When to harvest vegetables in Georgia
For many vegetable gardeners in the area, this has been a banner year for production. My parents and sisters have a joint small garden that is yielding a lot of fresh garden vegetables.
Knowing when to harvest vegetables will contribute to your gardening experience with that variety. I will be sharing information from a UGA publication by Bob Westerfield, UGA Extension Horticulturist.
For starters, knowing when to harvest a particular vegetable item is just as important as knowing how to plant or fertilize a vegetable. According to Westerfield, if vegetables are not harvested at the proper stage of maturity, physiological processes occur that will permanently change the taste, appearance and quality of that vegetable. Gardening is a lot of work no matter how you look at it. I will add that gardening can be good exercise, but still it is work. You have tasks such as soil testing, preparing the ground, irrigating in most years and if you do not know when to harvest a vegetable, your gardening experience is not as rewarding.
Westerfield states that the texture, fiber and overall consistency of all vegetables are affected by the state of maturity at harvest, how the vegetable is handled post-harvest and the time between harvest and serving of the vegetable. Keep in mind that some vegetables have a shorter shelf life than others in terms of harvesting.
Most vegetables, if harvested young and stored correctly, will give them a longer shelf life. In addition, some of the new hybrid varieties on the market can have longer shelf life compared to other varieties. Also, lowering the internal temperature of the vegetable can slow down the respiration process and the reduction in quality of the produce. This is why many folks will harvest vegetable items early in the day before the summer heat gets to the vegetables. After you pick your vegetables, it is also a good idea to keep the vegetables cool and out of direct sunlight until they are eaten or processed.
Knowing when to harvest a particular vegetable item can be related to the yield of that item and to the overall quality. If you harvest too soon, you can reduce your yield for the season. Harvesting too late can mean poor vegetable quality due to fiber issues and also vegetable sugar levels that convert to starches according to Westerfield. Harvesting past peak quality can also cause plants to stop producing.
If you are having a banner year in production, you may get to a point that you slow down on your desire to harvest vegetables. Please remember that mature vegetables left on the plant can make you have more disease or insect problems. At the end of the day, you do not want to bring on more issues in a garden spot.
Harvesting: For your green pole beans, you are eating the pod and the seed. If you harvest too early you will have insufficient size. If you wait too long to harvest, the seed size is too large and you will have a more fibrous pod.
I think most every garden will have tomatoes. Depending on need or goal, they can be harvested in three development stages. Those three stages are mature green, pink or ripe. Most folks will pick at pink or ripe. If you harvest at pink, you should harvest when you see pink about the size of a dime on the blossom end of the fruit. When you store at room temperature, pink harvested tomatoes should ripen in about three days. If you wait to harvest when tomatoes are ripe on the vine, pick when the tomato is full red, but still firm at touch. You need to use the ripe harvested tomatoes soon.
Okra is also grown by most gardeners in the area. The ideal time to harvest is when pods are 2-3 inches in length and tender. If you wait too long, the fiber development can make for tough pods that you do not want to use.
Summer squash needs to be harvested when the rind of the fruit can be penetrated with your thumbnail.
Finally, knowing when to harvest vegetables can be what leaves you with a feeling of gardening success or failure due to the results on the flavor, looks and quality of the produce. Study up on ideal maturity harvesting time for your particular items grown.
For more information, contact UGA ExtensionGordon County at 706-6298685 or email gbowman@ uga.edu.