Daily garden visits ensure vegetables will be picked at the peak of perfection and not allowed to become overripe or spoil on the plant, attracting insects or animal scavengers.
Plants produce fruits and seeds to reproduce. Once a plant produces mature fruit, it quits putting energy into reproduction. (The plant quits making flowers and fruit.) If fruit is removed before it fully matures, however, the plant will try again, producing more fruit. Many plants produce so quickly that they need to be harvested every couple of days. These include okra, string beans, garden peas, cucumbers, summer squash, and tomatoes. Daily garden visits ensure vegetables will be picked at the peak of perfection and not allowed to become overripe or spoil on the plant, attracting insects or animal scavengers.