

Related: Find First and Last Frost Dates Accurately with This Custom Planting CalendarĪnd that leads to another important factor that affects days to maturity…Ĭertain cool-weather crops, like radishes, carrots, cabbage, and peas, can be sown in spring or fall.īut while these plants grow quickly in spring, they tend to take their sweet time in fall as the amount of sunlight each day starts to shrink. With little other information, one can assume that days to maturity refers to how the seed is started.įor seeds that are usually sowed directly in the soil, like corn and radishes, time to maturity is measured from the day the seed germinates to the day the plant is harvested.įor seeds that are usually started indoors first and then planted in the garden, like tomatoes and peppers, time to maturity is measured from the day you transplant the seedlings in the soil to the day you pick the first ripe fruit.Įven then, the timing can vary widely because one person might sow their seeds earlier, when the soil is cooler and day length is shorter, while another person might start their seeds later under more favorable conditions. Many others, however, list only the days-which leaves you to wonder whether you start counting from the date you sowed the seed, the date the seed sprouted, or the date you set the transplant in the garden. Some seed catalogs and seed packets are self-explanatory and will list days to maturity from seed, or days to maturity from transplant. This is where things start getting tricky. Some people like to pick baby leaves off lettuce as they grow, while others wait for the lettuce to form heads before picking the whole plant. Palm-sized zucchini can be harvested with their blossoms still attached, or anywhere from 6 inches to 12 inches long (or even larger). You can harvest tender baby carrots at 3 inches long, or wait until they’re 8 inches long. Related: 10 Fast-Growing Vegetables You Can Harvest in 40 Days or Less However, keep in mind that many vegetables can be picked at various stages, so maturity, in these cases, can span a range of up to three months depending on when you consider the crop to be ready for harvest.
GARDEN STORY GAME SEED POUCH FULL
It’s also the point in which leafy greens (like bok choy and cabbage) are full grown and have formed a head or rosette. It’s when beans and peas are at their optimal size, flavor, and texture for eating. It is generally accepted that maturity is the point in which you can start picking vegetables, whether they’re ripened fruits (like tomatoes and eggplants), fully-formed but still tightly-closed flower buds (like broccoli and artichokes), or full-sized roots (like beets and radishes). When it comes to vegetables, however, maturity is not so well defined.

Plant maturity is a term used with annual flowers and vegetables to indicate when the plants flower or set fruit. A note on “days to maturity” for a vegetable start.
GARDEN STORY GAME SEED POUCH HOW TO
How to use “days to maturity” to help you be a better gardener.Environmental stressors can also affect days to maturity.

