I'm Italian, so for me fall means roasting peppers, preparing tomatoes for sauce and pickling eggplants. Knowing when to harvest these vegetables is important, and it can be tricky to determine the right time. Here are my tips, in approximate order of when they're ready:
Cucumbers
Pick cucumbers when they are firm and dark green. Slicing cucumbers are ready when they are 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) long. Pickling cukes should be about 5 cm (2 inches) for sweet pickles. Varieties used for dills should be about 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches). Process them immediately if you want crunchy pickles: if stored too long, they become soft.
Broccoli
Broccoli should be cut when the clusters are tight and green – before they separate and begin to flower. Cut early in the morning to avoid wilting. Do not remove the whole plant: cut above a place where the plant branches out. Then you may get a second, smaller crop.
Cauliflower
Cut cauliflower when the heads are tight and white – before they turn yellow. Cut early in the day when the sugars are high in the stem.
Peppers
Peppers can be picked at any time after they've reached full size. You can pick red bell peppers when they're still green, although they'll be much sweeter when they change to red. Just make sure you pick them before the first frost. Peppers will have a longer shelf life if a bit of stem is left on.
Learn more: Learn how to freeze 5 common garden veggies.
Page 1 of 3 – Are your tomatoes ready for the picking? Learn when to harvest common garden fruits and veggies on page 2.
