HS36

Production of Miniature Vegetables in Florida

1
Donald N. Maynard
2
1. This document is HS36, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date January 1989. Revised September 2006. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. Donald N. Maynard, Professor Emeritus, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Wimauma; Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and
other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex,
sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry
Arrington, Dean
Miniature or baby vegetables are similar to
normal size vegetables except they are considerably
smaller. They are produced by harvesting the product
before it has attained market size or by use of
genetically dwarf varieties.
Figure 1. Miniature squash varieties: upper center and
clockwise, 'Gold Rush', 'Zucchini Elite,' 'Supersette',
'Goldie', 'Multipik', 'Ambassador', 'Seneca Prolific',
'Classic'; upper center, 'Sunburst'; lower center,
'Starflower'. The squash in the center are about 1 inch in
diameter. Surrounding squash range from 2-3 inches in
length.
Miniature or baby vegetables are a relatively
new class of specialty vegetables. Other specialty
vegetables include those grown on small acreages,
ethnic vegetables, gourmet vegetables and organically
grown vegetables. Specialty vegetable production
offers large growers the opportunity to diversify and
small growers a chance to be competitive in the
market place.
The market for miniature vegetables is relatively
small compared to the market for most Florida
vegetables. At the present time they are used in some
of the better restaurants and are sold directly to
consumers in gourmet and specialty shops. Thus far,
chain store have not generally handled miniatures.
Quality miniature vegetables command a high
price which is justified because of the high level of
management and labor required in production and the
relatively low yields obtained because of the small
size of the harvested product. As with any new
venture, growers should thoroughly understand the
market demand and potential before planting.
Miniature Vegetables
Almost any vegetables can be grown and
marketed as miniatures. However, certain crops have
proven to be more acceptable than others. Vegetables
readily adapted to miniature production are listed in
Table 1.
Production of Miniature Vegetables in Florida 2
Other vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower,
cucumber, lettuce, muskmelon, onion, pepper, and
watermelon may be grown as miniatures, however,
established trade has been restricted mainly to those
vegetables listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Vegetables adapted to production of miniatures
classified according to usable plant part.
Fruit Vegetative Storage Organ
French bean
Indian corn
Sweet corn
Eggplant
Pumpkin
Squash
Tomato
Beet
Carrot
Kohlrabi
Turnip
Varieties
Not all varieties are suitable for production of
miniatures, however, there are usually several choices
that can be made. The listing of some potential
varieties for production of miniature vegetables in
Table 2 is representative of those that may be
selected.
Culture of Miniature Vegetables
In general, the culture used for miniature
vegetable production is similar to that used for
general vegetable production. After suitable varieties
have been selected, plans for size of plantings and
succession plantings to ensure a continuous product
supply should be made. Some points to consider
when making planting plans are: (1) time from
planting to harvest for some miniature vegetables, e.g.
squash, beet, carrot, turnip, is shorter than that for
production of full-size vegetables; (2) the root crops
and kohlrabi are at optimum harvest size for only a
short period, so plantings should not be larger than
can be marketed while the crop is at optimum size;
(3) frequent, successive plantings of these crops will
be necessary; (4) because the size of the harvested
product is smaller, some crops may be spaced closer
together than ordinarily. In some cases, close spacing
is useful for obtaining and maintaining miniature
size.
Another point of difference between general
vegetables and miniature vegetables is that pesticides
must be chosen with care to insure that applications
are made within the stated days before harvest. With a
shorter period to harvest, some chemicals used for
general production may not be suitable for miniature
vegetable production.
Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
There are no U.S. grade standards for miniature
vegetables, therefore, size and quality are dictated by
market demand. The product should always be as
uniform as possible, clean, free from damage, and
free from decay. Likewise, there are no standard
containers for miniature vegetables, however,
because of their size and value, they are usually
packed in relatively small baskets or cartons. Market
demand may vary somewhat, but the general
guidelines in Table 3 can be used as a starting point
for new growers of miniature vegetables.
Specific storage conditions for miniature
vegetables have not been researched. However, it is
thought that generally these vegetables are more
subject to postharvest deterioration than their
normal-size counterparts. Accordingly, it is
extremely important to cool and hold miniature
vegetables under recommended temperature and
relative humidity conditions as outlined in Table 3.
Figure 2. This display of miniature root and stem
vegetables includes turnips, beets, golden beets, white
carrots, round carrots, purple and green kohlrabi.
Production of Miniature Vegetables in Florida 3
Figure 3. These miniature eggplants are called 'Little
Fingers'. They range from 1 to 1/4-3 inches in length.
Table 2. Representative varieties for production of miniature vegetables and seed sources.
