A carrot an inch wide at the top but dinky underneath is a carrot that just didn't grow well for one reason or another. They don't get thick at the top and then work their way down. They put down a tap root as far as they can which thickens up uniformly. They're larger at the top mostly because the top grew first. A carrot an inch-wide at the top is probably not going to get any longer. Usually carrots are ready if they're orange at the top, but really are fine to eat at any earlier age, they'll just be smaller. Carrots get stunted very easily. Anything that gets in the way of the main root will likely cause deformations. That's why good carrots require deep, soft soil.

"1 or 2 days after the racoons get it. " I burst out laughing when I read this as I had those exact words on my lips (at the tip of my typing fingers) and that is a very accurate way to tell. The racoons just found my garden this week and the destruction has begun. Last year my husband had complained because I was picking the ears just a tad on the immature side and that is why. They also can tell you when a peach or persimmon crop is nearly ready. I find broken tree branches when the fruit is nearly ripeness where they'd been up sampling like a taster of fine wines.

Raybo - I normally start hand pollinating when the silks are fully emerged and the tassels have plenty of pollen anthers. I continue hand pollinating every evening for about a week. I don't try and grab all the anthers at one time, I might grab a handful from one stalk and then sprinkle that on 4 to 5 ears at a time. I can't really say if what I am doing is overkill or if it is more effective than just shaking the stalks. It is what I have always done and I have had pretty good luck this way. Keep in mind I am only growing 50 to 100 stalks at a time so this is manageable for me. Obviously nature does a pretty good job of pollinating with wind. When you have acres of corn planted wind will work because no matter where the pollen blows it will hit a silk. Hope this helps.

Planatus has it just about the way I do it. The squash start out green, then turn light tan, with longitudinal green stripes. Those stripes get thinner and thinner, and finally they disappear, at which point the squash should be completely tan/beige. I often let them sit even as the vines die, and pluck them up when the vines are no more. Don't forget to dip the harvested squash in a dilute bleach solution to sterilize the skin. That will make them last longer. I believe that if the vines are dead and there are still thin green stripes, those stripes will eventually go away by themselves.