Pick give rise in its flower by screw when to glean each harvest .

As veggie and fruits start ripening in your garden , you may be wonder , " When is harvesting time of year ? " The perfect month or week to harvest can vary by region and growing conditions , but you’re able to always rely on your green goods to let you have intercourse when it ’s ready to be nibble . Keep an eye out for these signs in yourveggie gardenfor the best time to glean 9 popular crop including cucumber , black pepper , tomatoes , and garlic .

Tomatoes

Why do garden - unused tomatoes savor so good ? Theirsweet tang comes from fully ripen in the sunlight . Pick ripe , juicy tomato from the industrial plant to your plate every time .

When to Harvest tomato plant : Exacttiming of Lycopersicon esculentum seasonvaries depending on the type of tomato , but most are in bumper - harvest mode from mid - July through September .

How You Know It ’s Ripe : Thetomato uniformly reach its mature color(whether it ’s red , orange , or yellow ) and pulls easily from the bow .

Patio tomatoes

Credit: Peter Krumhardt

Sweet Corn

Corn on the cobis a treat for every backyard barbeque and kinfolk get - together . And it does n’t get any tasty than the impudently - pickedsweet cornfrom your garden , especially because the clams in corn kernels pop out turn into starch after harvest .

When to Harvest Zea mays : Successive spring sowingsofcorn will be quick to pickfrom mid - July to September .

How You Know It ’s Ripe : The silk change state brown but not wry . Kernels are take shape and full all the way to the top . Dimpled heart are past eyeshade .

ear of corn growing on stalk in garden

Credit: Kritsada Panichgul

scratch - enhanced ( SE ) hybrid , such as Peaches & Cream and Kandy Korn , continue their sweetness longer than older types , which start mellow the moment they ’re picked . depot SE case ( in their husks ) in the icebox for up to a week , orblanch and freeze for up to a year .

Cucumbers

you could pick cool , crunchy cukes at any level , from gherkin - size to full - size of it . However , It ’s estimable to slip on the green side , as cucumber vine can change state from just powerful to overripe overnight .

When to Harvest Cucumis sativus : Cucumbers come on unattackable in midsummer warmth . With unconstipated picking , vines will continue to produce through early fall .

How You recognise It ’s Ripe : The briery , bumpyskin of a minor cucumbersmooths out . However , small cuke are crisp and less sordid , cracking for eating and pickling . Most varieties are about 2 inches in diam and 5 - 8 inch long at their heyday .

‘Marketer’ cucumber

Credit: Jay Wilde

In a kettle of fish over how to use these veggies ? If you ’re notin the humor for a salad , trycanning your cucumbersto create homemade , blue pickle . Or use fresh , crispcucumberfor your next spa day .

Garlic

Spice up your intellectual nourishment withgarlic from your garden . This pleasurably pungent bulb is deserving the nine - month time lag between planting and harvesting .

When to glean Garlic : Unlike its spring - establish onion plant cousins , garlic is usually planted in falland harvested in late July or after the following summertime .

How You make love It ’s Ripe : The cloves are full and strong . Once the tops of plants get to work brown , dig up one bulb to check . If clove are embonpoint , not shriveled , they ’re quick to reap .

silver white garlic cloves in dirt and mulch

Credit: Bill Hopkins

Cure bulbs ( with farewell attached ) for two to four week in a strong , shady billet , then cut off the tops . Store electric-light bulb for up to six months in a cool plaza .

Hot Peppers

Some like ‘em blistering . Others prefer for incendiary . Spice up your home plate with some red-hot capsicum pepper plant that are sure to have you sniffling . spicery vary by character and degree of ripeness .

When to glean Hot capsicum pepper plant : Allpeppers producefrom midsummer until frost .

How You get it on It ’s mature : You’ll know flavor and heat are at their peak when fruit arrive at full size and start to color up . However , most peppers are delicious at any size .

red serrano chile hot pepper plant growing

Credit: Bob Stefko

Onions

Homegrown onionsare top for creating many delicious dishes . And it ’s comfortable to glean a year ’s worth of this kitchen staple from just a few rows .

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

How You Know It ’s advanced : The green onion plant tops flop over in midsummer , signaling thatonions have reach full size . For youthful scallions , harvest when shoots make 10 - 12 inches .

onions sitting on soil in garden with sprouts

Credit: Jay Wilde

remedy storage onion plant in a shady area or garage for a few hebdomad . Once skins are wry , cut off big top and stack away in a nerveless position indoors .

Potatoes

Make some extra - cheesy spud au gratin orgarlic butterfly potatoesfrom your very own garden . Dig up spuds of any size , from pocket-size newpotatoesto full - size custodian .

When is Harvest Season : Potato hills can issue your meals with a bracing daily amylum from July through October .

How You eff It ’s Ripe : For mature storage potatoes , harvest when plant tops die back . For raw potatoes , lead off harvestingtwo week after plants bloom .

potatoes in wheelbarrow

Credit: Marty Baldwin

Potatoes keep longer in storageif left in the ground until skin toughen up . Do n’t water after the tops die back . Cure mature potatoes in a cool , dark , humid space ( such as a cellar ) for two week . The ideal winter storage is shadow and a temperature of 40 - 45 ° F , so your garage or cellar might allow perfect conditions .

Pumpkins

Figuring outwhen to harvest pumpkinsis particularly important if you ’re planning to use them for something time - sensitivesuch as Halloween interior decoration . And plunk Cucurbita pepo at peak ripeness will give you the sweetest results if you plan to feed them .

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

How You roll in the hay It ’s Ripe : Pick pumpkins when they have fully color up , their rinds look dull rather than shiny , and the vine have started to die back . The rind should also be tough enough that your fingernail wo n’t make a mug .

‘baby bear’ pumpkin in garden

Credit: John Granen

Watermelon

Servejuicy watermelonat any summer get - together . This summer dearie is deserving the three - calendar month wait for a tasty treat . You might ’ve heardthumping is the traditional trial for ripeness , but it ’s not the best trial for when to harvestwatermelon .

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

How You sleep with It ’s Ripe : The green , curly tendril near the bow start to dry out out and flex brown . you’re able to also carefully lift them and curb the spot on the bottom that ’s usually resting on the earth ; when the melon is ripe , it ’ll exchange colouration from pale dark-green or white to yellow .

stack of picked watermelons

Credit: Andy Lyons