Fruit and Vegetable Trials Progress Report for 2018-19

Sweet Corn

Ten varieties of sugar-enhanced bicolor corn varieties were evaluated in 2018 (see tables). The best performing for growth habit and ear quality this year, listed in order of maturity (earliest to latest) were: Sweetness, Cuppa Joe, Essence, Tenderfoot, and Utopia. The corn was seeded late, on 29 June due to early wet conditions in the field. Harvest began 4 September with the earliest varieties. The latest variety was harvested on 20 September. All cultivars performed well, despite very dry growing conditions during the late summer. Cuppa Joe and Essence were noted for consistent high performance over more than two seasons of trials, and Utopia again performed very well among the later maturing varieties. Of the 18 supersweet and augmented supersweet varieties tested, Raquel and Awesome XR, performed well in the early-midseason categories, with Caliber, Enchanted, Seminole Sweet, and Prestige performing best among the later maturing types.

Snap Beans

30 varieties of snap beans were evaluated in the trials in 2018. For overall yield and average wt. per harvest, the best performing varieties included Goldilocks (yellow), Provider, Dulcina (flat), Caprice, Savannah, and PV-857. These also were among the most efficient varieties to harvest. See table.

Cantaloupe

In 2018, 31 varieties of cantaloupe were evaluated (see table). The plants were seeded in the greenhouse 17 May and transplanted on 7 June on black plastic mulch with rowcovers applied. Melons were harvested at ½ slip through most of August. Astound and Verona were among the best overall performers for marketable weight and fruit number. Accolade, Athena, and Gold Star also performed very well. This trial will continue for one more growing season to look for consistent performance in regards to yield and market quality.

Small Pumpkin Trial

Ten varieties of small (1 – 5 lb.) pumpkins were transplanted at the two-leaf stage through black plastic mulch 3 June, with three feet between plants and 10 feet between rows. Harvest occurred in mid-September. The top performers in the trial included Field Trip (avg.1.8 lb.), Fall Splendor Plus (avg. 1.8 lb.), Mystic Plus (avg. 2.1 lb.), and Tiffany (avg. 1.6 lb.).

Large Pumpkin Trial

18 varieties of large, Jack-O-Lantern type pumpkins were transplanted in mid-June at the two-leaf stage into replicated plots through black plastic mulch with 5 feet between plants and 12 feet between rows. Harvest began in mid-September. Big Loretta (38.6 lb.) and Early Giant (36.1 lb.) had the largest fruit in the trial and were among the best performing varieties, but also had some of the lowest fruit counts per plot. Other high performing varieties included Rhea (21.2 lb.), Secretariat (16.3 lb.), and Orange Sunrise (18.5 lb.). Only Thumpkin performed very poorly in the trial with a low fruit count and high cull number due to fruit and stem rot.

Strawberry Trial

13 varieties of June-bearing strawberries grown in replicated matted-row plots were harvested during the 2018 season. Jewel and Laurel were the highest yielding varieties in the trial with both ripening mid-season and having good fruit quality. Of the newer varieties in the trial, Yambu, Lila, and Flavorfest, all mid-early ripening, performed very well. Archer, Galletta, and Rutgers Scarlet produced high quality fruit, but had significantly lower yields that other new varieties in the trial.


Strawberry Variety Trial Harvest Data, 2018, Highmoor Farm, Monmouth, Maine

Yield rank Variety Kg/Plot Fruit Size (g)1 Season Comments
9 Wendy 4.8 10.4 Early Productive, attractive, good flavor
10 Archer 3.6 14.3 Early Good size & appearance, good flavor
12 Galletta 3.1 13.8 Early Good size & appearance, uniform
6 Lila 7.0 10.4 Early-mid Large, attractive, good flavor. Red steles res.
7 Flavorfest 5.7 10.2 Early-mid Large, attractive, good flavor. Red steles res.
4 Yambu 7.9 11.1 Early-mid Large, attractive, firm, variable flavor
13 Rutgers Scarlet 2.7 10.3 Midseason Attractive, good flavor, low yields
1 Jewel 12.6 10.0 Midseason Good size, attractive, glossy, firm
2 Laurel 11.6 8.4 Midseason Attractive fruit, not large Red stele res.
5 Cabot 7.5 18.3 Mid-late V. large fruit, many misshapen, good flavor
3 Mayflower 8.1 9.9 Mid-late Large fruit; size falls fast. Light, dull color, tart
8 Valley Sunset 5.6 15.4 Late Large, attractive fruit, good flavor
11 Malwina 3.5 13.3 V. late Dark color, very firm, good flavor

