Days to Harvest Calculator

Calculate how long until your vegetables will be ready to harvest based on its average days to maturity from seed or seedling transplant, and the plant date. Chart below shows average days to maturity for many popular vegetables.

Plant Date:

Enter date seeds planted, or seedlings transplanted

Days to Maturity:

Number of days to mature/harvest from seed or seedling

Vegetable:

(Optional) Specify vegetable you are growing

If other, plant name:

(Optional) Use if not in above list

Note: When you run this calculator the plant date you enter is saved in a temporary (session) cookie so you do not have re-enter if running the calculator multiple times while visiting our site. The cookie is automatically deleted when your browser closes.

Entry Fields

In the Plant Date field, enter the date you planted the seed or seedling. If you can't remember the exact date, try to think of the nearest event since Spring ushers in many special occasions: did you plant just before or after Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day?

In the Days to Maturity, enter the number of days until the vegetable is known to mature, when you can start harvesting and eating your garden. More on days to maturity below.

Optionally, you can select the Vegetable for which you are calculating from this drop-down field. If not in the list, leave this field empty, and enter the name of the plant in the other plant name. The plant's name is used descriptively on the calculator's results.

About Calculator

You've planted your seeds indoors early in the season, or planted outdoors after the last threat of frost, and now you wait while, of course, watering as needed, inspecting for insect/other disease, and watching your plants for signs of growth and pollination.

Use this calculator to find out approximately when you can expect to start harvesting your veggies, based on when you planted and the vegetable's maturity days.

What is Days to Maturity?

A vegetable's days to maturity is the time it takes from planting a seed or seedling until it is ready to be harvested - and consumed!

In most cases, the days to maturity is a close approximation of when the plant will produce its vegetable, but is often not exact since environmental factors including too much rain or excessive heat can slow down or expedite vegetable growth.

Do Vegetables Mature At Same Time?

Some vegetables mature and are harvested just once during the season, usually within a short period of time from when it has matured. This is the case for many root vegetables such as carrots, radishes and potatoes; Determinate tomatoes such as Roma Tomatoes; Pumpkins and winter squash typically grow all season, for harvesting in early Fall.

Which Vegetables Produce Throughout Growing Season?

Many vegetables produce throughout the summer. Once the plant reaches its maturity date and the first crop is ready for picking, more are continually growing, as long as conditions permit.

Indeterminate (vining) tomatoes, like Early Girl, many cherry varieties, Beefsteak and Brandywine tomatoes, produce all season, as do many varieties of lettuce, sweet peppers and cucumbers, and more; Herbs can also be harvested throughout the season - Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Dill - to name just a few!

How Do I Know Days to Maturity for My Vegetable Plants?

There are several ways to know how long it will take for your vegetable plants to mature:

Experience - If you've grown vegetables previously and are planting the same varieties or cultivars, you likely have expertise in knowing how long the plant takes to mature, and when a vegetable is ready for harvesting. You are your own source!
Seed Packet Instructions - If you are growing vegetables from seed, the package should indicate days to maturity, as well as best times to plant for your growing zone.
Seedling Card - If you have purchased seedlings from your local nursery or big box store, there is usually a card in the dirt identifying the vegetable or herb having its days to maturity. If the card is missing, someone in the gardening store should be able to provide growing info.

Tip: Many gardeners transfer this card to the garden when planting the seedling. You might want to also write the date of planting on it for easy reference.
Online and Offline Resources - There are a large number of resources both online and offline on planting just about any vegetable, along with related harvesting information.

Two well known sources available for over 200 years, are The Farmers' Almanac, since 1818, and The Old Farmer's Almanac, since 1792.

Many land-grant universities in the United States have farm extension programs, often with online sites where you can find extensive information for planting a wide variety of vegetables.

What's My Growing Zone in the USA?

Where you live is important for the plants you grow, since climates vary widely, and determine how early you can plant seeds or transplants outside, and how long your growing season is. For example, your growing season in Northern Maine will be vastly shorter than in Southern California.

To find out the zone where you live, use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Your location's zone is particularly important when planting perennials. The perennials you buy at a nursery or big box garden store should indicate the zone, or minimum temperature to which it can be exposed. That should align with your zone; Otherwise think twice about buying it since it may not survive your winters.

Average Days to Maturity Vegetable Chart

The chart below has average days to maturity for many common vegetables. However, average is not the same as specific information on your plants. Moreover, there are so many varieties of many vegetables (1000s of tomato varieties!), and where you live also affects grow time.

Important: Use this reference with the caveat that it may not match your plant's growing time! See the section above for more info: How Do I Know Days to Maturity for My Vegetable Plants?

Click or tap on any vegetable, and the Time to Harvest Entry form will be filled in with the vegetable name and its average days to maturity.

Vegetable Name	Average Maturity Days	Min Maturity Days	Max Maturity Days
Beans (String, Bush)	62	45	60
Beets	60	50	70
Broccoli	57	50	65
Brussels Sprouts	90	80	100
Cabbage	75	60	90
Carrots	75	60	90
Cauliflower	65	55	80
Corn (Sweet)	85	70	105
Cucumbers (Pickling)	60	55	65
Cucumbers (Slicing)	60	50	70
Eggplants	80	75	90
Lettuce	50	45	60
Onions	100	90	120
Peas (Snow, Snap)	70	55	85
Peppers (Hot)	75	60	90
Peppers (Sweet)	80	70	90
Potatoes	100	90	120
Pumpkins	100	85	120
Radishes	30	25	40
Spinach	50	40	60
Tomatoes	80	70	90
Tomatoes (Cherry)	60	50	70
Tomatoes (Early Girl)	55	50	60
Tomatoes (Roma)	75	70	80
Watermelon	90	80	100
Winter Squash	100	80	120
Zucchini / Summer Squash	50	40	60
Min = Minimum; Max = Maximum