6 Veggies You Should Pick More Often to Boost Your Harvest

Planting, caring for, and watching my vegetable garden grow is infinitely fulfilling, and the really exciting part is harvesting. That's when I (literally) get the fruits of my labor. That also means the growing process is over. Then I learned that, for some vegetables, you can keep the party going with the right harvesting techniques and timing.

Veggies That Should Be Harvested Often

For some types of vegetables, the more often you harvest them, the more the plants will produce. So you get an extended season of sorts.

"Plants have an instinct to reproduce. So, when we harvest fruit, or remove flowers before the plant has put all its energy into creating seeds, it panics and produces more—as a survival method," explains Corbin Scholz, the farm director at Seed Savers Exchange. "These are usually called “cut and come again” crops, meaning the more you harvest, the more they produce."

Make sure to pick these following types of vegetables regularly to keep them as productive as possible.

1. Leafy Greens

Kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach, and other leafy greens give the garden a lush, tropical feel so I'm always hesitant to cut them out. But Scholz explained that I can harvest just the larger outer leaves and leave the center, smaller leaves to keep growing. This works for just about any non-heading type of greens. However, you can't pick too much at once. "Don’t take more than a third of the plant at a time so it stays strong and healthy," Scholz advises.

2. Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers

Harvest these nightshade family veggies as soon as they have ripened to the color and size you prefer. But don’t let the fruit get too old on the plant; you don’t want it to get to the point of having mature seeds within the fruit. Otherwise the plants will slow down on developing more fruit or stop altogether. In the case of tomatoes, this is true with indeterminate varieties, and less so with determinate varieties that won't continue growing and producing after harvesting.

3. Basil

Staying on top of harvesting is especially crucial for this herb. Starting at the top of the basil plant and working your way down, pinch off the growing tip. This should be done directly above a junction where two “shoulder” leaves are growing. Doing this will create a more bushy and robust plant, says Scholz.

If the plant gets too far along in the flower/seed production, the stems can become woody and the leaves get tough, says Scholz. The upside is when this starts to happen, you can take all the leaves from the plant at once and make a pesto.

4. Beans and Peas

These plants are somewhat delicate so take care to avoid damaging them when you're harvesting the vegetables. Hold the vine/plant with one hand and pull the pod in an upward motion with the other hand. For both, you'll want to harvest before the seeds are full and causing the sides of the pod to bulge.

5. Zucchini

6. Cucumbers

You can get anywhere from ten to 20 cucumbers from one plant. So you want to stay on top of harvesting and check every other day. As soon as the cucumbers are big enough, clip them off the vine. That size can vary, depending on the variety, so make sure to note how big your cukes should be when ready to harvest.