Know When To Harvest

Know When To Harvest

PICK VEGGIES TOO EARLY OR LATE and you miss out on peak homegrown flavor. Here’s when to harvest some favorite crops. Corn: Tassels start to dry and a milky liquid flows from kernels popped with a fingernail. Eggplant: Shiny skinned immature fruit is best; dull-skinned is past its prime. Zucchini: Pick before they are 6 inches long; oversize fruit are flavorless. Green beans: Pick as pods start to swell and still snap when broken in half. Watermelons: Tendrils where melons attach to vines wither and the underside turns pale yellow. Cantaloupes: Skin changes from grey-green to buff and stems “slip” or separate from fruit. Peppers: Mature color varies by variety; check seed packets or references. Remember that in general the more you pick the more you get.

Garden Planner: By Mary James