How to Rate Garden Yield: Plenty, Enough, Not Enough, Failed
Four yield bands are enough to plan next year. What plenty, enough, not enough, and failed mean, when to rate each crop, and what each band tells you to c...
Published by ThriveThyme
harvest log yield variety verdict end of season
How to Rate Garden Yield
Rate each crop and variety with one of four bands when its harvest ends. Plenty means you had extra. Enough means it covered what you planned to eat. Not enough means you wanted more. Failed means little or nothing to pick. Rate in the Harvest Log and the band carries straight into Variety Verdict.
The Four Bands
| Band | Means | Next year |
|---|---|---|
| Plenty | More than you could eat fresh. You shared, stored, or preserved the extra. | Grow it again. If extra went to waste, plant fewer or space out the sowings. |
| Enough | Covered what you planned to eat. The bed paid its rent. | Grow it again at the same size. |
| Not enough | It produced, but you wanted more or bought some at the store. | Add plants, add a succession sowing, or trial a higher-yield variety. |
| Failed | Little or nothing worth picking. | Find the cause first, then retry or replace the variety. |
Rate Against Your Own Plan
The band compares what you picked to what you wanted, not to a catalog claim. Two zucchini plants that buried you in squash are plenty. Ten pepper plants that gave enough for fresh eating but not for the salsa you planned are not enough.
If you weighed picks, the season total backs up the call. If you did not, the band alone is still useful.
When to Rate
- Spring crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce: when they bolt or the vines quit in summer heat.
- Summer crops such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, and squash: after the last pick before frost.
- Storage crops such as winter squash, onions, and potatoes: at harvest, then add a note later on how well they kept.
Rate within a week or two of the last pick. Memory fades fast, and a bad final month can color the whole season.
Failed or Not Enough?
Not enough means the crop worked but the planting was too small or too short. Failed means something went wrong. Before you drop a failed variety, note the likely cause:
- Timing: planted too late or too early for your frost dates. Check your first frost date.
- Soil: poor growth across several crops in one bed. Run a soil test.
- Pollination or heat: flowers but no fruit. See why plants flower but set no fruit.
- Pests or disease: note the bed so you can rotate. See Crop Rotation.
- Frost: an early freeze cut the season short. Plan covers with the Season Extension Desk.
A variety that failed from weather once deserves a trial again. A variety that failed twice in good conditions is a Never.
Rate Each Variety Separately
If you grew two tomato varieties, rate them on separate rows. A single tomato rating hides the winner. University of Georgia Extension notes that even with the same care, some varieties yield considerably more than others.
Next Steps
- Rate every crop in the Harvest Log, then tap Save to Variety Verdict.
- Turn the ratings into an order: Turn harvest notes into next year's seed order.
Sources: University of Georgia Extension B577, Home Gardening. Mississippi State University Extension, MHV Vegetable Gardening Award harvest record.