Between now and November the most common phrase in my Google search history will be "when to harvest..." followed by the common name of a first year plant in my garden that is showing signs of being nearly there.In general, operating on a need-to-know-basis with my garden works well for me. A quick search told me that I have some time before my first year spaghetti squash will need to be harvested.
But it's not without it's misses too. I mistakenly expected my first year zucchini to continue to grow at something like the rate they did from the 1" to 4" phase. One of the young zucchini shot to 11" and a whopping 1 lbs. in just two days! Researching revealed that I had missed the mark on this one and would need to watch more closely to catch them at the 6"-9" size for the best flavor and texture.
I do look forward to the day when I have grown my staple cultivars so many times that much of it becomes second nature to me. But I will always experiment a little too, trying new plants and varieties to keep this learn-as-you-grow wonder alive.For the record, my overgrown zucchini was still delicious and I don't think it was just because it was the first one.