Growing for Wholesale: Grading and Packing Guidelines by Crop

Grading and packing guidelines are now available for 18 commonly grown specialty crops in NYS: romaine lettuce, acorn squash, broccoli crowns, Brussels sprouts, sweet corn, green peppers, cucumbers, green cabbage, red cabbage, savoy cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, jalapenos, poblanos, Hungarian hot peppers, summer squash, and zucchini.
Acceptable quality standards and common defects that should be sorted out on the grading line are depicted in these resources, both visually and in outline form.
This resource was developed through the support of Cheryl Thayer of CCE Harvest NY, Dave Walczak of Eden Valley Growers, Angela (Parr) Ochterski and Robert Hadad of the CCE Cornell Vegetable Program, and Jim Monahan of Cornell Cooperative Extension. Further, development of this resource was made possible through grant funding from the USDA Local Food Promotion Program.
Additional sheets are being added. See the new Romaine Lettuce sheet (September 2019) and Acorn Squash sheet (2018). New sheets are created by Robert Hadad and Angela Ochterski of the CCE Cornell Vegetable Program.
Acorn Squash (pdf; 1397KB)
Broccoli Crowns (pdf; 1416KB)
Brussels Sprouts (pdf; 917KB)
Cabbage - Green (pdf; 1037KB)
Cabbage - Red (pdf; 1431KB)
Cabbage - Savory (pdf; 1087KB)
Cauliflower 9's (pdf; 1409KB)
Cucumbers - Select (pdf; 880KB)
Cucumbers - 24ct Super (pdf; 1143KB)
Cucumbers - 36ct Super (pdf; 1143KB)
Cucumbers - Super (pdf; 1142KB)
Eggplant (pdf; 1113KB)
Green Beans (pdf; 780KB)
Peppers - Choice Green (pdf; 743KB)
Peppers - Green Sweet Large (pdf; 875KB)
Peppers - Green Sweet Medium (pdf; 907KB)
Peppers - Hungarian Hot 1 1/9 (pdf; 660KB)
Peppers - Hungarian Hot 1/2 Bushel (pdf; 662KB)
Peppers - Jalapeno 1 1/9 (pdf; 824KB)
Peppers - Jalapeno 1/2 Bushel (pdf; 828KB)
Peppers - Pablano 1 1/9 (pdf; 753KB)
Peppers - Pablano 1/2 Bushel (pdf; 756KB)
Romaine Lettuce (pdf; 364KB)
Squash - Summer (pdf; 802KB)
Sweet Corn Boxes (pdf; 2089KB)
Zucchini (pdf; 1173KB)
Set of All Crop Sheets (pdf; 17316KB)
- Download this file if you wish to have 1 file containing all 26 crop sheets


Upcoming Events
Lake Erie Region Summer Meeting

July 24, 2025
Brant, NY
This meeting will cover organic and conventional management and will be relevant for producers of all sizes. This broad-reaching meeting will feature a mixed fresh market field walk, potatoes, sprayer calibration, and disease control in table and wine grapes. We'll cover organic and conventional controls and present information for growers of all scales of production.
2.0 DEC (0.5 CORE, 1.0 Veg, 0.5 Fruit)
Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting for Auction Growers -- Seneca Produce Auction

July 30, 2025
Romulus, NY
This evening meeting will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables, primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. A hands-on demonstration of weed, insect and disease identification in vegetables including management options. Details on each topic will focus on field observations at the farm.
2.0 DEC credits in categories 10, 1a, 23, and 24.
Niagara Region Summer Meeting, 2025

August 7, 2025
Ransomville, NY
We're in for a treat! Professor Steve Reiners is coming as a part of his pre-retirement speaking tour! Steve's a fantastic, down-to-earth speaker with extensive knowledge on horticultural techniques, fertility, varieties, and much more. Don't miss this event! Topics include "what exactly do NPK and other nutrients do inside the plants?", a pest/disease field walk, sweet corn variety trial, a tar spot primer, spraying best practices, and industry updates. Content will be relevant for organic, CNG, and conventional growers.
DEC credits requested.