Tomato harvest counting or measuring

[NewbieGrower]

Any of you count how many tomatoes you harvest in a season or weight in produce? I guess am so excited for my first time growing anything and being successful, I am counting each cherry I pick. Sweet Million plants so may abandon that as harvesting gets into full swing. So far count=1 and #2 tomorrow. Have 3 other orange ones. Maybe in a week or two picking so many, forget counting.

[SteveP]

I kept track of how many tomatoes I harvested last year out of curiosity. I can't remember the exact count, but it was a little over 1250 from 29 plants. I lost over an additional tomatoes due to birds, squirrels, BER, worms etc.

[Father'sDaughter]

I actually do keep track of number and weight for all varieties except cherries (I only grow one cherry plant each year).

I have a simple spreadsheet file with a separate sheet for each year listing the varieties, number of plants, total number picked, total weight picked, and growth notes by variety. My mother does the same some years, except just on a piece of paper.

This year I'm grafting for the first time and it'll be interesting to be able to look back and see how my 2017 harvest compares to my 2012 harvest, which was my last good year before soil disease took hold.

[oakley]

I like to go by weight. Just approximate. I harvest, then lay out on a 4ft x 1ft tray,
single layer. I know the aprox weight of a 1/2 tray, full tray. Cell phone pics via iCloud
puts pics on my computer and dates them.
...that way i can go through week by week harvest at my leisure and get a good idea
of the season. And variety poundage. Pretty clear by mid-season, late July for me,
what varieties move up the ladder and into my 'stable' of favorites.

Helps to plan the next year....last year it was GGWT and MagliaRosa that did so well i
have 6 GirlGirlWT and 4 MR in the garden this season.

[BigVanVader]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

I actually do keep track of number and weight for all varieties except cherries (I only grow one cherry plant each year).

I have a simple spreadsheet file with a separate sheet for each year listing the varieties, number of plants, total number picked, total weight picked, and growth notes by variety. My mother does the same some years, except just on a piece of paper.

This year I'm grafting for the first time and it'll be interesting to be able to look back and see how my 2017 harvest compares to my 2012 harvest, which was my last good year before soil disease took hold.

I'd be very interested in seeing the difference as well.

[zipcode]

I weigh everything. I don't count, as I don't see much point there. Production is weight. I put dates and weight for each tomato variety in an excel file.
I only have 11 plants though. I also put in a separate column the weight of individual tomatoes that are over 350 grams (12 oz or so).

[HudsonValley]

I did this my first year, both in number and by weight. It was fun to learn that my Cherokee Purple bore well above the average number of fruit, that my sad cherry tomato bore a grand total of 49 fruits, and that a single Marglobe and a single New Girl each produced over 300 tomatoes. I've now abandoned record-keeping of this kind, but I highly recommend keeping a record of your first garden's bounty! Good luck!

[ako1974]

I guess weight at the end of the season, generalizing how many I picked from each plant and based on an average weight per fruit.

[Nematode]

Probably should, but I don't.
If I'm smiling it's good enough, doesn't need a number.

[AKmark]

I have counted fruit and weighed fruit on many varieties. My best is 50LBS from a Delicious plant that was weighed, but I had a mostly counted German Queen that may have beat that. I am happy to get 25LBS per plant though.
We also weighed 18Lbs of Ildi cherries from one plant, that did not include loads that were laying all around the plant that fell off.

[slugworth]

If they reach my mouth at all.
I was watching a tomato days away from getting picked and vermin ate it.

[KarenO]

Only do it if you think it's fun to know (lots of folks enjoy this) or if it is relevant in a business.
You will know which plants are productive and which ones aren't just by growing and picking them.
I count my jars of tomatoes and salsa and chutney and soup.... lol

KarenO

[My Foot Smells]

No I do not, but seems logical. My "crop" is altered more by weather related phenom, fungal fatalities, and disease disorders than by plant species. So y-by-y comparison would not be relevant. I guess if I were growing in a glass bubble it would be more practical.

I've got a touch of early blight AGAIN this year on two plants and have tried to rid relentlessly - but the heavy spring rains offer host - I guess.

I do like the grafting idea, it would "stand to reason" that production would increase with overall plant health - and I just hate looking out over the garden and seeing that blotchy yellow spot or two in the patch; luscious green is where it's at.

In terms of yield, I simply grow more than I will ever eat, give a ton away, and have more to cook down into various things. I don't bring mule to market..... but DO have a "swap" (beer/food for maters) with a couple local joints... hmmmm

...but I'm bad at counting and charting things over tenure; guess you would have to have one of the "geiser?" counters (the kind you click and it keeps tally) thingys and have no one else in the patch picking.

I think my ADHD would not allow me to complete this task.

[ReginaAnn]

Originally Posted by Nematode

Probably should, but I don't.
If I'm smiling it's good enough, doesn't need a number.

+1

[slugworth]

Originally Posted by KarenO

Only do it if you think it's fun to know (lots of folks enjoy this) or if it is relevant in a business.
You will know which plants are productive and which ones aren't just by growing and picking them.
I count my jars of tomatoes and salsa and chutney and soup.... lol

KarenO

tricky question since as an example 1 year I had silvery fir tomato plants and they only had 6 tomatoes on them.Other people would give them a positive rating.