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Tomatoes are at their highest quality when allowed to ripen on the vine.
Tomatoes are at their highest quality when allowed to ripen on the vine.
Tomatoes are at their highest quality when allowed to ripen on the vine.
Tomatoes are at their highest quality when allowed to ripen on the vine.
We’ve made it through spring, and we’re into summer.
Whether you started your first garden this year or you’re a veteran gardener, we’re coming up on the heart of harvest season.
One of the advantages of growing your own vegetables is that you can harvest your produce at its peak quality. Knowing when exactly you should harvest something can be difficult to determine, especially if it’s your first time growing the crop.
When it comes time to harvest your vegetables, make sure your plants are dry. If you harvest while plants are wet, you run the risk of spreading diseases. It’s also important to handle your plants with care. Try to damage your plants as little as possible. Damaged areas can provide openings for diseases to enter. If the vegetables you are trying to harvest don’t easily come off, cut them off with a knife or pruners to avoid damaging the plant.
Snap beans (green beans) should be picked when the pods are fully grown, but before the seeds have started to get large. The beans should be crisp and snap easily. When picking, break off the stem above the cap and harvest frequently.
Cucumbers should be harvested before their skin begins to turn yellow, and seeds become hard. The size of the cucumber will vary depending on the type; pickling are usually picked between 2 and 6 inches long, slicing 6-8 inches long, and burpless 1-1½ inches in diameter and up to 10 inches long. Cucumbers develop quickly, so plants may need to be checked every other day.
Peppers can be harvested at any size. Green bell peppers are typically picked when they are mature (3-4 inches long, firm, and green). If you are growing colored types of bell peppers, wait until the fruits change color. One way to tell if the fruit is mature is that they will easily break off of plants when picked. Hot peppers can also be picked at any stage but are typically picked when fully ripe. The mature color of the fruit will vary on the variety.
Summer squash, such as straightneck, crookneck, and zucchini, should be harvested when small and tender. Pick when fruit are 2 inches or less in diameter and 6-8 inches long. When growing conditions are favorable, you may need to harvest every other day or daily.
Winter squash, such as acorn, butternut, and pumpkins, can be harvested when the fruits have turned a deep, solid color, no longer have a glossy appearance, and the rind is hard. When harvesting try to leave at least 2 inches of stem attached. Complete harvest before heavy frosts arrive.
Tomatoes are at their highest quality when allowed to ripen on the vine. Tomatoes should be firm and fully colored. During hot conditions (90 degrees), tomatoes will quickly soften, and color development is reduced.
During these conditions, pick tomatoes when they begin to develop color and ripen indoors. Before the first frost of the fall, you can harvest mature green fruit and ripen indoors.
Almost all vegetables are best when harvested early in the morning. If you can’t harvest in the morning, keep produce out of direct sunlight and cool as soon as possible.
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July 18, 2020 at 04:07PM
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Garden vegetable harvesting time nears - Jacksonville Journal-Courier
"vegetable" - Google News
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