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Square Foot Gardening

How do you know when to pick your veggies?

19 years ago

This may seem a silly question, but this year I want to be prepared. Last year, desperate to beat my apt dwelling woes, I planted a few veggies in containers. The tomatoes and such I could figure out when they were ready, but other things were more difficult, like my romaine lettuce - I kept thinking it'd get bigger, so I let it go and go and then it turned a bit yellow and tasted bitter.

So if anyone has any dummy proof suggestions for things like lettuce, beans, beets, onions, carrots, etc...I'd appreciate it (note, if you pick a carrot and it's too little and not ready and your put it back, it does not seem to get any bigger, lol!)

Thanks a bunch!

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Comments (3)

lastchance5856
19 years ago
Pick a small bit and taste it. If you liked it, then pick the ammount you want, and don't wait too long to use what's available.
Harimad
19 years ago
Lettuce: break off a bit of outside leaf, taste. If you like it, pick a bunch of outside leaves (from multiple heads) and make a salad.

Beans: break one off, taste. If you like, break more off; if you don't, wait longer. Repeat.

Radish: brush soil off the top, if the shoulders look large enough to eat, do so. If not, wait.

Can't help you with the rest.

Harimad
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lantanascape
19 years ago
Most of the things you listed can be eaten at any size. Baby beets and carrots are more tender and delicious, for example. For green beans, I wait until the pods have just filled out, so in cross section they're pretty much round. You can eat them before that, but I think they have the best taste at that point when teh beans inside have developed. You should be able to look at the shoulders or carrots the same way as radishes. If you pull it out, wash it off and enjoy it. :) All the leaf lettuces can be used as "cut and come again" so just take the outer leaves of a few heads to make a salad, then let the inner leaves grow a bit, and keep harvesting that way.

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