Plots 20’ long x 1.5’ wide raised bed matted rows, planted 2017. Each variety replicated four times.
Harvest began on 15 June and ended 24 July 2018, with plots harvested twice weekly.
1Average fruit size over entire harvest season

Sugar-Enhanced Corn Variety Trial, 2018, Highmoor Farm, Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station1

Thumbs up symbol Variety Plants per Row Yield per Row Plant Height (in) Ear Height (in) Picking ease Tip Cover Ear Length Rows per ear Days to Harvest
Alto 38 37 71.1 17.3 2 1.5 8.1 15 72
Bi-Sweet S-5 15 15 76.9 15.3 1 3.0 8.0 15 76
Cappuccino 31 28 79.0 14.1 1 3.0 7.6 15 73
checkmark icon Cuppa Joe 32 30 90.3 21.5 2 2.5 8.5 16 72
checkmark icon Essence 33 31 83.44 23.9 1 3.0 8.4 16 78
Gold Nugget 25 25 88.3 22.9 2 3.0 8.0 19 75
SC 1102 33 32 83.3 16.7 1 3.0 7.6 17 74
checkmark icon Sweetness 30 30 70.6 11.0 3 1.0 7.8 13 68
checkmark icon Tenderfoot 35 35 73.2 15.2 3 3.0 7.8 16 70
checkmark icon Utopia 33 32 76.7 18.03 1 1.5 8.7 18 77
Tukey-Kramer HSD (0.05) 11 9 ns ns 1 1 ns ns

Super Sweet Corn Variety Trial, 2018, Highmoor Farm, Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station1

Thumbs up symbol Variety Plants per row Ears per Row Plant Height (in) Ear Height (in) Picking Ease Tip Cover Ear Length (in) Rows per Ear Days to Harvest
checkmark icon 7143 33 32 93.3 27.5 3.0 3.0 7.9 17 80
American Dream 28 26 89.6 30.5 2.0 2.5 7.1 17 77
Anthem XR 32 31 77.8 18.9 1.5 3.0 8.0 17 76
checkmark icon Awesome XR 32 31 75.8 19.9 1.5 3.0 7.5 17 73
checkmark icon Caliber 35 35 81.2 24.0 2.5 2.5 7.6 17 75
EX 0876714 34 33 93.1 28.0 2.5 3.0 8.0 16 73
checkmark icon Enchanted 33 33 98.6 28.3 3.0 2.0 8.1 19 77
Hero 34 32 78.1 21.9 2.0 3.0 7.8 15 71
Kate 27 27 81.9 22.6 2.0 3.0 7.8 18 77
Kickoff XR 32 31 77.6 17.7 2.0 3.0 8.5 17 69
Nirvana 34 34 79.4 19.2 3.0 2.5 8.1 16 77
checkmark icon Prestige 34 34 82.9 22.0 3.0 3.0 8.0 17 77
checkmark icon Raquel 31 29 84.4 24.0 3.0 3.0 8.7 18 69
Rosie 35 34 79.0 21.1 3.0 3.0 8.1 17 74
checkmark icon Seminole Sweet 30 29 84.1 27.3 3.0 3.0 7.4 18 78
Starcraft 35 34 89.3 27.1 3.0 3.0 8.1 16 78
Superb 30 29 75.9 20.2 2.0 2.5 7.8 18 74
checkmark icon XTH20173 31 30 80.2 20.0 3.0 3.0 7.8 17 73

1Five rows/plot, 30’ long, replicated 4 times. Planted 6/9/16.
✓= high performing varieties.
2Picking ease rated 1-3, with 3 being easiest. Ear length in inches. Higher row/ear usually gives better visual appeal.

Large Pumpkin Trial 2018, Highmoor Farm, Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station

Variety Fruit/Plot Ave Fruit Wt. (lbs.) Color Height (cm) Fruit Width (cm) Stem Length (cm) Overall Rating
Ares 15.3 22.3 3.6 37.2 89.7 13.6 3.3
Big Loretta 10.7 38.6 3.4 43.6 106.0 12.5 3.8
Cargo PMR 12.0 20.5 3.9 28.7 94.1 13.2 3.6
Conestoga Giant 11.7 30.6 3.7 37.9 106.7 12.2 3.7
Cougar PMR 17.0 20.5 2.4 30.7 90.8 10.5 3.2
Cronus 9.3 26.0 3.0 29.8 110.5 20.6 2.3
Diablo 15.7 17.8 3.1 27.1 93.4 10.3 3.2
Early Giant 12.0 36.1 3.6 45.2 105.1 8.2 4.1
Early King 17.7 24.2 3.1 33.0 98.0 9.3 3.4
Hulk 12.3 26.4 3.6 38.6 96.4 12.7 3.4
Jason 15.3 19.6 3.8 29.9 90.4 13.6 3.5
Kratos 17.3 21.4 4.0 31.3 101.2 9.3 3.9
Orange Sunrise 18.3 18.5 3.6 28.8 97.2 10.0 4.0
Phatso II 11.7 25.6 3.4 35.9 102.1 14.0 3.7
Phatso III 11.3 27.5 3.1 35.8 100.9 16.0 3.4
Rhea 15.7 21.2 3.8 26.7 107.1 16.2 3.9
Secretariat 13.7 16.3 4.3 24.3 92.8 15.1 4.1
Thumpkin 7.7 16.7 2.7 22.1 97.1 16.3 2.6
Tukey-Kramer HSD (0.05) 7.7 5.5 3.2 9.5 2.9

