Are you eager to start picking all those garden veggies, but are not sure when they are fully ripe? Follow these helpful tips!

Tomatoes
You can pick when you see color on the bottom. Wait to eat until fully ripened and the color covers the entire fruit. If you leave to ripen on the vine, check them often because they can quickly over-ripen, lose firmness and crack on the vine. Tomatoes that fully ripen on the vine are also more vulnerable to disease and insect damage.

Cucumbers
These are ready to pick when the length is over 6 inches. Don’t let them grow too big (over 8 inches) because they will no longer be good for slicing and become bitter. If you enjoy pickling your cucumbers, pick them smaller than 6 inches.

Bell Peppers
Pick these at any time, as they are good to eat green or colorful. In Louisiana, few bell pepper varieties will turn colors before rotting on the plant. Most varieties grow to the size of a woman’s fist when they are finished growing.

Okra
Pick when the pods are three to four inches long. Okra should be harvested every one to two days.