Days to harvest, by crop
The spread within a single crop is wider than most seed packets suggest — often 40 days between the earliest and the latest variety.
How these figures were calculated
Every variety in the catalogue carries a days-to-harvest figure from the supplier. The table below takes the lowest value for each variety, then reports the minimum, the median and the maximum across the crop, with the number of varieties included.
Treat the median as the planning number and the minimum as the optimistic one. Days to harvest is measured from transplant for most crops and from sowing for direct-sown ones, so it is never directly comparable between crops — use it within a row, not across rows.
The table
Why the range matters
If you are succession sowing to keep a supply going, the slowest variety is often the better choice — it holds in the ground longer before it bolts or over-matures. If you are sowing late and hoping for a crop before frost, pick from the fast end. The named varieties in the right-hand column are the quickest in each crop.
Caveats worth stating
- Days to harvest assumes reasonable light and warmth. Cold spring soil adds weeks.
- Figures are supplier-stated, not measured by us in a trial.
- Harvest start is not peak harvest; a "60 day" tomato is 60 days to the first ripe fruit, not to a full picking.
Questions
What is the fastest lettuce to harvest?
The earliest lettuce in the catalogue reaches harvest around 40 days. Loose-leaf types are consistently faster than hearting types, which take 65 to 90 days.
Why do seed packets disagree about days to harvest?
They measure from different starting points — sowing versus transplanting — and from different climates. Use the figure to compare varieties within a crop, not as a promise.
How many days from sowing to harvest for tomatoes?
Most catalogued tomatoes run 65 to 85 days from transplant to first ripe fruit, which is roughly 100 to 130 days from sowing indoors.
Cite this page:
DarkGrow Seed Bank, “Days to harvest by crop — reference ranges from 891 varieties”, https://seedbank.dirvenbank.com/reference/days-to-harvest.html (accessed ).
Figures compiled for 891 catalogue varieties.
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