Small Pumpkin Variety Trial 2018, Highmoor Farm, Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station

Variety Fruit/Plot Ave Fruit Wt. (lbs.)
Baby Bumps 25.5 1.67
Camillo 19.8 3.46
Darling 24.8 2.05
Fall Splendor Plus 23.5 1.80
Field Trip 23.3 1.83
Jack Sprat 34.8 1.21
Mischief 30.8 1.34
Mystic Plus 20.5 2.14
Tiffany 29.8 1.65
Toad 45.8 0.81
Tukey-Kramer HSD (0.05) 9.25 0.302

10 plants per plot, spaced 3 feet apart within a row; 10 feet between plots within a row; 10 feet between rows

2018 Muskmelon Trial at Highmoor Farm

Cultivar Type/Style Total Fruit Harvested Total lbs. Harvested Average Fruit Wt. (lbs.) Average % Soluble Solids*
Accolade Cantaloupe 16 27.28 1.73 11.9
Afterglow Cantaloupe 12 20.02 1.74 13.06
Aphrodite Cantaloupe 12 27.48 2.34 12
Ariel Cantaloupe 16 27.88 1.80 7.7
Astound Cantaloupe 16 32.30 1.99 11.32
Athena Cantaloupe 16 29.05 1.84 11.84
Courier Galia 21 23.99 1.17 11.22
Diplomat Galia 7 14.97 2.14 9.94
Divergent Cantaloupe/Galia 15 23.09 1.57 13.4
Dream Dew Honey Dew 13 29.44 2.31 8.9
Durasol Canary 14 23.33 1.73 N/A
Goddess Cantaloupe 14 23.15 1.62 7.6
Gold Star Cantaloupe 19 27.09 1.44 10.96
Grandslam Cantaloupe 12 24.35 2.12 9.08
Halona Cantaloupe 21 26.46 1.25 N/A
Honey Orange Honey Dew/Orange Flesh 16 23.70 1.46 13.92
Honey White Honey Dew/Small 26 24.32 0.95 7.12
Masada Galia 10 14.62 1.43 12.56
Minerva Cantaloupe 11 29.74 2.83 9.88
New Moon Honey Dew 7 8.43 1.16 N/A
Orange Sherbet Cantaloupe/Tuscan 14 23.94 1.77 13.5
Passport Galia 17 28.46 1.67 8.8
Pixie Cantaloupe/Small 22 18.25 0.84 9.825
Sarah’s Choice Cantaloupe 12 19.95 1.70 9.8
Serenade Butterscotch 33 19.01 0.58 15.96
Shockwave Cantaloupe/Long Shelf Life 18 26.91 1.52 10.86
Snow Leopard Mottled Small Honey Dew-esque Melon 27 26.04 0.96 N/A
Sugar Cube Cantaloupe/Personal Size 20 13.88 0.70 14.64
Verona Cantaloupe 11 30.06 2.67 7.86
Visa Galia 19 19.32 1.03 9.32
Wrangler Cantaloupe/Tuscan 17 21.76 1.28 12.84

Harvested 8/14/2018-9/4/2018, based on 10.5 row ft, 18” plant spacing, 7 plants per plot, through plastic mulch, 8’ on center raised beds, with 4 replications.
* % Soluble Solids is a measure of sugar content.

