Gordon Johnson, Extension Vegetable & Fruit Specialist; gcjohn@udel.edu
In June we had 12 days with temperatures in the 90s, in July so far we have had 15 days with high temperatures 90°F or higher with 2 of those days at or over 100. What has this meant for vegetable crops in Delaware? First, yields are off in most crops from snap beans to sweet corn. The processing snap bean crop is one of the worst we have had in many years with low tonnage and split sets. Watermelon yields are variable with later planted fields with no middle set (crown and late, not much between). Most vegetable crops are at least 7 days earlier than normal with some running as much as 2 weeks early. We are likely to have a shortage of watermelons in late August and for the Labor Day market. Cantaloupe plantings are coming off early and together. And we have August to come – we need lower temperatures for our lima beans and other fall harvest crops to yield well.