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Days to harvest: planning the cycle from sowing to plate

Every cultivar runs a fairly predictable cycle from sowing (or transplant) to harvest, and the figure is usually printed right on the seed packet. Rough numbers: lettuce 50–70 days, cherry tomato 65–80 days, common tomato 90–110 days, carrot 80–100 days, sweet corn 90–120 days, soybean 90–150 days, common bean 70–90 days, basil 60–80 days. Coffee is the slow one — its first commercial crop comes around 3 years after planting. Packets also flag a cultivar as early, mid-season or late, and that alone can move the harvest by weeks. Cold, weak light and water stress drag the cycle out; when conditions are right, it tightens up.

Applications

Laying out a backyard vegetable garden, running a small family farm with crop rotation, succession planting (a new sowing every 2–3 weeks so something is always ready), timing top-dressing and pest control to the right phenological stage, meeting supply commitments at markets or CSA box programs, and working out when you'll need extra hands for the harvest.

FAQ

Is the cycle counted from sowing or transplant? It depends on the packet, so read the label. Plenty of vegetables (tomato, lettuce, brassicas) count days from transplant, while crops you seed straight into the ground (carrot, beet, beans) count from sowing.

Why does my real cycle differ from the calculator? Growth responds to temperature, day length, how fertile the soil is and how much water the plant gets. Winter crops grown in subtropical Brazil can run 20–30 % longer than the packet promises.

Can I speed up the cycle? Up to a point. Decent soil prep, balanced feeding, steady irrigation and picking an early cultivar all shave off a few days. A greenhouse raises the temperature and gives fruiting crops a real boost through winter.