Garden Planting: Harvesting Vegetables

Maturity corn is difficult to judge, especially for the new gardener. Corn remains at its best quality for only a short period, and is best in the milk stage. Select ears that have the tip well filled out so the husk is light. The silk should be fairly dry. Open the top of the ear, and press the thumb nail into a well-formed kernel. If the kernel exudes a milky juice, it is at the proper stage for eating. If a dough-like substance is forced out, it is too mature. With experience, a gardener can soon pick corn at the proper stage without using the milk test.

Green beans are usually ready two to three weeks after bloom. Best eating state is when pods have reached full length, and seeds are just beginning to swell. If seeds are fully developed, pods will be tough and stringy. Tomato should be allowed to fully ripen on the vine for the best flavor. Make sure that color is well developed before picking.

Onions are crop reaching maturity now. When the plant is mature, it will bend over just above the bulb. Since not all plants fall over, a common practice is to bend over all the plants. If this is not done, harvest the crop when about 75 percent of the tops have fallen down. Do not delay harvest, as the start of second growth will reduce their keeping quality.

Potatoes are usually ready for harvest by mid-July. High temperatures result in little additional growth, and tops soon begin to yellow and die. When this happens, digging may begin. Sweet potatoes, however, grow vigorously during hot weather, and should not be dug until fall. The best time to dig them I during a dry spell in late fall while the weather is still warm, and no frost has occurred.

Summer squash needs to be picked while the fruit is young and tender. If the rind can be easily penetrated with the thumbnail, fruits will be good quality. Winter squash must be picked when fully ripe. This is usually in late fall. Their rinds must be hard and tough for storage. Squash and pumpkins should be harvested with a piece of the stem attached.

Cantaloupe or muskmelon, is mature when the stem sips easily from the fruit. Press on the stem, or lift the melon slightly, and if ripe, it should separate easily. This is no true of Crenshaw, Casaba, and some other melons. Watermelons seem to cause more problems in determining maturity than any other vegetable. Several methods may be used. One of the best indicators is the change in color in the spot where fruit touches the ground. In immature fruit it takes on a yellowish tinge.

Another indicator is the tendril where the fruit stem and vines join. When the tendrils dries, the fruit is said to be mature. It is not always a sure indication. We often see people tapping on watermelons. An immature melon is supposed to give a metallic, or ringing sound, while a mature melon gives a dull thud. This method requires a lot of experience, and may not always be a sure indication of maturity. Vegetables fresh from the garden, and at the proper stage of maturity make memorable eating anytime.

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, by Edward C. Smith.