Total Newbie Question on When to Pick

[purplemamaz]

DH and I have embarked on our first veggie garden this year! It's going pretty well and we do have "fruit" on the vines. My question is, how do you know when to pick stuff? I picked a zucchini last week and it was delicious but the pickling cucumber I picked was very bitter (know you are supposed to pickle them but I still don't think it was ready). I'm especially curious about when to pick the corn because some of them look ready. Seasoned gardeners, please advise! TIA!

We have:
Zucchini
Yellow crookneck squash
corn
pickling cucumbers
bell pepper
basil
tomatoes (I think I know when to pick those, when they "fall off" in to your hands right?)

[StephandOwen]

With the zucchini and squash- I pick when they're about as long as my hand is (fingertip to wrist). Much bigger than that and the seeds get too big for my liking. If you like them bigger- just leave them on the plant longer

basil- whenever you want some leaves. Keep picking the leaves and they'll keep growing more.

tomatoes- red, ripe and juicy

the others I'm not sure.... hope someone else chimes in!

[cristeen]

We have:
Zucchini / Yellow crookneck squash - pick them when they're a decent size. Usually I go for ones that are about as big around as a golf ball. You don't want to let them get BIG, because then the seeds become inedible and the flesh turns spongey.
corn - the tassles should be brown
pickling cucumbers - this one I don't know
bell pepper - pick them by color. If you planted red peppers, pick them when they're fully red unless you want greens.
basil - pick individual leaves at any time. If you start seeing flower shoots, pinch them off. If frost is coming, you can pull the whole plant.
tomatoes (I think I know when to pick those, when they "fall off" in to your hands right?) - some breeds will never do that (you'll need clippers). You want them to be the right color, slightly soft to the touch, and heavy for their size. For cherries, you go by color and texture alone (if they're still rock hard they're not ripe enough).