In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

• Ask a question

« The thrill of planting seeds | In the Garden front page | Don't miss the San Francisco garden show »

March 10, 2008

How many days until harvest?

When a seed packet states the number of days to maturity, is that day measured from the day the seed is planted or from the day of germination?
Dan Egan, Willits

A: The backs of seed packets contain a wealth of information designed to help gardeners be successful. So the seed companies try, in a tiny nutshell, to give you all the bits of advice you’ll need.

Days to maturity means the number of days it takes from the time you plant the seed until you harvest the first piece of fruit. Spinach takes 30 to 70 days, depending on the variety. Most varieties of sweet corn take 70 to 75 days, but can vary from 64 to 89 days. The sugary hybrid ‘Silver Queen’ takes 92 days. Radishes can take as few as 21 days, though an heirloom variety called Watermelon takes 60 days. Move to pumpkins and melons, and suddenly you’re dealing with crops that take as many as 120 days.

It’s an important number because it lets you figure out if your growing season is long enough for that particular vegetable to sprout and grow to maturity. Knowing how many days it takes a vegetable to sprout lets you plan ahead. You can take your last frost date, work backwards and figure out the best time to plant seeds so that the weather is mild enough when they’re ready to transplant into the garden.

That said, there are a few things you can do to speed up the process, and, by the same token, things you might do inadvertently to slow it.

If you plant outside, and the soil isn’t warm enough, the seed will sit and wait until soil temperatures warm to above 50 to 55 degrees. Bean seeds planted in cold, damp ground will rot.

If you’re planting in plastic or peat pots indoors or in a greenhouse with bottom heat, the seed might sprout more quickly.

The number isn’t exact because every situation is different. It’s just a guide.

Ask a question

Please use the form below to submit your question. Because there is a 100-word limit for questions, a word counter is located directly beneath the box where you enter the your question.