How Will You Know If a Fruit or Vegetable Is Ready for Harvesting?

Signs of Harvest-Ready Fruits and Vegetables

• Tree fruits like apples and pears are ready when they easily twist off when cupped in your hand.
• Softer tree fruits like peaches and nectarines are ready when slightly softer at the stalk.

Vegetable Harvesting Guide

• Check size, color, and texture. Bite into vegetables to test tenderness and flavor.
• Peppers should be firm and have reached desired size. Tomatoes are usually ready when full sized and vibrantly colored.
• Asparagus is ready when spears are 6-8 inches tall and finger thickness.

Fruit and Vegetable Harvesting Tips

• For best flavor and texture, harvest most vegetables just before full maturity.
• Inside each strawberry is a little seed, which is surrounded by a white fleshy part called the receptacle. The receptacle turns red when it’s ripe.
• Broccoli is ready to be harvested when the florets are tight, dark green, and about 4-7 inches long.

Harvest Guide

• Cranberries are ripe when they bounce when dropped and have a deep red color and firm texture.
• Green tomatoes are ripe when they turn from bright green to a deeper color with hints of yellow or amber.

Tips for Harvesting

• Morning-harvested produce is crisper, juicier, and sweeter.
• Potatoes are ready to harvest 120-140 days after being planted.
• Cantaloupe is ready when the stem pulls easily from the melon with gentle thumb pressure.

Harvesting Tips

• Green snap beans are ready when the pods are immature, about 3 inches long, while the seeds are still small.
• Cauliflower heads are about 6-8 inches in diameter and the curds are compact and firm when ready to be picked.

Importance of Harvesting

• Harvesting at the right time ensures great taste and packed with nutrients.