Garden Experience - 2017

We had a relatively successful experience with our garden this year.  The following shows 1) what we planted, 2) whether it was first planted in a greenhouse, 3) date it was first planted (unless perennial), 4) days to harvest (based on packet info), 5) estimated date it would be harvested (based on DtoH), 6) actual date it was first harvested, and 7) score (0 = no harvest, 1-9 = poor to excellent, based on a composite of yield. flavor, disease resistance, etc., but mostly yield).  The score could be partly a reflection of the type of weather we had this year (relatively wet), location within garden (shade and soil quality differences), and other variables.

Crop sorted alphabetically	GH	Plant	DToH	EstHarv	ActualHarv	Score
Apple tree	No	Perenn	N/A	15-Jul	xxx	0
Asparagus	No	Perenn	N/A	1-Apr	3-Apr	8
Beets 'Red Ace'	No	21-Mar	50	10-May	9-Jun	8
Blueberries “Pink'	No	Perenn	N/A	1-Jul	xxx	0
Blueberries 'Sunshine Blue'	No	Perenn	N/A	1-Jul	5-Jul	2
Broccoli 'Green Magic'	No	22-Mar	57	18-May	16-Jun	7
Bush Beans 'Blue Lake Bush 274'	No	8-May	70	17-Jul	28-Jun	9
Cabbage 'Capture F1'	No	22-Mar	87	17-Jun	15-Jul	2
Cabbage 'Stonehead'	No	6-Mar	67	12-May	12-Jun	7
Cantaloupe 'Sarah's Choice''	Yes	18-Mar	76	2-Jun	13-Jul	2
Carrots 'Nantes'	No	21-Mar	70	30-May	18-Jun	4
Cauliflower 'Snow Crown'	No	22-Mar	60	21-May	13-Jul	1
Cherry tree	No	Perenn	N/A	15-Jul	xxx	0
Corn1 'Early Sunglow Hybrid'	Yes	10-Apr	63	12-Jun	28-Jun	7
Corn2 'Xtra-Tender 20173'	No	28-Apr	73	10-Jul	14-Jul	9
Corn3 'Hawaiian Supersweet #9'	No	10-May	83	1-Aug	11-Aug	6
Cowpeas (not purple hull)	No	25-May	80	13-Aug	18-Sep	3
Cucumber 'Dasher II'	Yes	18-Mar	58	15-May	9-Jun	2
Lettuce -- blend (stayed in GH)	GH	18-Jan	60	19-Mar	20-Mar	8
Mesclun (spicy mix, sweet mix)	GH	18-Jan	45	4-Mar	10-Mar	8
Onions, green generic	No	21-Mar	60	20-May	13-May	8
Onions, sweet 'Candy'	No	21-Mar	110	9-Jul	7-Jul	7
Peach tree	No	Perenn	N/A	15-Jul	9-Jul	7
Pear tree 'Bartlett'	No	Perenn	N/A	15-Jul	xxx	0
Peas, edible pod 'Dwarf Sugar'	No	21-Mar	60	20-May	13-May	4
Peas, edible pod 'Snowbird'	No	21-Mar	58	18-May	20-May	8
Peppers, baby bell 'Bellafina'	Yes	18-Mar	80	6-Jun	28-Jul	5
Plum tree	No	Perenn	N/A	15-Jul	27-Jun	2
Potato 'Kennebec'	No	24-Mar	90	22-Jun	1-Jul	8
Pumpkin	Yes	2-Apr	110	21-Jul	21-Jul	3
Radishes 'Sparkler'	No	21-Mar	25	15-Apr	24-Apr	8
Raspberries	No	Perenn	N/A	1-Jun	1-Jun	9
Rhubarb (Victoria)	No	Perenn	N/A	9-Jun	16-Jun	4
Soybeans, 'Tohya'	No	19-Jun	78	5-Sep	11-Aug	5
Spinach 'Palco Hybrid'	GH	18-Mar	50	7-May	5-May	6
Squash 'Straightneck'	Yes	18-Mar	50	7-May	18-May	8
Squash 'Waltham Butternut'	Yes	2-Apr	105	16-Jul	29-Jul	3
Strawberries	No	Perenn	N/A	1-May	1-May	5
Sweet Potato 'Evangeline'	No	20-Apr	120	18-Aug	1-Nov	9
Tomato 'Beefmaster'	Yes	18-Mar	77	3-Jun	28-Jun	6
Tomato 'Better Boy'	Yes	24-Apr	70	15-Jun	1-Jul	6
Tomato 'Pink Ponderosa'	Yes	18-Mar	77	3-Jun	6-Jul	5
Tomato 'Rutgers'	Yes	8-Mar	70	17-May	17-Jun	6
Tomato, cherry type	Yes	18-Mar	77	3-Jun	9-Jun	8
Tomato, hybrid 'BHN 589'	Yes	18-Mar	75	1-Jun	15-Jul	7
Tomato, roma 'Speckled Roman'	Yes	18-Mar	85	11-Jun	9-Jul	4
Watermelon 'Sugar Baby'	Yes	2-Apr	80	21-Jun	1-Aug	4
Zucchini	Yes	20-Apr	45	4-Jun	26-Jun	2

We have observed that some crops can be poor one year and excellent the next, vice versa.  For example, we planted our beets in a 2" wide, 6" deep trench of worm dirt this year (made by digging with a pick), and they did great; previous years, they have been a near complete failure.  Second example, the last two years, our plum tree was loaded with plums; this year hardly any.  Third example, all previous years, cucumbers had done quite well; this year, planted in a newly installed soil, the same variety hardly produced anything, and died prematurely.

Looking at the comparison of estimated vs actual harvest dates, I noticed that crops planted extra early, especially those first planted in the greenhouse then transplanted to the field, tended to reach harvest considerably later than expected.  Whereas crops planted late, came in more quickly than expected, most notably the bush beans and soybeans.  The two anomalies, to me, were the cowpeas and the peppers (Bella Fina type).  Both remained vegetative longer than expected before reaching the flowering stage, and I'm not sure why.  I honestly don't believe it is because of excessive nitrogen application, which can always be a culprit.  My guess is that it may be a daylength response.