Time spent harvesting tomatoes for market - Page 2

AKmark · July 30, 2015

I refuse to take the time to pick cherries, and my time does count too. I try to utilize it in areas that provide the greatest potential. everything else is secondary, and evolves around the main production crop. In my case that is beefsteaks, the pounds pile up very fast, and I cannot grow enough. I don't waste time pursuing crops that barely matter when the bucks are counted, labor time calculated in, fertilizer costs, electrical and heat too, I had better be getting some poundage to stay afloat.
Tomatoes grown in a greenhouse should not need to be washed, outside maybe, if they are dirty, wipe them off.

BigVanVader · July 30, 2015

Just curious, what's your favorite beefsteak for market AK?

Salsacharley · July 30, 2015

Today my daughter in law and I finished picking maters for today's market. It took us 5 hours. Here's a shot of what we got. A vast array of cherry varieties is kind of my niche. That's why so many cherries and why I can get $5/pint for them.

clkeiper · July 30, 2015

Those are beautiful tomatoes... but I agree, 5 hours to pick is insanity... and on your hands and knees to boot. Invest in a roll of concrete wire and make cages. You can get about 30 cages out of a 100' roll of wire if you make them 5 foot tall. you will get fewer cages if you make them 6 foot tall but it may be worth the difference when your cherry tomatoes grow over the tops of the cages and flop over.. In the Fall when you are cleaning up stack the cages on their sides in a pyramid with stakes at the end or a board in the bottom to keep them stable and stack them on ground cover, not on grass or bare dirt or you will have a jungle of weeds to get them out of when you are ready for them in the Spring if you don't.

In 5 hours I had better have bushels picked.

Cole_Robbie · July 30, 2015

I agree, very pretty pic.

I go to two markets that I think represent two very different customer bases. One market has largely senior citizen customers, and I'm sure a much lower mean score on any socioeconomic scale. The other market is noticeably more affluent. It is next to the local university. We get a lot of customers who have good jobs and disposable income.

I had pints of Bosque Blue Bumble Bee tomatoes, which are a large cherry, not quite a saladette, priced at $2.50. At one market, they flew off the table, and at the other, they didn't sell at all, even though just about every person who walked by would stop and compliment me on how beautiful they were...and then walk down to buy from the guy selling $1/lb hybrid slicers.

BigVanVader · July 30, 2015

At my markets cherry tomatoes are very scarce and from what I have been told most people buy them from small growers prepackaged. I guess time/space issues are why.

Quote:

they didn't sell at all, even though just about every person who walked by would stop and compliment me on how beautiful they were...and then walk down to buy from the guy selling $1/lb hybrid slicers.

This is exactly my situation here, if everyone who said they were pretty bought them I'd be much better off.

bower · July 30, 2015

Wow, Salsacharley, that is a beautiful spread of cherries!

My farmer friend has one greenhouse just for cherries - 50 plants. They're pruned to a single stem in the beginning and tied up to overhead beams. By the time they're grown the space between rows is pretty narrow - but the cherries are all within reach without crawling. Still she has commented to me that she should charge more for cherries because of the pick time. Her customers want them, as you say there is certainly demand.

Last year there was an extra row of cherries in the other greenhouse that wasn't pruned much if at all... and I know what you mean about crawling.

Fred Hempel · July 30, 2015

Cherries are harder to pick, but the loss is much less.

About 95% of the cherry tomatoes we pick can be sold as "firsts"

About 50% of the beefsteak tomatoes can be sold as firsts.

About 85% of the small-to-medium round can be sold as firsts, and this is one reason why I am very interested in creating new tomatoes in this category.

AKmark · July 30, 2015

BigVanVader, my favorite is hard to say, but Delicious is pretty, huge yields, huuuge fruit on average, and they do taste very good, Chapman tastes best for my red market tomato, Andrew Rahart's is equally as good and pretty, these are red. Crnkovic Yugoslavian and Eva Purple ball are very nice looking excellent tasting pink and purple beefsteaks.
Chapman, Andrew R, rest of pics Delicious, and a pic of coiled picked vines after lowering plants, this practice keeps long season crops producing.

AZGardener · October 18, 2015

I am reading this thread with envy and taking note. I am just a backyard grower but I will have a farm one day! I would think that charging $5 for a beautiful pint of mixed cherry maters is right on. The grocery store charges 3.50-4.50 for that mini pint and those aren't artisin by any means. I would think one could make a nice buck with 70+ cherry plants due to the size harvest and variety. This year I grew 8 or so types of cherries and the harvest was crazy. My daughter wanted to have a lemonade and tomato stand

joseph · October 18, 2015

I live in a community where most people are required by religious edict to grow a garden. And even those not bound by the religious edict are still influenced by the community mores, and family history. And since cherry tomatoes grow reliably in this area, a lot of them get planted!!! Then they are given away to anyone that will take them to comply with the mantra of "Don't waste food".

It's hard as a farmer to compete with the church.

Keger · October 20, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKmark

I refuse to take the time to pick cherries, and my time does count too. I try to utilize it in areas that provide the greatest potential. everything else is secondary, and evolves around the main production crop. In my case that is beefsteaks, the pounds pile up very fast, and I cannot grow enough. I don't waste time pursuing crops that barely matter when the bucks are counted, labor time calculated in, fertilizer costs, electrical and heat too, I had better be getting some poundage to stay afloat.
Tomatoes grown in a greenhouse should not need to be washed, outside maybe, if they are dirty, wipe them off.

