Picture this scenario: You have carefully planned out your garden this year, and have filled it with the best fruits and vegetables. You are super excited to harvest your crop, but unsure of the best way or time to do it, so you wing it and hope for the best —and you harvest at the wrong time! This is unfortunately a struggle that most of us have gone through at one point or another, but thankfully we’ve gathered some tips on how to avoid such disappointment this year! Here are the best ways to harvest these warm season fruits and vegetables, (along with a few fun ways to use your crop that you probably didn’t think of.) Let’s get started!

Tomatoes

This one was an easy one to start with. Tomatoes have been a garden staple for a very long time and they can be easy to have in your garden. With that being said, getting the harvest time right can be important to ensure the best-tasting tomatoes, along with a maximum crop amount. Tomatoes are best picked when they are just starting to get their color, otherwise known as the breaker point, and then they should be kept inside to ripen. This will help you avoid losing tomatoes to over-ripening, splitting, and being attacked by birds or insects. Harvesting tomatoes before they are completely ripe will also benefit the production level of the tomato plant, especially with indeterminate plants. (This article from Old World Garden Farms lists other benefits from picking tomatoes at the breaker point!)

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are some of the most refreshing vegetables and work perfectly alone or in all kinds of meals. They taste great in fresh salads, pickles, and even pasta toppings. Not to mention, they have an amazing, summery taste which makes them a wonderful addition to cold drinks! Cucumbers taste best when harvested as fully ripe vegetables and have reached the point when they have a beautiful green color and are firm and larger (typically seven to nine inches) — keep in mind the size and color may vary depending on the type of cucumber. When harvesting cucumbers, use scissors or a sharp blade to cut the cucumber off of the plant. (The Spruce has a helpful, in-depth guide for harvesting cucumbers that goes into more detail.)

Summer Squash

There are so many different types of summer squash to pick from, making it really hard to choose which one to grow! Thankfully, squash is very versatile in cooking, and there are plenty of options for any type of summer squash (like this mouth-watering pizza from Half-Baked Harvest.) When it comes to harvesting, it is best to cut off the squash with scissors or a sharp knife when the vegetable is firm, but the skin is tender enough to be able to slice through easily. (Northern Nester goes even more into the process in their article on harvesting summer squash.) The squash shown in the picture above is a tromboncino squash and can be harvested when small and tender or large and firm. They taste like a sweet zucchini when harvested younger and taste like a butternut squash when harvested later.

Eggplant

Eggplants are one of my favorite garden crops! The beautiful, dark purple vegetable adds a unique touch to many recipes, not to mention they are really cool to see growing. Now, harvesting eggplants at the right time will ensure that you get the most out of them, so I like to pick them when they are fully ripe. If you gently squeeze one with your fingers and let go, the skin should bounce back up, without indents left in the fruit. This means the skin is firm enough for the eggplant to be ready (Homestead Crowd). Making sure that the eggplant is not underripe or overripe when picking it will ensure the fullest flavor, without hard seeds or bitterness. Since this is one of my favorite crops to grow, I have to include my favorite summer recipe, Eggplant Parmesan. This recipe is courtesy of my mother-in-law, LaNell Schultheis and she makes this all season long, from her own harvest. Scroll all the way to the end of the article and grab the recipe!

Herbs

Ahhh yes. Herbs. No blog on gardening would be complete without mentioning this essential part of any growing space. They smell amazing, add flavor to recipes, and grow the perfect flowers for pollinators! Who doesn’t want plants that attract butterflies to their garden?! Of course, harvesting them in the right way is key to keeping them healthy and full all summer. With annual herbs and flowers, I recommend you pinch them back from the tip to harvest (and edible flowers should be harvested when half open, if possible). Not only does that work to cut off the herbs when you wish to use them, but it also works as a way of pruning the plant, helping it to grow bigger and fuller. With leafy perennials, you want to remove longer stems of leaves. Keep in mind that, with annual herbs, you can take off one-half to around three-quarters of the plant when harvesting, but it is best to not take off more than one-third of the plant for perennials each time. (Gardening Know How). This way you get the greatest amount of herbs possible with each harvest without damaging the plant.

It is really fulfilling to be able to eat your own garden crops, knowing that you really grew what you ate. The same goes for DIY projects! It feels really cool to be able to make something yourself without having to buy it, and these projects take it up to the next level! Not only are you making them yourself, but you are doing it with materials that you grew! Here are 4 different, super cool uses for your harvest that may not have crossed your mind to do!

1. Herbal Bath Bag: There is really nothing quite like taking a bath after a long, stressful day of work. Baths are super relaxing and have so many benefits. To make the bath smell amazing, try adding a sachet of fresh herbs. Thankfully, “Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots” by Sharon Lovejoy has the perfect recipe for herbal bath bags (along with many other fun garden activities!). Here is a digital recipe from JESSOSHII if you prefer one online!

   
   

2. Water Color Flowers: Having garden prints decorate your home just makes sense. I love having flowers near me whenever possible, and flower art is a way to keep them close, even if you can’t have flowers inside all of the time. The artwork is even more special when it is handmade, and painting flowers is also just super fun! Now, while you do not need your own flowers from the garden by you to paint, it makes it a lot easier to have a reference by using your own. Here is a great tutorial from artist Jenna Rainey on painting beautiful nasturtiums, so you can get started right away! Also, those who garden with me, know nasturtiums are one of my must-have garden plants. They taste peppery, like a radish, have beautiful flowers, and serve as a trap crop for aphids.

   
   

3. Homemade Clothing Dye: This one isn’t for me, but I know some of you would love trying this! Making dye from flowers gives a simple, beautiful look to natural fabrics. Plus, knowing that this craft is completely safe, with no chemical dye is a great feeling. Since I’ve personally never tried using flowers to dye fabric, I’m thankful there are some helpful articles already! Here is a great one that uses marigolds from My Tiny Laguna Kitchen!

Hopefully, this helped and inspired you for your own garden adventures, and remember that even though summer is ending, the garden season is not done. In fact, we are coming up on the prime time for a very exciting part of gardening- apple season! Keep an eye out for more apple content soon…

Let’s Get Growing,

Shannon