; if you pick some green, your plant will produce more peppers. Potatoes If you wish, you can harvest some of your potatoes early for “new” potatoes, which are small and tender. Harvest after the potato plant flowers, about 6 to 8 weeks after planting. For the main potato crop: When the foliage has died down, wait 1 to 2 weeks so that the potato skins can thicken. Then use a garden fork to dig about 8 inches around the plant, to avoid accidentally pricking or damaging the potato. Potatoes should have a firm body and be heavy for their size, without any black or soft spots, sprouts, wrinkles, or greenish tinge. Pumpkins Harvest pumpkins when their skin is so hard that it can’t be pierced with a fingernail, and the fruit are an even, deep color. Pumpkins will NOT continue to ripen off the vine. The rind should be firm and glossy. Using a knife, pruners, or loppers, cut the stem, leaving 2 inches to increase storage time and deter rotting. Never lift a pumpkin by its stem. Do NOT expose to frost. Keep in mind that pumpkins need to cure in the sunshine (or in a warm, dry room) for 10 days. Then store in a cool, dry place at around 50°F. See more about storage in our pumpkin growing guide. Radishes Pick radishes when they are just 1 inch in diameter, or they will turn “hot” and woody. Look for a firm, smooth, well-shaped body. The color should be bright. The leaves should be healthy and green. Use a garden fork to gently lift them out of the ground. Spinach Harvest spinach once the leaves are at least 4 inches long; small leaves are more flavorful than oversize leaves. Start from the outside, pinching off the stems with your fingers; large leaves need to be cut with scissors. Always leave at least four or five leaves on the plant so that it can regrow handily. It will keep growing for another cutting, but you must harvest before the spinach bolts (sends up a flower stem). Spinach that was left too long in the ground will have oversize leaves and taste bitter. Squashes (Summer) Smaller is better when it comes to zucchini and other summer squashes! With a pruner or knife, harvest when 6 to 8 inches long when they’re the most tender and flavorful. Once summer squash starts producing, pick DAILY and go in the morning just after the dew dries. Squashes (Winter) Butternut squash, acorn squash, and other winter squash is ready to harvest when the skin hardens. Press your fingernail through the flesh. If you have to work at it, the squash is ripe; if it’s very easy to pierce, the squash is immature. The skin should be full (non-glossy), firm, and rich in color without blemishes, cracks, or soft spots. The stem should be dry and firm. As with pumpkins, use pruners or a knife to cut the squash from the vine, leaving an inch or two of the stem. Cure for 10 days and store in a dry, cool, dark location. Tomatoes In the case of tomatoes, leave the fruit on the vine as long as possible (and it still remains firm) for the most taste and complex flavor. To harvest a truly ripe tomato, you can use your hand; if you simply press the fruit up, it should fall off the vine. However, if this doesn’t happen, use pruners or scissors to cut the fruit off; do not pull the vine. If frost is predicted, you can pick tomatoes that have turned at least a little green to ripen indoors (although many folks like green tomatoes!). Never refrigerate tomatoes, as temperatures below 55°F cause the flavor compounds to break down. We hope these harvesting tips are helpful! You can find a more complete guide on [almanac.com](. Are you on social? Enjoy more Almanac wit & wisdom! [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [Pinterest]( [Visit Almanac.com]( [Shop Our Store]( You received this email because you signed for updates from The Old Farmer's Almanac. If you do not wish to receive our regular e-mail newsletter in the future, please [click here to manage preferences](. *Please do not reply to this e-mail* © 2023 Yankee Publishing Inc. 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