You already have the plant. What you need next is quieter: is this fruit actually ready, or are you picking on a date the plant has not caught up with. Color, a slight give, a skin that no longer rubs off, a leaf the size you cook before the plant bolts — those are the cues. That is the job of these notes.
They are written for the hour you walk the row with a basket — not for choosing a cultivar, and not for the hole you dug in spring. After the pick, cool or dry the crop so it keeps, instead of leaving it in a warm kitchen to collapse.
Below, guides sit A–Z by plant name. Open the one that matches what is in your hand. Read the first answers near the top; skip anything that does not fit this week’s crop.
B
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H
Harvest a Torch Ginger Flower – Closed BractsHarvesting
Harvest Alfalfa – Early Bloom, Leave StubbleHarvesting
Harvest Amaranth – Tender Leaves or GrainHarvesting
Harvest Ammi When Florets Are OpenHarvesting
Harvest an Artichoke – While Bracts Are TightHarvesting
Harvest Angelica – Year-One Leaves or StemsHarvesting
Harvest Anise – Gray-Brown, Then Bag to DryHarvesting
Harvest Apples When Skin Turns YellowHarvesting
Harvest Arugula – Young Leaves Before BoltHarvesting
Harvest Autumn Olive – When Red and Silver-SpeckledHarvesting
Harvest Avocado – Firm or Ripen IndoorsHarvesting
Harvest Banana – When Fingers Plump Then HangHarvesting
Harvest Barbados Cherry When Fruit Is Bright RedHarvesting
Harvest Basil – Above a Leaf PairHarvesting
Harvest Bells of Ireland – Green and Half Open Then HangHarvesting
Harvest Billy Buttons – Gold Then Hang to DryHarvesting
Harvest Black Pepper – When First Berries ColorHarvesting
Harvest Blueberries – Wait Until Fully BlueHarvesting
Harvest Borage – Young Leaves or Open FlowersHarvesting
Harvest Bottle Gourd When the Rind Is HardHarvesting
Harvest Brambles – Hollow or When DullHarvesting
Harvest Buckwheat – Brown Seeds, Firm GroatHarvesting
Harvest Buffaloberry – Shake Onto a SheetHarvesting
Harvest Calamint – Morning as Bloom StartsHarvesting
Harvest Cardamom – Green Pods Before They SplitHarvesting
Harvest Carrots – When Shoulders ShowHarvesting
Harvest Cassava – Test-Dig After Eight MonthsHarvesting
Harvest Celery – Outer Stalks or the Whole PlantHarvesting
Harvest Chicory – Young Leaves or Fall RootsHarvesting
Harvest Cilantro – Before Bolt, Then Bag SeedHarvesting
Harvest Cinnamon – Peel Inner Bark After YearsHarvesting
Harvest Clove Tree – Pink Unopened BudsHarvesting
Harvest Coconut – Drinking Nuts or Brown HuskHarvesting
Harvest Comfrey – Leaves in the Second YearHarvesting
Harvest Crown Daisy Leaves Before FlowersHarvesting
Harvest Cumin – Brown Heads Before They ShatterHarvesting
Harvest Currant – Clusters at Full ColorHarvesting
Harvest Dandelion Before the First BudsHarvesting
Harvest Dill – Leaves Before Bloom or SeedHarvesting
Harvest Dragon Fruit – At Color or Soft ScalesHarvesting
Harvest Edamame While Pods Are GreenHarvesting
Harvest Eggplant While Skin Is GlossyHarvesting
Harvest Elderberry – At Purple-Black or CookHarvesting
Harvest Fennel – Fronds or Florence While FirmHarvesting
Harvest Feverfew When Flowers Are OpenHarvesting
Harvest Flowering Tobacco – At Half OpenHarvesting
Harvest German Chamomile – Fully Open Heads Then DryHarvesting
Harvest Ginger When the Leaves Yellow and Die BackHarvesting
Harvest Goji Berries When Fully Orange-RedHarvesting
