August in Bedford, Ohio is when you really begin to enjoy the fruits of your labors in the garden. Vegetable gardens are bountiful at this time of year, and harvesting now and regularly is important for encouraging your plants to keep producing. This is also a great time to start certain cool-weather vegetables and fruits for a fall harvest.

What to Harvest Now

Many of your vegetables will begin to ripen and be ready to pick in August. Some, like green beans, bell peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, and cucumbers, will even produce a greater yield for longer if make regular harvests. Here are some of the veggies and fruits to start harvesting this month and how to know they’re ready:

  • Tomatoes. Let larger varieties ripen on the vine for optimal flavor. They are ready when deep red and firm. Smaller tomatoes, like cherries, may crack if ripened on the plant, so pick them when still quite firm and not fully red.
  • Peppers. With peppers, you can harvest when they are still green, as they begin to show color, or when fully colored. The longer they stay on the vine and change color, the sweeter the fruits will be. The same goes for spiciness in hot peppers.
  • Beans. Timing is crucial for picking pole, bush, wax, and green beans. Just a day or too late will result in woody, tough beans. Harvest them when the beans are the right size, about as thick as a pencil, and before the beans inside are fully developed and visible. When ready they should easily snap off the plant.
  • Cucumbers. Cucumbers for pickling can be harvested when they are just a couple inches long. For fresh eating, wait until they are seven to nine inches long. Any bigger and you begin to lose flavor.
  • Summer squashes. Zucchini and yellow summer squash, like cucumbers, are best harvested before they get too big. Those larger than six inches long will begin to develop a thicker skin and a bitter flavor.
  • Eggplant. Eggplant will grow heavily and ripen in August. Harvest eggplants when they are at mature size and the skin is shiny and glossy. For purple varieties, the color should be deep and dark.
  • Melons. For cantaloupes, look for the rind to change color from green to yellow or light tan. There should also be a stem crack and it should separate readily from the vine. Watermelons must ripen on the vine. They take about two weeks to ripen, so keep an eye on them. Signs of ripeness include a hollow sound when thumped, yellow on the bottom of the melon, and stripes with little contrast. Use a knife to harvest watermelons.

Vegetables to Start in August

Extend the growing season into the fall by starting some seeds outside in August. You can directly sow beets, carrots, peas, radishes, kohlrabi, and turnips. All kinds of greens will thrive outside now as well: chard, collards, kale, endive, lettuces, spinach, and mustard.

August is when vegetable gardens shine. In addition to harvesting and sowing fall veggies, this is an important time to keep all plants watered, to weed beds, and to refill mulch as needed.