The 2014 fall produce season is underway and should be highlighted by good quantities of high-quality produce available for wholesale and retail purchase. After four seasons in a row with extraordinary weather that has had a major impact on our fall season, we have enjoyed a late, but average, growing season this year, according to New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson of Rutgers University.

The fact that this season has been “average” is actually news itself. Average has been hard to come by the last four seasons, as each has been amongst the 15th warmest in more than a century of record keeping. Average weather has been good for our farmers as they can plan and plant with these growing conditions. The quality of all of our fruits and vegetables is good right now as seasonal weather has predominated.

Robinson reported the reason for this year’s late start was because we endured the coldest winter in 36 years. The 12 months ending with March also was the coolest such interval (52.2 degrees) since February 2003-January 2004. Temperatures were much below normal for the first three months of this year. The enduring winter chill resulted in a December through March average statewide temperature of 31.9 degrees, which was 3.5 degrees below the 1981-2010 normal, and 2.3 degrees below the 1895-2014 normal.

Winter precipitation was near normal but very erratic in timing and location around the state. Spring precipitation in South Jersey, where most of the commercial volume of produce in New Jersey tends to come from, was also slightly above average. Our prolonged winter chill, combined with a cool and wet spring, didn’t help to raise our soil temperatures enough to hasten the development of spring crops or encourage the early planting of summer crops. This resulted in much of our produce production being several weeks behind recent years’ earlier-than-normal starts. Most farmers’ first field work did not get started until March, about a month later than normal when the planting of spring greens, lettuces and other cool season crops started in between cold snaps.

New Jersey enjoys the productivity of a great diversity of fruits and vegetables due to its moderate climate and inherent “Jersey Fresh” qualities. New Jersey’s 11 principal fresh market vegetables are tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, eggplant, escarole, snap beans, and asparagus. Our five principal fresh market fruits are strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples, and cranberries. New Jersey growers are still harvesting declining volumes of excellent quality “summer” produce. Peaches started later this year in late-July and will finish up in mid-September. Warm season herbs, such as basil and mint, are also finishing up. All of these products will be done at frost, about mid-October.

New Jersey growers harvest cooler season vegetables in the spring and fall. The fall season harvests of spinach, escarole/endive, lettuces, turnips, radishes, and white and sweet potatoes are starting in early September. Other vegetables, which prefer somewhat cooler temperatures but can survive the summer heat, such as cabbage, collards, kale, beets, Swiss chard, pickles, cucumbers, radishes, butternut and acorn squash, and herbs such as parsley, dill, coriander, arugula and cilantro are harvesting very well.

Jersey Fresh apples began their harvest in early September with the Gala, McIntosh, Jonathan and Courtland varieties and were followed by Red Delicious, Empire, Jonagold, and McCoun in mid- to late month. Golden Delicious, Rome, and Stayman/Winesap start harvesting in late September or early October. Braeburn, Fuji, and Granny Smith will start in mid-October. Almost all New Jersey apples are sold soon after harvest and are not stored over time in controlled atmosphere conditions like western apples.

Bill Walker works for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.