When to Harvest Vegetables and Fruit
Find how when your veggies and fruit are at peak flavor
How do you know when a vegetable or fruit is ripe and at the peak of flavor? Whether you are harvesting in the garden OR you are picking produce at the market, find out when to pick a pepper—or tomato, cucumber, bean pod, melon, ear of corn, eggplant, pumpkin, and all your common veggies and fruit!
You’ve watered, fed and nurtured your garden. Now…when can you start enjoying the fruit of your labors? 5 Tips for Picking
Remember, bigger is not always better. Many vegetables taste best before they grow too big. For example, zucchini are best picked when they are 6 to 8 inches long. They’re still good later, but they have hit their peak ripeness and their flavor will start to deteriorate.
Not all fruit and vegetables are harvested the same way. For example, pears are picked when they are still hard! Watermelons must be fully developed before being picked. Tomatoes can ripen on or off the vine.
Be very gentle when you pick. For example, take care not to yank the fruit or vegetables. Stems and branches are easily broken. Use two hands to pick; hold the stem in one hand and pick with the other. If the crop is ripe but doesn’t easy pull by hand (such as eggplant), use pruning shears.
Once a crop starts producing, check the garden every day! Picking vegetables as soon as they are ripe often encourages the plant to produce much more! Otherwise, many vegetables will bolt and flower as they “think” they’re done. Pinch or cut back herbs frequently to keep them productive (and to keep them from flowering).
You can always preserve an overly-abundant harvest. For example, green beans can be blanched in boiling water for one minute, cooled in ice water, and frozen. Zucchini and squash can also be frozen or made into zucchini bread!
Have more questions about specific crops? Click on the linked crops below to go straight to the plant page with growing and harvesting tips!
