When to harvest?

Some fruits and vegetables make it easy for you - you know when they're at their peak of ripeness. Others, like citrus and rhubarb, are hard for me to know when to pluck. Unfortunately, my burgeoning gardening library has very little to say on the subject of harvesting. What book or website gives the best information about the most crops? When do I harvest my rhubarb? If the absence of green is no indication of ripeness on an orange, when do you know when your orange is at peak ripeness? What about crops you can't even see 'til it's too late - like potatoes, carrots, radishes and other root crops? I could really use some help in this area.

With potatoes, you can harvest some after they bloom. Gently poke/scrape around in the soil with your hands to see if they're the size you want. Small, new potatoes are so yummy. (golf ball size.) Radishes are ready in just a few weeks from sowing. They will get woody if left too long. Pull up a couple and see what you think.
Rhubarb is best picked when the stalks are still slender, Up here that is mid Spring. About the same time as the first strawberries. (strawberry rhubarb pie.)

Thanks, grannymarsh.

Still, if anyone has any recommendations for books or websites with comprehensive information on selecting for peak ripeness in fruit and veggies, I'd love to hear it.

Hi Spidra, your best bet for good books on fruit and veg, is your library, books are expensive, so I would have a look like I said, then if you find the right one to suit your growing, you can either borrow from the library or buy the book at the book store, Rhubarb is the first thing to be ready to pick from the garden, soon as you see the green shoots turn red to almost the bottom of the stalk, pull it out from the plant, never cut the stalks as you will allow disease into the growing crown, never pick the stalks from a new plant, second year picking is best as it allows the roots and energy to help it get growing, the stalks can be quite thin for a couple of years till it get well fed and matured. It needs lots of well manured soil and mulch each year to keep it from going woody and lots of water in really dry weather, dont eat the leaves as they are poisonous, I break mine up and compost them. Carrots are different, they like a good fine soil that has not had manure added or it causes the carrots to fork, but manured from the year before is OK, just not fresh that year you plant them, remove as many stones as you possibly can from the soil also as the carrots need to get down into the soil, they need to be planted in rows, thinly, they dont like root disturbance, once the plants show greenery, you then pick out a few plants as you thin out the row, this allows the carrots room to grow fat and long, you can use these thinning for salad etc, or as I do, just munch as you thin them out, when are they ready for eating? well it all depends on the type you grow, some are just for salads and are ready withing a couple of months, some are called early and are ready mid summer onwards, some are winter and left in the soil as they need to grow long and fat, so you need to read up on what you want, or plant different rows for different types,
The oranges etc, I cant help you with as I dont grow these at all because of my climate, I visit USA often and go to the book stores for a coffee and a read at all the wonderful books on various gardening techniques etc and I am always amazed at the range of books for all types of gardeners needs, fruit, veg, trees, flowers etc and your landscaping books are a treat, so maybe that is a good place to start your learning curve to give you ideas of all the things you want to grow, the time to plant the treatment they need etc will be there if you search, there are also books for beginners, so you wont be stuck, just dont go buy the books till you are sure they are what you need as they are quite expensive. Good luck. WeeNel.

Thanks, WeeNel. I actually have looked at quite a few gardening books but they always seem to leave this harvesting information out.

Maybe look at books that cover say only citrus fruit, they just may go into more detail rather than a general book on veg etc, I am afraid I cant help with that subject at all, geeeeees, when I buy oranges from the store, it is a hit and miss as to how much flavour they have and ripeness, I just leave them a few more days till they are better looking and the flavour is usually better, but that is not what you are looking for, so good luck, maybe there is a citrus forum on the site, be good if there were, solve some of your questions. Good Luck, WeeNel.