Harvest Goldenseal – Year 3 to 5, When Tops YellowHarvesting
Harvest Green Beans – Snap, Dry, or LimaHarvesting
Harvest Guava – At Yellow Peel or While GreenHarvesting
Harvest Honeyberry When the Flesh Turns PurpleHarvesting
Harvest Honeywort – When Bracts Turn BlueHarvesting
Harvest Hyssop Before the Flowers OpenHarvesting
Harvest Jicama – Lift Before FrostHarvesting
Harvest Lemon Balm – Morning Leaves Then DryHarvesting
Harvest Lemongrass – When Outer Stalks ThickenHarvesting
Harvest Lemons – Taste Before You Pick, Then ClipHarvesting
Harvest Lisianthus – When the First Flower OpensHarvesting
Harvest Longan When Skin Turns TanHarvesting
Harvest Lovage – Young Outer Leaves in SpringHarvesting
Harvest Lychee When Skin Turns Pink-RedHarvesting
Harvest Macadamia Nuts When They DropHarvesting
Harvest Mangoes – When Shoulders FillHarvesting
Harvest Mangosteen – At a Soft Purple RindHarvesting
Harvest Mesquite – Dry Pods Before the MonsoonHarvesting
Harvest Mint – As Flowers Begin Then DryHarvesting
Harvest Moringa – Leaves or Young Pods That SnapHarvesting
Harvest Mountain Ash – At Color or After FrostHarvesting
Harvest Nutmeg – Husk Splits Then Dry MaceHarvesting
Harvest Okra While Pods Are SmallHarvesting
Harvest Olives – At ColorHarvesting
Harvest Oregano – Just Before FlowerHarvesting
Harvest Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads – U-Groove CheckHarvesting
Harvest Painted Tongue – Buds Still ClosedHarvesting
Harvest Parsley – Outer Stalks at the BaseHarvesting
Harvest Patchouli – Morning Leafy ShootsHarvesting
Harvest Peanuts – When Leaves Yellow, Then HangHarvesting
Harvest Pear – European Hard or Asian RipeHarvesting
Harvest Peas – Snow, Snap, or ShellingHarvesting
Harvest Peppers – At Full Size or ColorHarvesting
Harvest Pineapple When Peel Turns GoldHarvesting
Harvest Pistachio – When the Hull Slips Then DryHarvesting
Harvest Potatoes – New Crop or After Vines DieHarvesting
Harvest Prickly Pear – Fruit With Tongs or Spring PadsHarvesting
Harvest Pumpkin on a Stick When Fruit Turns OrangeHarvesting
Harvest Pumpkins – When the Rind HardensHarvesting
Harvest Quince – When Golden and FragrantHarvesting
Harvest Radishes – Spring Pull or Fork WinterHarvesting
Harvest Rambutan – At Color, Cool at OnceHarvesting
Harvest Rhubarb – In the Second YearHarvesting
Harvest Running Bamboo Shoots – Spring While ShortHarvesting
Harvest Safflower – When Florets Show ColorHarvesting
Harvest Salad Burnet – Young Leaves FreshHarvesting
Harvest Sapodilla – Scratch When TanHarvesting
Harvest Savory – Morning Buds, Fresh or DriedHarvesting
Harvest Sea Buckthorn – Freeze and ShakeHarvesting
Harvest Serviceberry Fruit When It Turns DarkHarvesting
Harvest Sumac Berries – Dry Day Then SoakHarvesting
Harvest Sweet Potatoes – Before a Hard FreezeHarvesting
Harvest Tamarind When Pods Are Brown and BrittleHarvesting
Harvest Taro – When Leaves Yellow, Then CookHarvesting
Harvest Tarragon – Young Tips Fresh or FrozenHarvesting
Harvest Thyme – Green Tips Fresh or DryHarvesting
Harvest Tomatoes – At Color or Ripen Green IndoorsHarvesting
Harvest Turmeric – After Leaves YellowHarvesting
Harvest Vanilla – Yellow Tips Then Sweat and DryHarvesting
Harvest Wasabi – After Two Years Then Grate SoonHarvesting
Harvest Watermelon – Ground Spot or TendrilHarvesting
Harvest White Lace Flower – When Florets Are OpenHarvesting
How to Pick Black-Eyed Peas – Plump Pods Easy to ShellHarvesting
