Cool and rainy weather held back Ohio vegetable shipments at the start of the season in early June as the season got underway with radishes, mustard greens, turnip greens and cilantro, and by late June lettuce was added.
Weirs Farm Inc. of Willard, OH reports green onion loadings got underway by the end of June and yellow squash, zuchinni and cucumbers were launched in early July. Hot peppers will start up in August.
In early June, Buurma Farms of Williard, OH was shipping radishes, turnips, mustard greens, cilantro, parsley and soon was followed by green leaf, red leaf, romaine, endive, escarole and boston lettuce. Curly parsely and baby dill started June 10th and green onions and beets got undeway in the last half of June.
Cucumbers and zucchini started in early July.
Buurma Farms will have supplies well into October or early November, depending upon when the first good frost occurs.
Wholesaler DNO Produce of Columbus, OH sells bulk wholesale and value-added fresh local produce to retail and foodservice companies. Besides vegetables the wholesaler handles a lot of Ohio apples and this past season sold storage apples up until early May, which is a lot longer than normal.
New varieties like the EverCrisp have helped extend the Ohio apple season.
2018 acreage
USDA statistics from 2018 showed sweet corn as the top Ohio vegetable crop, with 9,800 acres, followed by tomatoes (5,500 acres), pumpkins (4,000 acres), cucumbers (1,900 acres) and bell peppers (1,500 acres).
2017 acreage
The 2017 Census of Agriculture notes open-field vegetable acreage — both fresh and processing — in Ohio in 2017 totaled 35,298 acres, about the same as 35,553 acres in 2012, but down from 47,014 acres in 2007.
Fresh market open-field vegetable acreage in 2017 totaled 25,966 in 2017, down from 27,061 acres in 2012 and off sharply from 33,333 acres in 2007.
2017 vegetable acreage, compared with 2012:
> Fresh market asparagus: 152 acres in 2017, up from 69 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market snap beans: 2,637 acres in 2017, up from 2,305 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market beets: 172 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market broccoli: 92 acres in 2017, up from 56 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market cabbage: 1,459 acres in 2017, up from 69 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market cantaloupe: 406 acres in 2017, down from 444 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market carrots: 108 in 2017, up from 23 acres in 2012;
> Combined fresh and processed cauliflower: 78 acres in 2017, up from 16 acres in 2012;
> Fresh celery: 7 acres in 2017, up from 1 acres in 2012;
> Combined fresh and processed collard greens: 181 acres in 2017, down from 183 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market cucumbers: 598 in 2017, up from 300 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market daikon: 28 acres in 2017, up from 1 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market eggplant: 109 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market escarole and endive: 55 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market garlic: 90 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market herbs: 458 acres in 2017, up from 261 acres n 2012;
> Fresh market honeydew: 10 acres in 2017, up from 2 acres in 2012;
> Fresh and processed kale: 271 acres in 2017, up from 107 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market lettuce: 429 acres in 2017, up from 306 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market head lettuce: 122 acres in 2017, up from 28 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market leaf lettuce: 299 acres in 2017, up from 220 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market romaine lettuce: 105 acres in 2017, up from 66 acres in 2012;
> Combined fresh and processed mustard greens: 221 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market dry onions: 110 acres in 2017, down from 254 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market green onions: 249 acres in 2017, down from 260 acres in 2012;
> Combined fresh and processed parsley: 238 acres in 2017, down from 241 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market Chinese peas: 14 acres in 2017, up from 10 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market green peas; 44 acres in 2017, up from 32 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market bell peppers: 856 acres in 2017, up from 772 in 2012;
> Fresh market chile peppers: 360 acres in 2017, up from 255 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market potatoes: 957 acres in 2017, down from 986 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market pumpkins: 857 acres in 2017, down from 947 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market radishes: 598 acres in 2017, up from 433 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market rhubarb: 32 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market spinach: 41 acres in 2017, up from 28 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market squash 1,552 acres in 2017, up from 1,046 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market sweet corn: 7,777 acres in 2017, down from 9,521 in 2012;
> Fresh market sweet potatoes: 36 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market tomatoes: 1,010 acres in 2017, down from 1,839 acres in 2012;,
> Combined fresh and processed turnips: 76 acres in 2017, up from 25 acres; and
> Fresh market watermelons: 361 acres in 2017, compared with 338 acres in 2012.