Dumb gardening question but , when a veggie is ready to b picked, how long can you wait until you DO actually pick it?

It really depends on the vegetable. Some like carrots just keep on growing until they are picked. Potatoes the same. Others like string beans have a short period of time before they become too mature to eat.

Yes, a week or two doesn't hurt them, unless they're smth like radish, you gotta be more careful with those.

Some things can wait awhile but others might get tough like green onions and others go to seed. Tomatoes need to be picked when vine ripe. Black eyed peas will dry out if you wait too long, they can still be used but it will take a lot longer to cook them. Zucchini’s will continue to grow and eventually get hard seeds in the middle

Anytime I tried to grow veggies the squirrels gnawed on them before they were even ripe.

A lot of stuff can just be picked when it's ripe and frozen. Or given away to others if you wanna make some friends.

depends on what it is & how many squirrels, rabbits, and deer live nearby. gardeners i know tend to pick stuff when it's ripe & go through different methods to freezing their stuff while preventing crystallizing the fruits/veg. or canning. or sharing with neighbors. i wouldn't let ripe produce go for more than a day or two.

iamnikki well it is not just a case of it rotting it may be attacked by slugs worms and other pests if you have storage space get them dug up or picked as soon as possible they will last a bit not harvested but it would be a pity to see your yield go to waste

You have so many great answers. I just wanted to say that an indoor garden would be amazing.

Pick as soon as it's ready. You can always freeze it. Check how to do that. Some veggies have to be blanched.

Pick it and share with the less fortunate

it depends on the veggie and possible insects and animals that might want to eat that veggie.