When Is Harvest Season for Your Garden’s Fruits and Veggies?

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2015-06-09

When Is Harvest Season for Your Garden’s Fruits and Veggies?

As vegetables and fruits start ripening in your garden, you may be wondering, "When is harvest season?" The perfect month or week to harvest can vary by region and growing conditions, but you can always rely on your produce to let you know when it's ready to be picked. Keep an eye out for these signs in your veggie garden for the best time to harvest 9 popular crops including cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and garlic.

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Tomatoes

Why do garden-fresh tomatoes taste so good? Their sweet tang comes from fully ripening in the sun. Pick ripe, juicy tomatoes from the plant to your plate every time.

When to Harvest Tomatoes: Exact timing of tomato season varies depending on the type of tomato, but most are in bumper-crop mode from mid-July through September.

How You Know It's Ripe: The tomato uniformly reaches its mature color (whether it's red, orange, or yellow) and pulls easily from the stem.

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Sweet Corn

Corn on the cob is a delicacy for every backyard barbecue and family get-together. And it doesn't get any tastier than the freshly-picked sweet corn from your garden, especially because the sugars in corn kernels start turning into starch after harvest.

When to Harvest Corn: Successive spring sowings of corn will be ready to pick from mid-July to September.

How You Know It's Ripe: The silks turn brown but not dry. Kernels are formed and full all the way to the top. Dimpled kernels are past peak.

Sugar-enhanced (SE) hybrids, such as Peaches & Cream and Kandy Korn, retain their sweetness longer than older types, which start mellowing the moment they're picked. Store SE types (in their husks) in the refrigerator for up to a week, or blanch and freeze for up to a year.

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Cucumbers

You can pick cool, crunchy cukes at any stage, from gherkin-size to full-size. However, It's best to err on the immature side, as cucumbers can turn from just right to overripe overnight.

When to Harvest Cucumbers: Cucumbers come on strong in midsummer heat. With regular picking, vines will continue to produce through early fall.

How You Know It's Ripe: The spiny, bumpy skin of a small cucumber smooths out. However, small cukes are crisper and less seedy, great for eating and pickling. Most varieties are about 2 inches in diameter and 5-8 inches long at their peak.

In a pickle over how to use these veggies? If you're not in the mood for a salad, try canning your cucumbers to create homemade, juicy pickles. Or use fresh, crisp cucumber for your next spa day.

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Garlic

Spice up your food with garlic from your garden. This deliciously pungent bulb is worth the nine-month wait between planting and harvesting.

When to Harvest Garlic: Unlike its spring-planted onion cousins, garlic is usually planted in fall and harvested in late July or after the following summer.

How You Know It's Ripe: The cloves are full and firm. Once the tops of plants start to turn brown, dig up one bulb to check. If cloves are plump, not shriveled, they're ready to harvest.

Cure bulbs (with leaves attached) for two to four weeks in a warm, shady spot, then cut off the tops. Store bulbs for up to six months in a cool place.

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Hot Peppers

Some like 'em hot. Others opt for incendiary. Spice up your plate with some hot peppers that are sure to have you sniffling. Spiciness varies by type and degree of ripeness.

When to Harvest Hot Peppers: All peppers produce from midsummer until frost.

How You Know It's Ripe: You'll know flavor and heat are at their peak when fruit reaches full size and begins to color up. However, most peppers are delicious at any size.

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Onions

Homegrown onions are tops for creating many delicious dishes. And it's easy to reap a year's worth of this kitchen staple from just a few rows.

When to Harvest Onions: Early summer to fall, depending on the type.

How You Know It's Ripe: The green onion tops flop over in midsummer, signaling that onions have reached full size. For young scallions, harvest when shoots reach 10-12 inches.

Cure storage onions in a shady area or garage for a few weeks. Once skins are dry, cut off tops and store in a cool place indoors.

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Potatoes

Make some extra-cheesy potatoes au gratin or garlic mashed potatoes from your very own garden. Dig up spuds of any size, from small new potatoes to full-size keepers.

When is Harvest Season: Potato hills can supply your meals with a fresh daily starch from July through October.

How You Know It's Ripe: For mature storage potatoes, harvest when plant tops die back. For new potatoes, begin harvesting two weeks after plants bloom.

Potatoes keep longer in storage if left in the ground until skins toughen up. Don't water after the tops die back. Cure mature potatoes in a cool, dark, humid place (such as a basement) for two weeks. The ideal winter storage is darkness and a temperature of 40-45°F, so your garage or basement might provide perfect conditions.

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Pumpkins

Figuring out when to harvest pumpkins is especially important if you're planning to use them for something time-sensitive such as Halloween decor. And picking pumpkins at peak ripeness will give you the sweetest results if you plan to eat them.

When to Harvest Pumpkins: late August into fall is when most pumpkin varieties ripen.

How You Know It's Ripe: Pick pumpkins when they have fully colored up, their rinds look dull rather than shiny, and the vines have started to die back. The rind should also be tough enough that your fingernail won't make a mark.

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Watermelon

Serve juicy watermelon at any summer get-together. This summer favorite is worth the three-month wait for a tasty treat. You might've heard thumping is the traditional test for ripeness, but it's not the best test for when to harvest watermelon.

When is Harvest Season: Most melon varieties mature in late summer and early fall.

How You Know It's Ripe: The green, curly tendrils near the stem start to dry out and turn brown. You can also carefully lift them and check the spot on the bottom that's usually resting on the ground; when the melon is ripe, it'll change color from pale green or white to yellow.

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