Harvest to Table

Sweet peppers can be picked when immature or full size, green or red. Hot peppers can be picked at any time for fresh use; hot peppers for drying or pickling should be picked when fully ripe. Pick all peppers before the first light frost. Most peppers will eventually turn red if left on the vine; [...]

Standard-sized tomatoes take 20 to 30 days from blossom set to reach full size–commonly called “mature green”; they take another 20 to 30 days to ripen, that is begin to change color. A tomato can be picked when it begins to change color–from green to red, pink, yellow, or orange depending upon the cultivar. The [...]

Fall harvest crops are planted in mid- to late-summer.  These cool-season crops get a quick start from seed or seedling in warm summer soil and come to maturity in the cool days of autumn. Leafy cool-weather crops such as lettuce will need protection if an early fall frost comes. Many fall harvest crops, however, can be left in [...]

Most home garden vegetable crops should be harvested and used as soon as they are just large enough. A common home garden mistake is waiting too long to pick and eat vegetables. Don’t wait until your vegetables look like the ones you would buy in the market. Market growers let crops reach a certain size [...]

Timing is everything when it comes to the home vegetable garden harvest. Once vegetables are picked they immediately begin to lose flavor, tenderness, and nutritional value. Harvest your crops as close to the time you plan to serve them, within an hour or less of serving time is best. How do you know when it [...]

Your bean harvest time will depend on what you plan to do with the beans after picking. Snap beans or green beans harvest: Green beans are ready for harvest when they are about the size of pencil. The seeds inside will be just visible–they’ll look like small bumps. Depending on the variety you have planted, [...]