Southern US Market Tomatoes

[TomatoDon]

I'm interested to get ideas on which tomato varieties do the best, and sell the best, in the Southern US. Let's say Oklahoma City in the west to the Atlantic Coast in the east, and about on that latitude to the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Here, in north Mississippi, it's heavy for Goliath, then Big Beef. I'm just curious what other varieties that commercial growers do well with. What are some favorites with consumers?

Does anyone know the Memphis, Nashville, and Jackson, MS markets well? I'm especially interested to see if anyone has tried Eva Purple Ball for market sales. Or, any similar blemish-free mid size tomato. I always hear a lot about EPB but not in the context of market growing.

Thanks!

DS

[ScottinAtlanta]

I don't know those specific markets, but here in Atlanta, the folks seem to want the larger heirlooms - the Cherokee Purples and Black Krims and a large yellow is common (I don't know what variety it is). I rarely see the mid size reds in farmers markets, but if I wanted to sell them here, I would go with Bloody Butcher as slightly larger, and a more familiar red. I have never once seen EPB in a farmers market here.

Another note - folks here seem to like the more exotic colorings - Green and Red Zebras seem popular.

Just to add that Cherokee Green has become more popular in the last two years - it is a rather misshapen tomato, and green, so I guess it took awhile for folks to get used to it.

[feldon30]

I would be surprised if any regional pattern emerges, especially one that is applicable to Oklahoma City, Memphis, and the SE Atlantic coast, a superregion spanning 1,100 miles by 500 miles.

The King's Drive farmer's market in downtown Charlotte does steady business selling hundreds of pounds of Cherokee Purple and a pink PL beefsteak every week, as well as cherry tomatoes of all colors. In Raleigh, almost every vendor selling tomatoes at the state-run farmer's market was unloading 1 ton pickups full of German Johnson. A farmer's market 30 miles outside of the city might do its best trade in perfectly round, red, blemish-free modern hybrids from the Mountain or -insert name- Boy lines. Celebrity might fly off the shelves in one area, and rot in another.

I think you have to see what the demographics and product awareness are like at your most convenient markets and then cater to them. What sells in your nearest farmer's market is going to depend on customer awareness of heirloom tomatoes and more exotic product choices, and perceived quality of higher-priced produce.

I'd keep an ear out and ask lots of questions!

[carolyn137]

I don't think there's any clear answer to your question TomatoDon,b/c what's offered at Farmer's markets and also sold wholesale can be, and are very different in different areas.

it all depends on the local population as well, as how much they know about tomato varieties, be they hybrids or OP's. In some areas there's lots of savvy customers and in other areas not at all.

I'm not in your target area but i do know the situation here in upstate NY and for both commercial growers and others the tomato choices can be very different.

A couple of years ago I was very surprised when Johnny's, in Maine listed Eva Purple Ball, but they said that their market gardeners had asked for it.

Morgan, I just saw your post and you made many of the comments I'm now making in this post, but will finish it off anyway.

Carolyn

[Redbaron]

I can't say about farmers markets or wholesale since I have my small stand out front. But last year the biggest seller and first to sell out every day was Rutgers. (I had more of them than anything else too) The next most popular was SunGold F1. Followed by anything big and ugly. Although by the end of the year my stranger paste tomatoes like Snickers and Black Pepper actually started selling good too. My Miracle BPF's sold well as a small early while waiting on the others to start producing well. I actually was disappointed in my Rutgers last year personally. None really produced or tasted quite right. Rutgers Red from that unmentionable seeds retail outlet were the worst. I doubt they are even Rutgers. The Ohio heirloom Rutgers came the closest to what I remember a Rutgers should be. But my customers really did not seem to notice.

What I found through the year was that early on everyone wanted something red and round and "normal looking". They wouldn't even taste the pinks. I ate most my EPB's and they were good, but never really sold well. Big Beef didn't sell well either. Later on a few people tried some of the stranger heirlooms and once they tried it, they sold pretty good. It's like my customers either wanted something that looked and tasted familiar or "old fashioned juicy tomatoes", or if they got the courage to try an "exotic" heirloom, they went for the MOST exotic. However, my Rutgers never really stopped selling even later. High demand all year. In fact more that once I had customers fighting over who got them. Well actually I had more than once customers fighting over pretty much all of them towards the end when demand got higher than production.

