Rob M. | Spring Harvest Dates - Data
May 1, 2012 at 2:13 pm |
The arrival of blueberries this week marks the earliest blueberry harvest that we have seen since starting Papa Spud's. Over the years we have seen growers pushing the seasonal limits further and further, and extending growing seasons significantly on a number of products. The early blueberry harvest is largely the result of the mild winter we had, but is also at least partly attributable to innovative techniques used at Lewis Farms to extend strawberry and now blueberry production further into the off season.
The following chart shows first harvest dates over the past 3 years for a number of popular Spring products. As you can see the dates are steady for a number of products, while others have made clear and significant pushes toward earlier harvest dates and consequently longer seasons.
................................2010.........2011........2012.....
Arugula.....................4/12.........4/12.........4/24......
Asparagus.................4/8..........3/29.........3/27......
Blueberries...............5/25.........5/17..........5/1.......
Cucumbers................6/1..........4/19*........4/10*.....
Lettuce, Green..........5/4..........4/19..........5/1.......
Lettuce, Red..............5/4..........4/26.........4/24.....
Lettuce, Romaine......5/4...........5/3...........5/1.......
Peas..........................5/4..........4/19.........4/24......
Strawberries..............4/13........4/19.........4/10......
Tomatoes..................3/16*.......3/22*........1/31*....
*Greenhouse grown
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