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Vegetables

The mild winter, cold spring, extremely dry summer and favorable fall each had an impact on vegetable production this season. The mild winter allowed spring planting to start early. Temperature and rainfall averages were below normal during April and May, but topsoil moisture remained adequate. Growing conditions were favorable and spring vegetable quality was generally good. The lack of rainfall into the summer caused dry conditions which interrupted summer crop plantings and growth. In South Jersey, topsoil moisture averaged less than 25 percent of capacity during mid-August and mid-September causing irrigation to be used where available. Summer vegetables were hurt by the lack of moisture which contributed to a below average crop. Conditions improved in the fall, producing a good fall vegetable crop. The season's totals reflected growing conditions during the year. Harvested acres showed a 1 percent increase from the previous year while corresponding production was down 16 percent.

Harvested acres for the eleven principal fresh market vegetables during 1995 totaled 33,000 acres, down 1,100 acres from 1994's harvested area. Production totaled 4,118,000 hundredweight, a decrease of 23 percent from the 5,370,000 hundredweight in 1994. Average yields, at 125 hundredweight, were down 32 hundredweight from the previous year.

Bell peppers and spinach were the only fresh market vegetables which had an increase in harvested acres from 1994 to 1995. Sweet corn showed the greatest decrease in harvested acres, down 500 acres to 8,500. The season average price remained unchanged from 1994 at $25 per hundredweight for the eleven fresh market vegetables. The constant season average price coupled with the decrease in production led to a 24 percent drop in the value of production from 1994 to 1995.

Tomatoes replaced bell peppers as the number one fresh vegetable crop based on value of production. Rankings of New Jersey's principal fresh market vegetables based on value of production indicated tomatoes were first with a value of $26.7 million followed by bell peppers at $24.4 million. Rounding out the top five were sweet corn ($11.3 million), head lettuce ($8.7 million) and cucumbers ($7.8 million).

Harvested acres for the seven major processing vegetables (tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green peas, snap beans, lima beans and sweet corn) increased 15 percent from 1994. Sweet corn played a major role, increasing from 10,130 harvested acres in 1994 to 11,700 acres in 1995. Total production at 72,880 tons was up from 61,990 tons in 1994. The season average price decreased from $119.10 per ton in 1994 to $116.10 in 1995. Increased production more than offset the decrease in the season average price as value of production increased from $7.4 million to $8.5 million, an increase of $1.1 million.

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