When to Pick Vegetables From the Garden

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by Renae Chiovaro on July 3, 2011

When it comes to picking vegetables from the garden, bigger is not always better. Smaller vegetables are more tender, have less seeds and better taste. Plus, if you let vegetables stay on the plant too long the plant will stop producing. Picking vegetables when they are small will mean more frequent picking and the plant will produce more in the long run.

For cucumbers, I like to pick them when they are 5-8 inches long. The seeds are nice and small and they taste delicious! In years past I let the cucumbers stay on the vine too long and they became bitter.

Zucchini are famous for growing huge in a short amount of time. Last year we went out of town for a few days and came back to monster zucchini. Unfortunately, they are not as good when they are huge. The skin is tougher. Large zucchini are best for baking. If you are looking for a zucchini to saute or fry pick them when they are about 6 inches long.

Make sure to check out the rest of my gardening posts for more tips!

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.