2018 Snap Bean Trial at Highmoor Farm

Cultivar Type Avg. lbs. per Harvest/ 100 Row ft Highest lbs. Per Harvest/ 100 Row ft Season total lbs. / 100 Row ft Avg. Harvest Minute per lbs.
Goldilocks Yellow 17.1 24.7 85.3 4.28
Provider Green 13.0 21.1 64.9 4.46
Dulcina Flat-Pod 13.0 19.5 64.8 4.01
Caprice Green 12.6 27.4 63.1 6.00
Savannah Green 12.5 22.3 62.3 5.76
PV-857 Green 12.2 17.5 61.0 5.47
Hickok Green 12.2 25.6 60.8 6.26
Aldrin Green 12.0 19.2 60.1 6.31
Affirmed Green 11.4 22.8 57.1 6.39
SV1137GF Green 11.3 14.4 56.6 6.11
Colter Green 11.1 13.9 55.5 5.32
Comper Green 11.1 26.5 55.3 7.45
Ba0958 Green 10.6 20.1 53.2 6.08
Cosmos Green 10.3 15.5 51.7 4.77
Barron Green 10.2 16.6 51.2 6.03
Navarro Flat-Pod 10.1 21.0 50.6 4.56
Tema Green 9.7 15.2 48.3 6.65
Carson Yellow 9.4 12.4 47.0 5.18
Concesa Green 9.3 16.2 46.4 7.79
Valentino Green 9.0 16.1 45.0 5.77
Sybaris Green 9.0 17.1 44.8 6.92
SV1003G Yellow 8.4 20.1 42.2 6.43
Cassidy Green 8.0 15.4 40.0 6.45
E-Z Pick Green 8.0 17.5 39.9 5.83
Greenback Green 7.9 14.6 39.7 6.63
Prevail Green 7.9 15.4 39.4 6.20
Lewis Green 7.5 13.2 37.4 5.99
Pike Green 6.9 10.8 34.4 7.62
Oakley Green 6.0 14.0 29.9 10.01
Velero Flat-Pod 4.5 7.6 22.7 7.59

Harvested ≈3 days for 2-week duration, 7/24/19-8/7/2018
Later cultivar yields may be lower due to harvest termination
Based on 2, 5ft rows 12” apart, per bed 4’ on center, with ≈2” plant spacing, replicated 4 times.


High performing new strawberry varieties from Highmoor Farm trial, 2018. Archer from NY: early, large fruit good quality, but low yield. AAC Lila from Nova Scotia: early-midseason, large fruit, good quality, good yields, red stele resistant. Flavorfest from MD-USDA: early-midseason, large fruit, god appearance and very good quality, some disease resistance. Yambu from the Netherlands: early-midseason, uniform, attractive fruit, some gray mold resistance, flavor variable.


High performing small pumpkin varieties from Highmoor Farm trial, 2018. Field Trip: average weight 1.8 lb., flattened, nice color and stems, uniform. Fall Splendor Plus:  average fruit weight 1.8 lb., round, nice color and ribbing, good stems, powdery mildew tolerant. Mystic Plus:  average fruit weight 2.1 lb., slightly flattened, uniform, nice color, good yields, powdery mildew tolerant. Tiffany:  average fruit weight 1.6 lb., round-upright, good color, nice stems, good yield.


High performing Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin varieties from Highmoor Farm trial, 2018. Big Loretta: average weight 38.6 lb., upright, nice color, short stems, uniform. Early Giant: average fruit weight 36.1 lb., upright, nice color, good stems. Rhea: average fruit weight 21.2 lb., round, uniform, nice color, good yields, powdery mildew tolerance. Secretariat: average fruit weight 16.3 lb., round, good color, and ribbing, nice stems, good yield. Orange Sunrise: average fruit weight 18.5 lb., round-upright, good color, short stems, uniform.


High performing new sweet corn varieties from Highmoor Farm trial, 2018. Tenderfoot: early, good stand, tip cover and appearance. Sweetness: early, fair stand, good quality and appearance. Essence: midseason, good stand, good ear height, large ears with refined appearance, very good quality. Utopia: midseason, good stand and ear height, good appearance and high quality ears.


High performing snap bean varieties from Highmoor Farm trial, 2018. Goldilocks: yellow-wax, good stand, nice appearance, easy harvest, high yields. Provider: early, good stand, good quality and appearance, but thick and light colored, high yields. Caprice: Late, good stand, good color, shape and uniformity, high yields. PV-857: late, good stand, good appearance and uniformity, high yield.


Performance of cantaloupe varieties, total marketable yield by weight and fruit number, Highmoor Farm trial, 2018.

Chart showing Cantaloupe total number and lbs. Avatar produced the most lbs (300) in the trial and Sarah’s Choice produced the least (80). From most to least are Avatar, Astound, Athena, Minerva, Accolade, Halona, Aphrodite, Rockstar, Wrangler, Verona, and Sarah’s Choice.

High performing cantaloupe varieties from Highmoor Farm trial, 2018. Astound: Late, long harvest season, good yield. Verona: midseason, short harvest season, fair yield, good quality. Accolade: midseason, long harvest season, good yields. Athena: midseason, long harvest season, large fruit, good appearance and uniformity, high yield. Gold Star: midseason, long harvest season, good yield.