Planning is the key to getting an optimum harvest from your garden. You have to know when each crop is ripe and at peak quality.
Most vegetables are botanical fruits that develop from flowers on the plants.
Knowing the number of days from flowering to fruit maturity will help you know when a specific crop will be ready to harvest. It is nice to plan so everything is not ready at one time, which can cause problems in the kitchen. For example, snap beans mature seven to 10 days after flowering. Pickling cucumbers are usually ready for the jar four to five days after flowering, while slicing varieties generally take two weeks to mature after flowering. Other vine crops like muskmelons and summer squash take considerably longer to mature.