Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
before harvesting it. It is getting old when the florets start to open.
The opening means the plant is starting to flower.
Peas and Beans
Peas and beans are two of the crops that are best picked on the
early side as they are usually sweeter and tender when small. Com-
mon pea varieties grown are shelling peas (for the seed inside the
pod), flat snow peas used fresh or for cooking, and the snap variety,
which is grown for the crunchy pod. You want the pea pods to be full
and for the pod to be easily opened if it is a shelling pea or sweet
and crunchy if it is an edible pod variety. Once they get older the
pods become wrinkly and the pea seeds begin to taste bitter and
starchy. Once your peas are ready for harvesting, pick them every
few days or the plant will stop producing more. Leave some pods on
the plant to fill out completely; then shell the peas, dry, and save
them for planting next season.
Fresh cucumbers taste so much better than ones bought in the
store and they are easy to grow. They're also an essential compon-
ent of many green smoothies. Cucumbers can be trellised, which is
great when growing in small spaces. There are slicing varieties,
which are harvested when they are six to twelve inches long; check
the packet for the size at maturity. Depending on the variety, some
cucumbers are eaten with the skin on like the English cucumber,
whereas others are peeled and the inner white flesh is sliced. You
want to pick cucumbers regularly so that the plant keeps producing
more.
For winter squash it is best to leave the fruit on the vine as long as
you can; often a frost will make the squash even sweeter-tasting. A
quick test to see if they are ready to be harvested is pricking the
skin with your fingernail. If it leaves an indentation, it is not ready; if
there is no mark on the skin, the fruit can be harvested.
