OK, just in case you are wondering, DTM is Days to Maturity, GDD is growing degree days and of course, DB is database.
Many seeds list DTM but IME it is about as reliable as horoscopes. GDD is far more reliable though of course, soil, rainfall, type and amount of nuits, etc. play a role. But what I would like to do is create a DB, based on the results of dozens or even hundreds of growers for as many transplanted veggies as possible.
In the US, it seems many university extension services (or similar) list the accumulated GDD for locations. OSU does it based on Zip Codes.
This project will not require much time, effort or even scientific knowledge.
1) List the variety of plant
2) Record the number of GDDs when transplanted
3) Record the number of GDDs when the fruit is ripe
4) Post the info here or send it to me along with your location along with a note if you had far from normal growing conditions (last year, we set a record for the wettest July on record, this year we had maybe the driest August-October ever, or at least in the last 70 years).
What value is this? Let's say the average number of GDDs needed to harvest a ripe Red Savina is 2600. Data is available (at least in OH) to show how long after transplanting in Mid-May it takes to accumulate that amount. That means this year I should have ripe pepper about August 21, giving a DTM of ~95 days - based on this year's temps. If I had planted the same plant in 2009, it would not have produced peppers until ~September 15. That would mean the DTM is 120!
Anecdotal evidence: Last year, I had very, very few ripe tomatoes until the middle of August and the hot peppers took until almost mid-September to ripen. This year, everything was at least three weeks ahead.
If you are interested in doing this, please post here or e-mail me. I'll keep a log next year and update the results.
TIA,
Mike
Many seeds list DTM but IME it is about as reliable as horoscopes. GDD is far more reliable though of course, soil, rainfall, type and amount of nuits, etc. play a role. But what I would like to do is create a DB, based on the results of dozens or even hundreds of growers for as many transplanted veggies as possible.
In the US, it seems many university extension services (or similar) list the accumulated GDD for locations. OSU does it based on Zip Codes.
This project will not require much time, effort or even scientific knowledge.
1) List the variety of plant
2) Record the number of GDDs when transplanted
3) Record the number of GDDs when the fruit is ripe
4) Post the info here or send it to me along with your location along with a note if you had far from normal growing conditions (last year, we set a record for the wettest July on record, this year we had maybe the driest August-October ever, or at least in the last 70 years).
What value is this? Let's say the average number of GDDs needed to harvest a ripe Red Savina is 2600. Data is available (at least in OH) to show how long after transplanting in Mid-May it takes to accumulate that amount. That means this year I should have ripe pepper about August 21, giving a DTM of ~95 days - based on this year's temps. If I had planted the same plant in 2009, it would not have produced peppers until ~September 15. That would mean the DTM is 120!
Anecdotal evidence: Last year, I had very, very few ripe tomatoes until the middle of August and the hot peppers took until almost mid-September to ripen. This year, everything was at least three weeks ahead.
If you are interested in doing this, please post here or e-mail me. I'll keep a log next year and update the results.
TIA,
Mike
