Feature Happy Harvesting
General Guidelines to Determine When Veggies and Fruit Are Ripe
Understanding the ripeness of vegetables and fruits involves a few general rules. You can start harvesting leafy greens, like chard and spinach, when they reach a certain size by picking outer leaves while letting the inner ones develop further. Yet, variations exist among different plant types and environments, so maintaining records specific to your crops is crucial. Assessing maturity and harvesting fruit-bearing plants pose particular challenges.
Why harvest in the morning? This isn’ t folk wisdom! The optimal harvesting time for most vegetables is early in the morning. Vegetables absorb moisture overnight, replenishing what was lost during the day, and the starches developed convert to sugars in the evening.
When harvested in the morning, this process produces fresher, more succulent and sweeter produce. If morning harvesting isn ' t feasible, it is advisable to store the produce away from direct sunlight and cool it promptly to preserve its quality. The peak quality of vegetables is attained at harvest and diminishes quickly after that.
Vegetable Harvesting Guidelines
Don’ t pick too soon and don’ t pick too late. Picking at the peak of perfection must be the goal for all gardeners. Here are some key pointers to guide you through the harvesting process for various vegetables:
Asparagus: Snap off spears at ground level when they reach 5-8 inches in length.
Green Beans: They should be checked daily. Harvest when beans inside the pod are a quarter of their normal size. The pods should be crisp and firm.
Broccoli: Pick when heads display a vibrant green color with closely packed florets. For the first harvest, cut the central stalk at a slant of five inches below the base of the head. This technique prevents rot.
Beets: Begin harvesting when roots are around an inch in diameter, with the majority ready at 2-3 inches.
24 AcreageLife September 2024 AcreageLife. com