Production and Harvesting

Vegetable production requires only a small area of land and minimal outlay. What vegetables you decide to grow commercially depends on a variety of factors. Here you’ll find information on growing and harvesting vegetables, including potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, squash, corn, onions, garlic, broccoli, peppers, and asparagus. You’ll also find tips on high tunnel production, irrigation, pollinators, seeding, and transplanting.

How to Plant Vegetables

There is a wide variety of species and varieties to choose from if you want to grow vegetables commercially. Each has its own specific requirements when it comes to soil conditions, optimum growing temperature, essential nutrients, prime location, and cropping systems. You must also take weed and pest management into consideration.

When deciding on the best vegetables to grow, knowing the difference between cool-season and warm-season vegetables is key. First and last frost dates are also crucial to know. Cool-season plants are the first ones to plant, anytime from several weeks to a couple of months before the last frost date. Warm-season crops require higher air and soil temperatures and you should never plant them before the last frost date.

It’s important to note that you can extend the growing season with the use of high tunnels. The controlled environment and season extension characteristics of high tunnels widen the production opportunities for growers. Using hot beds is an option that’s more suited for small scale production.

Crop planning begins the year before, typically in early winter. Organize your crops in the winter and your production will be smoother. Plan the seed order, bed preparation schedule, greenhouse seeding, direct seeding, and transplanting schedule.

A harvest record sheet and detailed map are also useful. You may decide you want to grow fall-planted cover crops to improve soil health so these should feature into your schedule. Crop rotation is one of the most fundamental, best management practices and it requires careful planning when deciding where to plant your crops.

Growing Vegetable Plants

There are many different ways you can maximize your growing space, particularly in the small vegetable garden. Succession planting, interplanting, and relay planting are just a few options. Crop rotation is also key to successful vegetable production.

If you’re growing vegetables commercially, you may have to comply with the Product Safety Rule. This is one of the new federal food safety regulations written under the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Many factors can affect the growth of your vegetables. During the long hot days of summer, for example, some vegetables need heat-proofing and a little extra care, even when they’re heat-loving plants.

To help vegetable growers in the Mid-Atlantic region, Penn State Extension publishes Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations, which are updated every two years. Resources are also available for specific crops such as microgreens, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, and other specialty or novel vegetables.

Seeding and Transplanting Vegetables

Traditionally, there was a clear separation between vegetables you had to seed directly into the field and those that you could transplant. Now more and more vegetable crops are starting out as greenhouse transplants that you can plant in the field for crop production.

An important step in producing healthy vegetable transplants is the purchase of seed that is high-quality and disease-free. Knowing when to plant and transplant is also key, together with an understanding of seeds and seedling biology. When planting seeds directly into the field or transplanting seedlings, it’s vital that you create optimum conditions for their first few days in the field.

As your vegetable plants grow, some may need support, such as tomatoes. There are many ways you can do this including the construction of a trellis. You can also use stakes, cages, and the Florida Basket Weave method as support for the tomatoes, or you can leave them to grow on the ground unsupported.

Growing Vegetables in Containers

An increasing number of people are experimenting with growing vegetables in containers. Penn State Extension has been involved with trial plantings of fruiting vegetables in containers. As a result, General Recommendations for Growing Vegetables in Containers are available.

More detailed information is also available for specific crops such as:

• Container grown tomatoes: One of the most popular container vegetable crops and there are some excellent varieties available in seed catalogs and garden centers.
• Container grown cucumbers, zucchini, and squash: You can grow these very successfully; however, you’ll achieve the best results with container varieties.
• Container grown peppers: Look for varieties with “compact” or “for containers” on the label.
• Container grown eggplants: Varieties bred specifically to be compact are compatible with container culture and they not only look great but yield copious amounts of delicious fruits.

Vegetable Plants and Pollination

Vegetable plants that produce fruit require pollination in order to develop fruit. Bees are the stars when it comes to pollination. Everyone knows about the role of honeybees in crop production but native wild bees can be just as efficient pollinators as honeybees. You can encourage native bees into an area by providing a diverse and abundant food source and a place to build their nests. Pollinators play an important role in the setting of pumpkin fruit. The quality of the fruit is further enhanced by intensive pollinator activity. Wild bee populations play a key role in providing pollination of cucurbit crops.

Irrigation for Vegetable Production

Safe use of water is critical in fresh vegetable production. Drip or trickle irrigation is a very efficient method of applying water and nutrients to crops. Generally, vegetable crops require 1-1.5 inches of water per week. When plants are small, they need less, but as they grow their water requirements increase. The time it takes a drip system to apply 1 inch of water depends on the drip tube flow rate and the width the plant roots extend to.

Irrigation systems can be equally effective when you use them in the home garden. However, you must take care and winterize the drip irrigation system so it’s ready for spring.

Harvesting Vegetables

Most vegetables attain their best eating quality when allowed to ripen on the plant. However, when you grow vegetables commercially, harvesting often takes place before this time. You can find optimum times for harvesting in Penn State Extension’s Harvest Calendar.

It can be done by hand or mechanically, or a combination of both. A number of activities are involved when preparing for harvesting and during harvesting itself. As you harvest your crops, you must make sure you keep the produce as clean as possible in order to prevent contamination during harvest. Any water you use for washing produce must meet EPA microbial standards for drinking water. You must follow best practices for keeping produce fresh and safe from harvest through to packing and storage.