“The best way to determine if your vegetables are truly ready to harvest is by looking at them and, most importantly, tasting them,” says Nastya Vasylchyshyna, resident botany expert at Plantum.

Since cucumbers are quick growers, they become overripe quickly. Knowing when your cucumbers are ready to pick is an essential part of getting a yummy harvest.

Onions are ready when their tops flop over and turn brown.

Cucumbers are considered mature when their bumpy skin smooths out. You’ll know sweet corn is ready as soon as the silk at the top of its ear turns brown.

To get a rough estimate when cucumbers and squash are close to harvest ready, look on your seed packets or plant tags to see how many days until maturity.

My husband’s grandmother tends to keep a bowl of sliced cucumbers in salted water or pickle brine around, and those are what the precocious tot was requesting. We may be saying the same thing ...