Below are some of our bestselling products with late arrival or short supply for the 2023 season, along with our suggested alternatives for your consideration. We appreciate your understanding and adaptability and welcome you to contact us for any other recommendations or questions.
What Are Short Crops?
Like all aspects of agriculture, seed production is subject to the same pressures of weather, pests and diseases, logistics, and perishable products. Unfortunately, this can result in situations where new seed crops are delayed, the supply is less than anticipated, or the seed is unable to be sold. These situations are what the industry refers to as late crops, short crops, or crop failures, respectively.
Why Do Crops Fail?
Crop failures can be caused by delays in seed processing due to poor weather conditions or logistical issues like transportation and labor shortages, poor crop yields due to weather or pest pressures, or low-quality products that cannot be sold due to low germination rates or the presence of viruses. Typically these situations are not anticipated and require an industry-wide shift to alternative products with good supply and seed quality.
Harris Seeds recognizes that our growers depend on the quality and reliability of the products they choose, and we want to help ease any concerns about selecting the best substitutes for items that are unavailable.
Review some of our most popular pumpkin and corn short crops below along with our recommended alternatives:
Short Crop: Pumpkin Kratos
100 day 20-30 lb. Jack-o-lantern with Powdery Mildew ProtectionRecommended Substitutes:
Gladiator >
The same classic Harris Moran stem, color, and appearance with reliable uniformity and Powdery Mildew Protection. Gladiator matures around 15 days later than Kratos and can be slightly smaller at 20-25 lbs.
Big Doris >
Justify >
Bayhorse Gold >
Short Crop: Sweet Corn Kate
77 day bicolor supersweet with large ear and high sweetness, resistance to RustRecommended Substitutes:
Flagler >
A supersweet bicolor with the same maturity, agronomic performance, and Rust resistance as Kate, Flagler has a slightly longer ear and a similar husk and kernel appearance. It will be slightly less sweet, but comparable in tenderness, quality, and field-holding ability.
Troubadour XR >
A high-quality supersweet bicolor from the IFSI ReserveTM line-up, Troubadour XR has the same maturity and Rust resistance as Kate. Troubadour XR will have a longer, more slender ear, more tender and refined kernel than Kate, and excellent flavor with a balanced sweetness.
Crave >
Crave is a supersweet bicolor with later maturity and comparable ear appearance to Kate. It does not carry resistance to Rust, but offers a good husk package and high eating quality for the late season slot. It will be slightly less sweet than Kate with a similar kernel quality and appearance.
Epiphany >
Epiphany is two days earlier than Kate and has a stronger disease package that includes Rust, NCLB, and MDMV. The ear is more slender with more refined kernel appearance and comparable texture and eating quality, though a more balanced sweetness.
Short Crop: Sweet Corn Vision MXR
73 day yellow supersweet with high eating quality, resistance to Rust and MDMV
Recommended Substitutes:
Icon XR >
Maturing at 72 days and offering Rust resistance, Icon XR has comparable agronomic traits as Vision MXR. Both are part of the IFSI ReserveTM line-up with excellent eating quality, tenderness and sweetness.
XTH1273 >
XTH1273 matches Vision MXR in maturity and quality with IFSI ReserveTM tenderness and sweetness. While it does not carry disease resistance, it offers an attractive husk package and reliable agronomics.
Summer Celebration >
Maturing slightly later than Vision MXR at 74 days, Summer Celebration has a slightly shorter and wider ear, and resistance to MDMV only. It has excellent eating quality and sweetness with slightly less tenderness than Vision MXR.
Candice >
A high quality yellow supersweet that matures just after Vision MXR at 74 days, Candice has a slightly shorter and wider ear and excellent eating quality with slightly less tenderness. While it does not carry disease resistance, it offers an attractive husk package and reliable agronomics.
