 | The harvest can be more complicated than you think. How do you harvest each of the vegetables? Is there a clear-cut way to harvest all the vegetables? Some harvests are all at one time while others can be throughout the whole season. Here are some tips for the harvest for some common garden vegetables.
Tomatoes
There are so many different types of tomatoes, giving an actual time frame can be hard. But most varieties will mature in about two months from setting out the plant in the garden. Pick the fruit when they are fully colored. The common tomatoes are red in color. But there are green, yellow, pink and even purple colored tomatoes. Some tomatoes get big. Others are smaller like the cherry and plum tomatoes. If you bought the tomatoes at a home and garden store, it is likely they came with a tag or plant market that had a picture of what the tomato will look like mature. When you pick the tomato, you can use cutting shears or pruners to snip off the tomato at the stem. Or you can gently tug at the tomato and if it is ready, ripe and mature, it will easily come off the vine. If it does not come off, let it ripen a few more days.
Peppers
Like tomatoes, the numerous types of peppers make it difficult to pinpoint one way to harvest them. But there are two main types of peppers that help determine how and when to harvest peppers.
Sweet Peppers (commonly called Bell Peppers but they aren’t all really bell peppers) require a medium growing season. They typically take anywhere from two to three months growing time. Most sweet peppers start out green and mature to a red or other colors such as orange, yellow and even colors like white and brown.
Hot Peppers require a longer growing season than sweet peppers usually up to a month longer. These are much the same as sweet peppers in coloration. There is much variation in the pepper family.
When peppers reach the maturity stage preferred, determined by type and personal preference, they can be snipped off the plant one to two inches above the fruit. Using pruners avoids damage to the rest of the plant.
Lettuce
Lettuce can be grown all year long if proper conditions and techniques are used. It can be harvested often in this case. There are many ways you can harvest lettuce depending on the type of lettuce it is. There are three main lettuces.
Head lettuce is the typical picture people get when they think of lettuce. It forms a tight cluster of leaves that forms a head. When the head lettuce is harvested, the whole head is usually harvested. Cut the lettuce as close to the root as you can.
Loose Leaf lettuce is a loose type lettuce with no formed head. It is typically called cut-and-come-again lettuce. Each individual leaf can be harvested. When you harvest the leaves, cut the leaves on the outside first. This ensures the inner leaves will continue to produce.
Romaine lettuce is in between a head and loose leaf lettuce. Romaine lettuce is usually put in a class all its own. It forms a tight leave cluster that is normally cut all at once. Just cut at the base as you would a head lettuce.
Peas and Beans
Peas are cool weather crops whereas beans are warmer weather crops. But peas and beans are grouped into the same section because they are similar in harvesting technique. Once the pods have grown, then you should start harvesting right away. The more you harvest, the more the plants will produce.
There are two main types of peas. Pod peas are peas that you will shell once you pick the pods. The pods become plump, full of mature peas. Pick the pod and open it up to get the peas. The snap and snow peas have edible pods that can be picked before the pod plumps up and the pod can be eaten.
There are also two main types of beans, pole beans and bush beans. Both are harvested the same way. Pick the beans once they plump up but haven’t split open.
Some beans can be left on the vines to dry for dry beans. These could include beans such as Lima beans and Great Northern beans. Leave the bean pods on the vine until they are completely dry. Then you can shell them to get the dried beans.
Cucumbers, Squash and Zucchini
Cucumbers are a vining plant that can produce a lot of fruit. Picking more fruit, means the plant will continue to produce. There are two main types of cucumbers, the vining cucumbers and the bushing type. Both are harvested the same way.
Once the fruit grows to the desired size, gently twist the fruit off the vine. You want to be careful not to tear or damage the rest of the plant. You may want to use pruners, kitchen shears or sharp scissors to cut off the cucumber from the vine. Make sure to cut about an inch of the stem if you can.
Squash and zucchini are in the same family as cucumbers so they are similar in harvesting. Picking them at a younger stage is better for taste and production. The more you pick, the more flowers will grow and thus, more fruit.
Other Harvesting Tips
Make sure when you harvest, you don’t tear or damage the rest of the plant. Using pruners or sharp scissors is best for reducing damage. Make sure after each harvesting period, you clean the tools you use to reduce instances of disease.
The harvest isn’t just one time. It can happen all year round with some plants. Read up on the plants you are growing in the garden to find out what the maturity date is. The maturity date will help you know when the approximate harvest time will be.
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