Knowing when to harvest vegetables is just as important as knowing how to originate them . Some have a long time over which you could glean ; others must be harvested at just the proper stage of ripen . Harvest at the unseasonable time , and your vegetables may not mature properly if you are too young or be tough and caustic if you are too erstwhile . You ca n’t really go by the calendar , or days to due date , as this can vary from yr to class with such conditions as rain , temperature , and nourishment . The best style to tell when to glean is by the trait of each vegetable . Here are some specific clues .
Lima beans are well harvested when the pod are full , but before they start turning yellow . They are more fond when immature , and meatier when mature . The same applies to snap bean . When the semen are half of full size or orotund , the pods will be more fibrous and starchy .
Three traits bespeak that cantaloupe is ready for harvest : the stem slip easily from the vine , the “ netting ” on the surface turns weak tan , and the flower end ( opposite the radical ) is soft ( labour mildly with your ovolo ) , and smell sweet .
sense the tips of sweet corn whisky ears . When they sense full through the husk , they are quick for harvest time . You ’ll see dry silk . start the top of the ear , peeling back the stalk , and kernels should be meet out . fight a essence with your fingernail , and it should have a milky sap . Use as soon as possible after harvest for maximum sweetness .
The duration of cucumbers , when mature , will motley with variety , but generally , they are one and one - one-half to two - and - a - half inches across and five to eight inches long . They are best reap slightly immature when spines are soft and before the seeds become half - sized .
Eggplant maturity and sizing variegate with multifariousness too . In general , harvest when closely full size of it and bright and glossy . When they turn a irksome color , and seeds twist brown , they are overripe .
If you did n’t harvestonionsfor corrode while they were still small , harvest when bulbs are one to one and a one-half inch across for boiling and pickling . glean them even larger when tops flow over and the base of leaves ( “ neck ” ) shrivel for storing and ecumenical cookery .
Harvest spicy peppers as you call for them , the young and light-green ones being hotter in many case than the fledged and coloured ones . Late in the time of year , you may pull the whole plant , and dry capsicum pepper plant in a tender , well - ventilate space . On the other bridge player , harvest gratifying peppers when the fruit are full and firm . you could leave them on the plant if you require them to turn colors if this is the case for a fussy choice ( some remain green , others become colors when amply matured ) . Even if a pepper will finally turn colour , it can still be eat while green with little difference of opinion in flavor , if any .
For raw potato , harvest only a couple weeks after they bloom . For a main crop , harvest home tubers when the tops have died down later in the season . Harvest when the soil is dry if possible , and dig cautiously to forefend bruising ( use a garden fork , not spade , to relax the soil ) . Cure spud for about two week in a coolheaded ( 45 to 60 stage F ) , dark , and well - ventilated country . For honeyed potatoes , harvest time in fall before frosts and freezes . Handle them cautiously to avoid bruise but , unlike regular white potato , heal them ironical and warm ( 80 to 85 degrees F ) for one workweek .
Summer squash should be harvested when vernal , raw , and a fingernail well nicks the control surface . Winter squash should be harvested when mature fruit is hard and ca n’t be scratched with a fingernail . Harvest wintertime squash before the first strong frost , with a sharp knife , and leaving and inch or so of radical attached . Without a stem , fruit will begin decay from the mark . Dry winter squelch for 10 days to two weeks in a dry , lovesome area ( 75 to 85 degrees F ) . harvest home and deal pumpkin alike to winter squash .
The right meter to reap tomato diverge with mixed bag , but in universal is when a fruit is uniformly cherry-red ( or colourize in the case of yellow or other assortment ) , and the end is still unwavering and not soft . Ripe fruit should sink when placed in pee . If belated in the time of year and frosts are predicted , you’re able to harvest dark-green love apple . They will mature fine in coloured , and in fact light can delay ripening . Keep them warm ( 55 to 70 academic degree F ) until right , and you should be able to store them this way for three to five week .
For all your vegetables , the regular inspection every few days is the key to the best and foresightful crop season . There are several nerveless season crop such as sugar , carrots , and lolly that can be implant out in late summertime for fall harvest . Moretips on spring up these and other vegetablecrops in the North , as well as their storage , can be found in clause from Cornell Cooperative Extension ( gardening.cals.cornell.edu ) .
HARVESTING SUMMER vegetable
Dr. Leonard Perry , Horticulture Professor EmeritusUniversity of Vermont
