Timing is everything when it comes to growing your own. Check your hardiness zone and plant accordingly, usually no sooner than two to three weeks after the average last frost. Note that if you want to start your seeds indoors, do so about eight weeks before the average last frost. (Check seed package.)
60–65° (40–75° range)
These can be gently pulled or dug as soon as the tops are large enough to handle. Consult your seed packet for the recommended time to harvest for optimum flavor and texture.
Once you’ve harvested the roots, immediately remove the green tops; beet and radish greens can be washed and dried, then used in salads or for cooking, similar to other greens.
60–65° (40–75° range)
The heads should be densely packed; broccoli should be green. If petals appear, harvest heads right away.
Cut the heads from the plant at an angle, taking 4 to 6 inches of stem and leaving behind side shoots for more heads to develop.
65–75° (65–90° range)
You’ll know it’s ready when the silks turn brown and the ears feel full through the husk from end to end.
To harvest, grab the ear firmly, then twist at the base and pull downward to separate it from the stalk.
65–75° (65–90° range)
Cut these from the vines when they are young, small, and softly spined. As they grow large, the seeds develop and are best removed before eating.
While staking is not essential, it does help keep the fruit off the soil in a raised bed or container garden; you can even grow cucumber vines up a trellis or fence.
70–85° (65–90° range)
Pick them at any size, but the larger they get, the more seeds they’ll have.
Stake eggplants as soon as the bushes are visible, placing bamboo or metal posts about 2 inches from the plant, so it will grow around the stakes and support the heavy fruit.
60–65° (40–75° range)
Snip the outer leaves once they are the size of your hand above the stalk (or at the base of the stalk for chard), leaving enough intact to allow the plant to keep growing.
These greens are ideal for succession planting, where you stagger the time of planting so they aren’t all ready for harvesting at once.
60–65° (40–75° range)
Once the leaves are about 4 inches long, snip only the outer leaves about an inch above the crown so the plant can continue to grow.
Tender lettuces can be particularly prone to pests; plant rows of chives or garlic between them to help control aphids.
70–85° (50–90° range)
When the fruit is ripe, it will slip easily from the vine, and, in the case of cantaloupe, the netting on its surface will turn beige.
Melons, especially watermelons, do best when grown in raised rows, or hills, mounding the soil about 12 inches above ground to allow for greater drainage and sun exposure.
70–85° (65–90° range)
These can be harvested green or ripe (in various colors), depending on the taste you want. They have their best flavor during periods of high heat.
When harvesting, never pull a pepper from the stem; cut it with pruners instead, leaving a 1-inch stub for other fruit to grow on.
65–75° (50–90° range)
These become tough and seedy when large, so harvest the small ones for the best flavor and texture.
To keep these prolific growers from taking over, cut some blossoms for eating, too; just be sure to leave behind the females (the ones with the tiny swollen bulge at their base).
70–85° (65–90° range)
Tomatoes continue to ripen after picking, but develop the best flavor when left to reach their full color outdoors on the vine (or pick when green and nicely tart).
Whether grown in a container or the ground, tomato vines require staking to support the weight of the fruit; do this when planting, using bamboo posts or metal tomato cages.