Vegetarian Newsletter
 Horticultural Sciences Department
A Vegetable Crops Extension Publication
  

Vegetarian 05-04
 April 2005

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Two New Record-Size Vegetables in Florida

Two Florida vegetable records have been broken this year and it's only April!

Ms. Charlotte Lee of Lake Worth, Fla. harvested a 44 lb. - 2 oz. sweet potato on January 8, 2005. Gene Joyner, extension agent,  submitted this record-size sweet potato grown in Palm Beach county.

A record-size turnip of the 'Just Right' variety was grown by Mr. Ray Comans of Navarre, Fla. and harvested on February 7. The turnip weighed in at 21 lbs. - 11 oz. with a 43-inch circumference. Dan Mullins, extension agent, submitted this record-size turnip grown in Santa Rose county.

Although retired, Jim Stephens still keeps up with Florida’s biggest vegetables as one of his Emeritus Professor duties. The system he employs still requires the assistance of Extension agents in each county following guidelines established in1989.  Prior to that year, no one kept records of big vegetables grown in Florida. Palm Beach County holds the most Florida records with 12 out of the 53 kept. The runner-up is Suwannee County with eight records. The following is a list of the current record-size vegetables in Florida (through March, 2005). 

Vegetable

Variety

Size

County

Grower

Date

Bean, Lima

Pole

9 1/2 in.

St. Lucie

Walter

04\12\95

Beet

Detroit Red

8 lb. 1 oz.

Duval

Lewis

05\30\98

Boniata

-

12 lb. 10 oz.

Seminole

Phillips

03\05\91

Broccoli

-

5 lb. 4 oz.

Suwannee

Graham

06\06\93

Cabbage

Early Round Dutch

20 lb. 9 oz.

St. Johns

Worley

05\28\97

Cantaloupe

-

35 lb. 3 oz.

Canniff

Manatee

06\19\03

Carrot

Chantenay

3 lb. 1 oz.

Pinellas

Nehls

04\16\93

Cassava

-

15 lb. 4 oz.

Palm Beach

Ozaki

01\23\04

Cauliflower

-

15 lb. 6 oz.

Alachua

Severino

02\19\92

Chicory

Magdeburg

1 lb. 3 oz.

Alachua

Lazin

02\13\86

Collard

Georgia

13 ft. 3 in.

Leon

Kelso

08\26\93

Corn, sweet

Skyscraper

3 lb.

Suwannee

Graham   

06\21\00

Cucumber (wt)

Burpless

4 lb. 7 oz.

Suwannee

Graham

06\29\92

Cucumber (length)

Burpless

27 in.

Suwannee

Graham

06\29\92

Cucumber Armenian

Japanese

30 in.

Escambia

Harrison

08\01\96

Eggplant

Black Beauty

4 lb. 8 oz.

Palm Beach

LaIuppa

01\17\92

Garlic

Elephant

1 lb. 8 oz.

St. Johns

Hester

05\20\93

Gourd

Field’s Common

55 lb.

Suwannee

Graham

08\08\95

Gourd, cucuzzi

-

5 ft. 1-1/2 in.

Hernando

Pizzino

07\18\94

Honeydew

Tam-dew

11 lbs. 2 oz.

Escambia

Harrison

08\04\96

Jicama

-

21 lb. 8 oz.

Palm Beach

Oppe

01\26\93

Kohlrabi

-

19 lb. 8 oz.

Duval

Faustini

06\05\93

Lettuce

Grand Rapids

58 oz.

Suwannee

Graham

05\06\97

Malanga

 -

29 lb. 15 oz.

Palm Beach

Ozaki

01\12\96

Melon, winter

-

80 lbs. 13 oz.

Palm Beach

Yee

01\17\97

Mustard

India - Fla. Broadleaf

20 lbs. 4 oz.

Palm Beach

Torcivia

01\23\04

Okra, pod (wt)

-

8 oz.

Suwannee

Graham

06\28\93

Okra, pod (length)

-

22-1/4 in.

Suwannee

Graham

06\28\93

Okra, stalk

La. Green Velvet

19 ft. 10.5 in.

Flagler

Mikulka

10\27\94

Onion

Grano

3 lb. 11 oz.

Manatee

Geraldson

08\07\90

Pepper

X3R Wizard

1 lb. 3.84 oz.

Palm Beach

Hyatt

04\12\02

Potato, irish

Frito #92

2 lb. 13 oz.

St. Johns

Kight

05\23\89

Potato, sweet

-

44 lb. 2 oz.

Palm Beach

Lee

01\08\05

Pumpkin

Atlantic Giant

610 lb.

Manatee

Canniff

06\08\01

Radish, S.

Red Summer

3 lb. 12 oz.

Palm Beach

Vanderlaan

01\31\90

Radish, W.

-

25 lb.

Hillsborough

Breslow

1977

Radish, W.

Daikon

23 lb. 5 oz.

Alachua

Neilson

03\28\92

Rutabaga

-

22 lb.

Lake

Salter

11\19\93

Squash, calabaza

LaPrima

36 lb. 8 oz.

Seminole

Chitty

08\16\91

Squash, hub.

-

131 lb. 12 oz.

Santa Rosa

Bynum

10\26\94

Squash, banana

-

47 lb.

Putnam

Bryant

07\12\96

Squash, butternut

-

23 lb. 12 oz.

Santa Rosa

Bynum

09\26\92

Squash, scal.

-

3 lb. 12 oz.

Nassau

Horne

06\22\99

Squash, spaghetti

- 

47 lb. 9 oz.

Duval

Beck

09\09\96

Squash, zucchini

Park’s Black

14 lb. 10 oz.

Nassau

Lynch

06\22\99

Squash, Zucchini hybrid

Cross-pollinated

16 lb. 6 oz.

Marion

Licari

06\08\01

Squash, summer

YSN

6 lb. 2 oz.

Escambia

Harrison

07\13\95

Taro

-

8 oz.

Palm Beach

Oppe

01\17\92

Tomato

Brandywine Red

3 lb. 3 oz.

Palm Beach

Ross

05\16\04

Turnip

 -

21 lb. 11 oz.

Santa Rosa

Comans

02\07\05

Watermelon

Carolina Cross

205 lb.

Levy

Bumgardner

07\21\92

Yam (True)

-

12 lb. 15 oz.

Palm Beach

Oppe

01\26\93

Yardlong Bean

 -

52 in.

Orange

Yoganand

01\07\97

 

Jim Stephens
Vegetable Gardening Specialist (retired)
Vegetarian, 05-04