Start from the selling date, not the free field
Price depends heavily on when produce reaches the market. Choosing a sowing date by counting back from your intended selling window helps you avoid the weeks when everyone else is harvesting.
The simple formula
Sowing date = target selling date − days to maturity − nursery period (if maturity is stated as DAT)
Check first how the packet counts. If it is DAT, add the nursery period as well.
Worked examples from our varieties
- Cucumber — the fastest; several lines are 30–35 days after sowing, useful for slotting a short cycle between main crops
- Watermelon — Thong Thai TT 222 at 55–58 days, TT 466 at 58–65 days after sowing
- Melon — To Moon 888 and To Love 999 at 75–80 days after sowing
- Tomato — Thai Red TT 950 at 65–70 days and Thai Red TT 150 at 75–80 days after transplanting
- Chilli — Thai Mai TT 089 at 70–80 days and TT 189 at 82–95 days after transplanting
Note that tomato and chilli are counted after transplanting, so add roughly 25–30 nursery days on top.
Always build in a buffer
Packet figures describe favourable growing conditions. Cool weather, low light or transplant shock all stretch the cycle. Allow about a week of margin when planning against a delivery commitment.
Stagger rather than plant all at once
Splitting the crop into lots sown 7–10 days apart gives several weeks of continuous supply, reduces exposure to a single bad price week, and spreads the harvest labour peak.
Summary
Days to maturity is not just a technical figure — it is a planning tool. Count backwards from what the market wants, then pick the variety whose cycle fits that window.