Agree with all you say. Down here in the heat we can produce small tomatoes when the big ones wont make, but it is still not worth it, if you want to make any money.

I have to build shade houses for summer, with fans. Think I'll put up a new thread and see if anybody has tried.

Keger · October 20, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKmark

BigVanVader, my favorite is hard to say, but Delicious is pretty, huge yields, huuuge fruit on average, and they do taste very good, Chapman tastes best for my red market tomato, Andrew Rahart's is equally as good and pretty, these are red. Crnkovic Yugoslavian and Eva Purple ball are very nice looking excellent tasting pink and purple beefsteaks.
Chapman, Andrew R, rest of pics Delicious, and a pic of coiled picked vines after lowering plants, this practice keeps long season crops producing.

Your setup is awesome AK. Very impressed. What size bags do you like for your tomatoes? If it's ok to ask what about the growing medium? Thanks.

ilex · October 21, 2015

I would look for or breed some that fall when ripe or shaken and use nets below the plants. Some currants are grown like that.

joseph · October 21, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilex

I would look for or breed some that fall when ripe or shaken and use nets below the plants. Some currants are grown like that.

I grew a cross between wild tomato and domestic tomato that had that trait. I really liked the idea. Seemed like it would be a good harvesting strategy....

July 30, 2015	#19
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	Those are beautiful tomatoes... but I agree, 5 hours to pick is insanity... and on your hands and knees to boot. Invest in a roll of concrete wire and make cages. You can get about 30 cages out of a 100' roll of wire if you make them 5 foot tall. you will get fewer cages if you make them 6 foot tall but it may be worth the difference when your cherry tomatoes grow over the tops of the cages and flop over.. In the Fall when you are cleaning up stack the cages on their sides in a pyramid with stakes at the end or a board in the bottom to keep them stable and stack them on ground cover, not on grass or bare dirt or you will have a jungle of weeds to get them out of when you are ready for them in the Spring if you don't. In 5 hours I had better have bushels picked. __________________ carolyn k

October 18, 2015	#25
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	I am reading this thread with envy and taking note. I am just a backyard grower but I will have a farm one day! I would think that charging $5 for a beautiful pint of mixed cherry maters is right on. The grocery store charges 3.50-4.50 for that mini pint and those aren't artisin by any means. I would think one could make a nice buck with 70+ cherry plants due to the size harvest and variety. This year I grew 8 or so types of cherries and the harvest was crazy. My daughter wanted to have a lemonade and tomato stand __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

July 30, 2015	#16
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	I refuse to take the time to pick cherries, and my time does count too. I try to utilize it in areas that provide the greatest potential. everything else is secondary, and evolves around the main production crop. In my case that is beefsteaks, the pounds pile up very fast, and I cannot grow enough. I don't waste time pursuing crops that barely matter when the bucks are counted, labor time calculated in, fertilizer costs, electrical and heat too, I had better be getting some poundage to stay afloat. Tomatoes grown in a greenhouse should not need to be washed, outside maybe, if they are dirty, wipe them off.

July 30, 2015	#17
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Just curious, what's your favorite beefsteak for market AK?

July 30, 2015	#20
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I agree, very pretty pic. I go to two markets that I think represent two very different customer bases. One market has largely senior citizen customers, and I'm sure a much lower mean score on any socioeconomic scale. The other market is noticeably more affluent. It is next to the local university. We get a lot of customers who have good jobs and disposable income. I had pints of Bosque Blue Bumble Bee tomatoes, which are a large cherry, not quite a saladette, priced at $2.50. At one market, they flew off the table, and at the other, they didn't sell at all, even though just about every person who walked by would stop and compliment me on how beautiful they were...and then walk down to buy from the guy selling $1/lb hybrid slicers.

July 30, 2015	#22
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Wow, Salsacharley, that is a beautiful spread of cherries! My farmer friend has one greenhouse just for cherries - 50 plants. They're pruned to a single stem in the beginning and tied up to overhead beams. By the time they're grown the space between rows is pretty narrow - but the cherries are all within reach without crawling. Still she has commented to me that she should charge more for cherries because of the pick time. Her customers want them, as you say there is certainly demand. Last year there was an extra row of cherries in the other greenhouse that wasn't pruned much if at all... and I know what you mean about crawling.

July 30, 2015	#23
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	Cherries are harder to pick, but the loss is much less. About 95% of the cherry tomatoes we pick can be sold as "firsts" About 50% of the beefsteak tomatoes can be sold as firsts. About 85% of the small-to-medium round can be sold as firsts, and this is one reason why I am very interested in creating new tomatoes in this category.

October 18, 2015	#26
joseph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake Posts: 1,244	I live in a community where most people are required by religious edict to grow a garden. And even those not bound by the religious edict are still influenced by the community mores, and family history. And since cherry tomatoes grow reliably in this area, a lot of them get planted!!! Then they are given away to anyone that will take them to comply with the mantra of "Don't waste food". It's hard as a farmer to compete with the church.

October 21, 2015	#29
ilex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Spain Posts: 416	I would look for or breed some that fall when ripe or shaken and use nets below the plants. Some currants are grown like that.