Determining Days to Maturity

Reader Contribution by Cindy Conner

When you look at the details of seed varieties, one of the bits of information you will find is “days to maturity.” That is the expected time it will take from planting the seed or transplant in the ground until you can expect a harvest. In my garden planning DVD and in my book, Grow a Sustainable Diet, I advise you to use that number of days when determining when you might expect to begin harvesting the crops you are planting. You could record that information on a Plant/Harvest Schedule so you know what to expect throughout the season. Until you have more experience with the specific varieties you are growing, that is a good way to begin. If you keep even the most minimum of records, such as writing on a calendar when you planted something and when the harvest started, you will begin to have a more accurate guide for your garden planning.

My mind was on days to maturity this summer when I had to plan to grow the snap beans for our son’s August 2 wedding. You can find out more about that wedding planning at HomeplaceEarth. I usually grow Provider bush beans to can. It is quick maturing (42 days in my garden) and reliable. I am comfortable with the two week harvest window and pick four times during those two weeks. The harvest is a little lighter on the first and last pickings, but not significantly. When I worked things out on the Plant/Harvest Schedule, I realized that I would have to plant these beans as soon as we returned from a week-long trip. Knowing things can pop up unexpectedly that might delay planting at that time, I wanted to put the beans in the ground before we left. I needed to find a bean that would mature a week later.

The seed catalogs list Provider at 50 days. I decided upon Jade and Gold Rush to grow for the wedding feast. They were both listed at 55 days. Since Provider beans are actually ready to harvest at my place after 42 days, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the first picking of Jade and Gold Rush happened on 47 days after planting. The seed catalog had listed them as maturing five days later. What I wasn’t prepared for was quantity of Gold Rush beans I would have that first picking — two thirds of what would be the total harvest was ready that day! The following week, on day 54, the harvest yielded two thirds of what would be the total harvest for the Jade beans. I suppose if you were used to growing these varieties, you would look forward to, and plan for, a bulk harvest such as this. For me, I’ll go back to growing Provider beans.

I think I will grow yellow beans again, though. I used to grow them long ago and don’t know why I stopped. I liked to can them with some of the green beans. I remember yellow beans as maturing later than the green beans I was growing in my market garden. I could can the green and yellow beans separately whenever they come in, but it would be fun to can them together. In that case, I would want to make sure the harvests overlap. If I planted Provider and Gold Rush at the same time, the bulk of the Gold Rush harvest would come in the middle of the Provider harvest window. Another variety may have a harvest that would be more spread out. Gold Rush had straight pods that I wanted for the wedding, since the beans would be cooked whole. For canning they would be cut up, so curled beans would be fine if a curled variety would better meet the harvest times. If I found a yellow variety that would have a two week harvest, with amounts the same as Provider, I would pay attention to the days to maturity. If they matured a week later, I could plant them a week before Provider beans and be picking both varieties at the same time.

When you begin gardening, the particular varieties may not be as important to you. A harvest of any kind of snap beans would be welcome. Once you notice all the nuances of each variety, life can get more interesting. My focus here was the harvest window and days to maturity. Other things to pay attention to would be taste, color, and shape. Sometimes it is a memory that drives you to grow a certain variety. If wonderful memories of your grandmother handing you a ripe tomato in her garden when you were young pop into your mind when you encounter tomatoes, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the variety you would choose for your garden.

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