How to Harvest Fruits & Vegetables
- 1). Pick apples in the summer and fall when apples can be easily twisted from the stem by hand and are sweet when tasted. Do not pull at apples roughly during harvest to avoid damaging or harvesting the stem.
- 2). Collect pears when their skin turns light green and they can be removed easily by twisting off the stem by hand. Allow the pear to ripen indoors until the pear is soft and gives under gentle pressure.
- 3). Twist off ears of corn while angling downward once corn kernels release a milky liquid when punctured. Corn kernels that release a clear liquid or no liquid at all are not yet ripe and should not be harvested.
- 4). Pull cantaloupes gently off the vine when the rind between the white exterior markings turns from green to tan and a distinctive crack forms at the stem of the cantaloupe. If the melon does not remove easily, it is not ready for harvest.
- 5). Pick thick green bean pods off the stem with one hand while bracing the stem with the other. Pods are mature when they resemble the thickness of a pencil and snap when broken in half.
- 1). Pull up potato plants after the leaves and stems turn brown. Search the surrounding soil for buried potatoes. Dry the potatoes outdoors for two hours before storing or consuming them.
- 2). Harvest bell peppers after they have reached a mature size and completely changed color. Use pruning shears to remove bell peppers from the plant and leave ½ inch of stem attached to the pepper.
- 3). Dig up garlic bulbs once ¾ of the plant foliage has turned brown and the cloves separate easily when the bulbs are broken. Allow the bulbs to dry outdoors for a few days before storing or consuming them.
- 4). Slice off leaf lettuce 1 inch above the ground after the leaves have reached 5 inches in length. Harvest the whole plant if there is a pending frost.
- 5). Dig up carrots once they are large enough to eat or approximately 3 months after planting. Remove the green tops at harvest.