300 plus day growing season?

[James]

Well its true here in south Texas we have 300 plus days to grow crops. Heck we even have orange groves. On any given day theres 300 plus trucks carrying produce north to the markets. So whats your growing season like??

[MoniDew]

I am insanely jealous! You must have fabulous farmer's markets there!

I'm in zone 6b, which is April 15th-Oct15th. 180 days. Long by some standards, I guess, but it still gets below freezing here.

[James]

Thats the sad part, its All commercial production, if you want fresh. produce you go 2 the flea markets, or along side the road 2 vendors.. right now 1st crop seedless watermelons sell for 3/$5.00 in the store there $5.00 each. and thats just the start, after the seasons over you can go into the feilds and pick whats left at many of the fields..

[Sinfonian]

I know mine is nothing to write home about, but I don't think I've ever quantified it before. Good question.

Of course I need to qualify my answer. You see, our cool-weather crop season can be helped along starting in April, maybe even March. Then on the backside you can harvest fall crops into December if similarly extended. So what's that, roughly 180 to 210?

Now if you're talking solely summer or heat loving crops, our tomato season is May to September/October. So on the outside we're talking 150, or half that of the Great State of Texas. Hehe. Of course that 150 only counts the time in the ground. I started my tomato seeds in February, adding 90 days of actual growing season, despite being indoors.

That said, my working theory is that the better your growing climate the greater the magnitude of pest problems you have. My climate may be too moderate but we have relatively minor pest issues. /shrug

[James]

yes there are disadvantages to A 300 plus day season, such as you need to irrigate crops 7-8 times A year. spring planting starts in Jan. and the season lage for july /aug. then goes till dec. unless you talk citrus orchards they start picking in sept and finish i march, when the trees are blooming. 1015 onions are plante on 10/15 and harvested in april of the year. so in reallity theres crops growing 12 months round..