How pick tomatoes / snip basil / harvest peppers so plant keeps growing?

Question

I'm a rookie backyard gardener eagerly watching my tomato plants, basil, and habanero pepper plant.

I see some of the fruit/herbs soon ready to pick or snip, but my question is how to you pick at them (or harvest each) w/o causing too much harm to the plant, and so the plant continues producing fruit / leaves? And will it produce in that same place from which I harvested?

Answer 1

You can lightly pluck them off the plant, don't snap the branch. Also each plant has limitations they won't just keep growing more and more if they can't. Hope that helps!

Answer 2

As soon as the tomatoes and peppers are ripe... pick em'.  More will follow.

Basil can be cut back and harvested anytime.  Try to avoid letting the plant bloom, flowers = bitter taste, pinch off the flowers before they open.  This is why you can keep cutting the basil and using it, because the basil will flush out with new leaves.

Here are some veggie harvesting basics:  http://www.ehow.com/how_4406526_guide-ha...