Since that was year 1, I can't really predict much for the future. In my case I let my own product create a market for itself. The market that was already there was Rutgers.

[mensplace]

You really have to know each specific market, it's demographics, and the tastes of those local consumers ...as well as location and economic condition. If you are a southerner you know that local preferences, heritage, ethnicity, and even folkways drive demand. Barbecue in one place would be ridiculed in another, just as accents and traditions vary. There is no one "southern". Many states have a low country, piedmont, and highlands and they vary widely. Parts of Atlanta, for example, are heavily populated by the northerners. Here, just 35 miles away, you are back to just round, red, and for a sandwich...cheap! I was born near Gullah/Low Country style cooking, but raised on Atlanta style. We even disagree on the mayo.

[snippits]

@Redbaron

I don't sell much, but when I do Rutgers was by far the best seller. Toward the end of the season, I had one buyer of Rutgers come by around the first of August, and told me he would buy every Rutgers from then to the end of season at the going rate which I obliged.

[Dewayne mater]

I think you have know your market. At my local Farmers market, which is in nice suburban area, the heirloom sellers not only charge more, but are the absolute first to sell out. If you aren't there before 9, forget it. I think we have a good number of foodie types that shop here and they will buy up interesting fruits/veggies over "grocery store varieties" in most anything. Now, it better taste good and not just look different, or the next week it won't sell so well. I've visited some other small suburban and urban markets and they tend to be like this as well, whereas in the main Dallas market, its seems good ole red field tomatoes are the preference, at least in terms of availability and number of vendors with tomato offerings.

As an aside, nicer restaurants here are partnering with local farmers and growing tons of heirlooms to offer to diners, especially in the evolving farm to market food scene in Dallas. In a city known for steaks, barbecue, burgers, etc., I'm loving the trend towards local, organic, heirloom offerings in lots of fruits and veggies.


Dewayne mater

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by snippits

@Redbaron

I don't sell much, but when I do Rutgers was by far the best seller. Toward the end of the season, I had one buyer of Rutgers come by around the first of August, and told me he would buy every Rutgers from then to the end of season at the going rate which I obliged.

I had a guy similar to that. Although he didn't make a deal. It was actually the old farmer who sold me the big round hay bale for mulch. He stopped by one day to see what I had going on. I gave him a Rutgers as a free sample (since he pointed to them) and after one bite he said, "OH! You are growing real homegrown tomatoes!" Then he bought all I had, and every time he came back he bought all the Rutgers I had.

[feldon30]

I would imagine it's a pretty good deal if you can hook up with a restaurant and they buy out all you have. The security of knowing what you grow will have a buyer, and the added benefit of not sitting out in the heat every Saturday for 8 weeks.

[RootLoops]

i'm on the east side of north ms and the two markets i go to have mostly beefsteak type hybrids, usually all the same size and picked green from the taste of em. most people walked right by my heirlooms and went straight for "might as well have been walmart" tomatoes from other folks. one oldish lady even said i don't think i could eat anything ugly as that lol.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by RootLoops

i'm on the east side of north ms and the two markets i go to have mostly beefsteak type hybrids, usually all the same size and picked green from the taste of em. most people walked right by my heirlooms and went straight for "might as well have been walmart" tomatoes from other folks. one oldish lady even said i don't think i could eat anything ugly as that lol.

I got a secret for you. When they say that looks ugly, Own it. I even saw a T-shirt once that said "I love Ugly tomatoes". No excuses. Just point out that if it is that ugly, yet someone carefully saved seeds for decades as that was their favorite, you have to wonder why..... Because it sure ain't pretty..that's certain. A surprising % look at you quizzically for a sec........then they "get it". Free samples help too.

[TomatoDon]

The one thing that stands out loud and clear is RUTGERS! Cherokee Purple was right in there too, and its popularity was confirmed, as I hoped and expected it to be. Other than the Zebras, everything else was about what I expected.

I'm not particularly interested in the cherries, the Bloody Butcher sizes, etc. but one that seems to be a disappointment regardless is the black cherry. That seemed like the up and coming cherry a few years ago and then it sort of fizzled. I rarely see anyone rave about that one. What's wrong with it?

Thanks!
DS

[Fusion_power]

Atkinson is a big seller here in Alabama.

[TomatoDon]

DarJones....are you still selling Purple Haze plants and the Dona variety? I haven't been over to see you in a while...I should stop by sometime this late spring.
DS