As plant parts mature, they often undergo chemical changes that affect sugar content and flavor. It is important to harvest early and often to allow many crops to keep flowering and for smaller fruit to have essential nutrients and water for continued development. The cucurbit family includes cucumbers, squash, melons and gourds. The variety of forms leads to a wide range of mature states depending on the crop. Knowing your cucurbits will help keep you from going out of your gourd trying to figure out when to harvest.
Oversized cucumbers have large seeds and can be tough.
Smaller fruit have better texture and smaller seeds that can easily be eaten. Winter squash are harvested after dark colors develop. The skin is usually thicker than summer squash and the seeds larger due to the stage of maturity at which the fruit is picked. Judging ripeness Melons are harvested at more mature stages of development to allow higher sugar content in the fruit. Muskmelons should still be relatively firm and sweet smelling.