Harvesting the outer leaves of chard and other leafy greens will promote new growth and reduce insect pests.

“Gourds are ready to harvest when the stem that holds the fruit to the vine is dry and snaps off easily. In our climate, this moment is apt to come just as the World Series starts.”

— Katharine S. White, “Onward and Upward in the Garden,” 1979

Katharine White’s plant expertise is manifest in her thorough descriptions of new (back in the 1960s) and antique cultivars of flowers, herbs and vegetables that she came across while perusing the plant and seed catalogs of her day. She focused her ample opinions on plants she grew over many years in her garden in Maine.

Readers learn that White greatly enjoyed harvesting flowers from her abundant perennial garden and arranging them in vases for indoor display. The quote above comes from a section of her book in which she explained how she grew ornamental gourds (Cucurbita pepo ovifera and Lagenaria siceraria) to arrange in bowls for autumn décor.

I’ve thought about growing the small, multicolored crook-necked gourds and the bottle, or calabash, gourds that can be grown as pendants for an arch or trellis, so I was heartened by White’s optimistic words: “Growing gourds is easy if you know a few small tricks.”

These tricks include planting seeds in full sun after the last frost date, planting them well away from other cucurbits to avoid cross-pollination, keeping the soil moist during summer heat, and providing protection from late or early frosts.

However, I’m most interested in what she had to say about harvesting gourds, because harvesting produce from my vegetable garden is what I’m doing right now. Besides gourds, there are several kinds of produce that are ready to harvest when the stem dries out because this indicates that the fruit is no longer receiving nutrients through the vine. Melons, pumpkins and winter squash are other examples.

Many types of produce are ready to harvest when the stem snaps off easily; just cup the fruit in the palm of one hand and twist gently. However, some vegetables don’t separate from the plant as effortlessly, so these should be snipped off with a clean pair of scissors, knife or hand pruners, leaving a bit of the stem intact, to avoid damage. These include beans, cucumbers and eggplants.

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made related to harvesting is not harvesting often or soon enough. I admit I like the look of a lush garden with lots of green leaves and plants laden with colorful fruit. Unfortunately, chewing, sucking and boring insects also appreciate the look of a flourishing garden and they are savant-like when it comes to knowing when garden produce is at its optimal ripeness. (Birds have a similar aptitude when it comes to orchard fruit and berries.)

I recently wrote about worms attacking my Swiss chard and then realized I could avoid much of the invasion if only I would harvest the outer leaves of my chard more often. Harvesting frequently also directs the plant’s energy to producing more leaves in the case of leafy greens and more flowers for summer-fruiting vegetables. In fact, plants will stop production if their fruits are permitted to grow past maturity and are not harvested.

The other day, I found a good-sized worm hole in one of my “Indigo Rose” cherry tomatoes that was not there a couple of days before. Sure enough, I had waited a bit too long and the worm moved in just when the tomato should have been picked (the skin had turned just a tad too soft).

Timing is important when it comes to harvesting tomatoes, because although they will continue to ripen after they’re picked, tomatoes are much more flavorful if they ripen on the bush or vine. Several fruits and vegetables should only be vine-ripened: bell peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, summer and winter squashes, strawberries, blueberries, grapes and citrus fruits.

I learned earlier this season that timing is equally critical when harvesting snap peas. Flat peapods mean the peas are not yet mature, whereas bulging peapods indicate the peas have become overripe and starchy.

Harvesting should be done in the morning when leaves, fruits and vegetables have the most water content. Their moisture evaporates in the heat of the day, so vegetables harvested at this time quickly become wilted and don’t store well. (These days, I become wilted and don’t store well after 11 a.m.)

Returning to the beginning quote, I was tickled to read that White timed her gourd harvesting with the opening of the World Series. She watched the ballgames as she buffed out the gourds to a fine polish with a soft rag. This speaks of the importance of closely observing the look and feel of ripening produce in the particular microclimate of our garden. Only with experience will we be able to fine-tune our harvesting finesse.