Summer is in full swing, and the WTTW garden is growing like crazy. Lots of veggies are ready to pick and eat.

Don’t worry about impatiently cutting the first ripe eggplant in your garden; harvesting vegetables as soon as they’re mature helps plants generate more produce.

“We want to alleviate the burden on this plant,” says organic gardener Jeanne Nolan, reaching through leaves to cut a jalapeno pepper loose. “The plant only has so much energy.”

Nolan drops by the WTTW garden to talk with Phil Ponce about harvest season, and share best techniques for picking your produce.

Return to our Homegrown section.

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