Debate: Should you leave mutant veggies to grow or pick them early? I've got two examples from my garden.

Last month I had a tomato that looked like a weird alien with three lobes growing together. I left it on the vine to see what would happen, and it got this big fungal spot that spread to the other tomatoes near it. But then 3 years ago I had a carrot that split into two legs like a tiny person, and I pulled it early to show my neighbors before it rotted. Now I'm wondering if other folks here have a rule for when to let the freaky ones keep growing versus harvesting them for the weirdness factor. What do you do when your garden gives you a mutant?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona73718d ago

I'd pull that tomato early too, better safe than sorry.

white.grant17d ago

Have you ever had one of those tomatoes that looks perfect on the outside but is all green and hard inside when you cut it open? That happened to me last week with a big beefsteak I was so excited for. I think pulling them early is smart because you can always let them ripen on the counter. Plus, once they start showing those first signs of rot or splitting, it's a race against time. I'd rather have a slightly underripe tomato than lose the whole thing to bugs or a sudden cold snap. Do you usually let yours finish on the vine or do you pick them early too?