How to Harvest Crops

Harvesting crops at the right time, when the vegetables or fruits are fully mature, is important. Green fruits and vegetables have lower nutritional value than ripe ones. Allowing crops to ripen on the stem is crucial to harvesting success. It isn't always easy to tell when a crop is ready to harvest. Some crops can be harvested several times throughout the season, while other are harvested only once. Information on when a crop is ready to harvest has been collected over the years and can be found on the label of any crop's seed packet. The packet will state how many days it should take before the crop can be harvested. A number of variables can alter this information. Weather conditions, amount of sunlight, water availability, pests and soil quality are all determining factors that can affect the crop harvesting time line.

Calendar

Knife

Scissors

Gardening gloves

Shovel

5-gallon buckets

Wheelbarrow

Write down the date when each crop seed is planted, using a calendar. If you planted seeds on May 21, then write the word "planted," and the name of each crop species or type, in the corresponding calendar box.

Look at the suggested days to maturity on the seed packet of each crop planted. If the maturity is 60 days, then flip the calendar ahead 60 days--from May 21 to July 21--and write the word "harvest" and the name of the crop species or type on this corresponding calendar day.

Feed, water and cultivate the crops according to their specified requirements throughout the growing season.

Inspect the different crops on the predesignated harvest day to see if they're ripe for the picking. Use smell, sight, touch, taste and sound to determine if the crop is ready. Smell the fruit or vegetable for a ripe aroma. Look at the coloring to see if its colors are full. Feel the texture by gently squeezing the fruit or vegetable to test for ripeness. Cut one of the fruits or vegetables open and taste it to see if it's ripe. Knock on the surface of the fruit or vegetable to hear if it has a dull or hollow sound.

Harvest all ripe fruits and vegetables from the garden. Methods include digging, picking, cutting and pulling. A sharp knife, scissors, gardening gloves and a shovel can be used to harvest a variety of crops.

Place the harvested fruits and vegetables gently into buckets or wheelbarrows to haul them out of the growing area.

Avoid stepping on the plant stems, or vines of crops that require periodic harvesting. This can leave the plant prone to disease.

Keep harvested fruits and vegetables in a cool place.

Eat or preserve crops by canning soon after harvesting to avoid spoilage.

Avoid stacking harvested produce to minimize bruising. Bruising can lead to early rot and molding.