Vegetable Variety Description Seed Source
z
French bean Aiguillon haricot vert
Frenchie
Major haricot
Triumph de Farcey
Dark green pods
Dark green, round pods
Yellow, round pods
Dark green with purple streaks
5
7
5
4
Beet Avenger
Burpee's Golden
Chioggia
Dwergina
Little Ball
Little Mini Ball
Medium red, globe shaped
Gold colored roots
Concentric red and white rings
Genetically dwarf type
Round, dwarf type
Round, dwarf type
3
2,5,7
5
4,5
2
7
Carrot Amca
Amstel
Baby Sweet Hybrid
Little Finger
Minicor
Wita Sweet #500
French type
French type
F
1
hybrid, bright orange
Cylindrical, small core
Amsterdam forcing type
F
1
hybrid
1,8
6
7
2
4,5,7
1,8
Indian corn Cutie Pops
Indian Fingers
Papoose
Strawberry
Symphonie
Multicolored ears
Multicolored ears
Multicolored ears
Mahogany red, round ears
Multicolored ears
7
3,5
8
2,3
7
Sweet corn Baby Asian
Golden Midget
Harvest at silking
Normal sweet corn maturity
5
6
Eggplant Easter Egg
Little Fingers
White, oval fruit purple, elongated fruit 8
3
Kohlrabi Early Purple Vienna
Grand Duke
Purple colored
F
1
hybrid, light green colored
2,7
1,2,3,6,7,8
Pumpkin Jack-Be-Little
Munchkin
Sweetie Pie
True pumpkin, 3-4 oz
True pumpkin, 3-4 oz
True pumpkin, 3-4 oz
3
7
Production of Miniature Vegetables in Florida 4
Table 2. Representative varieties for production of miniature vegetables and seed sources.
Vegetable Variety Description Seed Source
z
Squash Gourmet Globe
Jersey Golden
Multipik
Sunburst
Supersette
Zucchini Elite
Round, green fruit
Gold acorn type
F
1
hybrid, yellow straightneck type
F
1
hybrid, yellow scallop type
F
1
hybrid, yellow crookneck type
F
1
hybrid, dark green
6,8
1,2,4,5,6,8
3
1,2,3,4,5,6,8
3
3
Turnip Purple Top White Globe
Tokyo Cross
Purple crown with white below
F
1
hybrid, white root
2,3,4,6,7,8
1,2,6,7,8
Tomato Red Pear
Yellow Cherry
Yellow Pear
Red, pear-shaped fruit
Yellow, round fruit
Yellow, pear-shaped fruit
7
7
2,3,5,7
z
1. Abbot & Cobb, Inc., P.O. Box 307, Feasterville, PA 19074
2. W. Atlee Burpee Co., 300 Park Ave., Warminster, PA 18991
3. Harris Seed Co., 3670 Buffalo Rd., Rochester, Ny 14624
4. Johnny's Selected Seeds, 955 Benton Ave., Winslow, ME 04901
5. Le Marche Seeds International, P.O. box 190, Dixon, CA 95620
6. Geo. W. Park Co., Inc., Cokesbury Rd., Greeenwood, SC 29646
7. Stokes Seeds Inc., P.O. Box 548, Buffalo, NY 14240
8. Twilley Seed Co., Inc., 121 Gary Road, Hodges, SC 29653
Table 3. Harvesting and packing guidelines and storage conditions for miniature vegetables.
Vegetable Harvesting and Packing Suggestions
Storage Conditions
Temperature (F) Relative
Humidity (%)
French
bean
Harvest when beans have attained full length, but before seed
enlargement. Beans are usually place packed in one or two
rows depending upon container configuration. Sold by weight.
44-48 95
Beet Harvest when beets are 0.5 to 1 inch in diameter. Bunches of
about six beets are packed with the tops in cartons containing
12 bunches.
32 98-100
Carrot Harvest when carrots are 3 to 4 inches long. Bunches of about
six roots are packed with the tops in cartons containing 12
bunches.
32 98-100
Indian corn Ears are allowed to mature on the stalk. Additional drying may
be necessary after harvest. Husks are pulled back. Packed
singly or bunched.
Ambient 50
Sweet corn Baby Asian is harvested at silking when ears are 2 to 3 inches
long. Usually sold by count in the husk. Golden Midget is
harvested at normal market maturity.
32 95-98
Eggplant Harvested when fruit are 1.5 to 3 inches long. Packed in baskets
or cartons
50-55 90-95
Production of Miniature Vegetables in Florida 5
Table 3. Harvesting and packing guidelines and storage conditions for miniature vegetables.
Vegetable Harvesting and Packing Suggestions
Storage Conditions
Temperature (F) Relative
Humidity (%)
Kohlrabi Harvested when stems are 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. Crown
leaves are retained. Packed in baskets or cartons.
32 98-100
Pumpkin Harvested when fully mature. Packed in cartons or wirebound
crates.
50-55 50-70
Squash Harvested before or when blossom opens. Some markets
prefer blossoms attached. Fruit with blossoms are very
perishable. Packed in cartons.
44-50 95
Turnip Harvested when roots are about 1 inch in diameter. One dozen
bunches of about six roots are packed to the carton.
32 98-100
Tomato Harvest when fruit are turning but not fully colored. Packed in
pint containers, 12 to the flat.
45-50 90-95