tomatoes (picture added)

[chickenboy8]

I'm going to start selling tomatoes and was wondering how many tomatoes would be on one plant. We grow tomatoes every year, but I want to figure out how much money I could make selling them.

Thanks

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Selling tomatoes is a great thing. We don't sell ours at markets or anything but do sell from the house and take orders from people we know. Customers love heirloom tomatoes and really like just weird varieties. Depending on the variety we sell them for all different prices. I would recommend looking at local grocer prices and pricing them accordingly. Also, even if you do price yours a little higher always let people taste yours and they'll be sold.

All the varieties I am recommending are heirloom. I find that people tend to buy these more readily and will keep coming back because of the flavor. Most of the varieties here don't have too much ribbing but are still attractive to those who like unusual looking tomatoes.

A few varieties I'd recommend for their timing, fruit bearing, taste and ease of growing:

Mortgage Lifter a classic. Plants produce tons of big fruits averaging about 2 pounds each. These tomatoes keep very well and produce late into the season. They do take about 80 days to maturity and are a little more susceptible to disease but still grow well.

Carmello is a French heirloom that produces tons of good sized fruits (6-9 ounces) and produces even when nighttime temps drop. 70 days to maturity and keeps very well. Is very disease and pest resistant. If you only end up growing one variety, I'd recommend this one.

Red Brandywines there are a few different sub-varieties out there but most of them are very much the same. These produce up to 1-1/2 pound fruits and the vines are very prolific. Taste is amazing and they are very hardy and disease resistant vines. A very popular tomato also. 80 days to maturity

Black Prince is a great variety that has a wonderful flavor. People will love them because they look very cool and the taste is like no other. A smaller tomato but still great for slicing and salads. Prolific plants late season (85 days)

Bloody Butcher is a good early season variety that produces very well. This will get you started with tons of 4-6 ounce fruits that taste like a tomato should. Low acid content.

Eva Purple Ball a beautiful tomato with an excellent flavor. Perfect looking tomatoes that will be a hit with those people who don't necessarily like the appeal of ribbed heirlooms. 70 days.

Good luck

 

[chickenboy8]

Thanks, where can you buy heirlooms?


Today I bought nine celebrity tomatoes, at walmart. They were sold out of almost all their plants. There is a farmer down the road from us that sells tomatoes for 2.00, should I price mine the same or a little cheaper like a 1.75?


Thanks again for your help!

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Thanks, where can you buy heirlooms?


Today I bought nine celebrity tomatoes, at walmart. They were sold out of almost all their plants. There is a farmer down the road from us that sells tomatoes for 2.00, should I price mine the same or a little cheaper like a 1.75?


Thanks again for your help!

There are a number of heirloom seed and plant companies online. I have tons of seeds that I could send you but you may be cutting it a little close to production.

Celebrity is a pretty good tomato. They are very easy to grow and give an abundance of medium sized uniform shaped fruits. Very disease resistant and they taste pretty decent, much better than commercial store bought tomatoes. You'll get about 10-15 (up to 20) pounds of tomatoes per plant either way. The only issue I could see with Celebrity is that, like most hybrids, the plants will grow a determined height set fruit and you harvest will last a few weeks. Other varieties continue to produce throughout the season so giving you a continual harvest.

Check what kind of tomatoes they sell and whether they market them as "pesticide free" or "naturally grown". If you sell other veggies you might be able to get more customers. Do they sell their tomatoes for 2.00 each or a pound?

 

[Tutter]

ChickenBoy,

Do you have any plant nurseries near where you live?

Some of them might have vegetable starts left. Whether or not they will have heirloom varieties, that's another matter. They probably sell first, and some areas don't sell them as much as others.

I don't know much about your area, I don't have a map in front of me, but if you are near Coinjock I can recommend you to someone for the next season. They grow starts and would be happy to grow what you would like, I'm sure.

But since you've already got plants, let's start there.

Does the farmer have a lot of tomatoes, such as a field, or large garden, full?

I'd probably undercut him a little....$1.90 even, just so yours catch people's attention.

Also, people need to know you are there. Everyone probably already knows he's there. While your tomatoes are growing, take the time to make a really nice sized sign or 2. Maybe paint a big tomato on it, with the price on it.

The sign can be done on a panel of a packing box, which keeps your cost down, and maybe someone has some leftover paint they need to recycle with their hazmobile anyway.

You know how people say to, 'not count your chickens until they hatch.'? Well, tomatoes are the same. I hope that they grow well and give you a lot of tomatoes, but something might happen, so figuring what you could make might be difficult.

Are you saving up for something in particular, or is this just a project?

I don't know if you can find any now, or not, but I have an idea. 2 ideas.

1 ~ If you can find a couple of basil plant starts, you could plant them with your tomatoes. They like one another. Then, you can offer some free basil leaves with people's purchase of tomatoes. A lot of people like tomatoes and basil for cooking together, but even if not, they might want the basil for something else. That will make you stand out as a tomato seller.

2 ~ Did they have any pumpkin starts? Not the huge ones. That could be a back-up for you. They are not usually much trouble to grow, and in the fall you can sell some for pies or Fall/Halloween decorations. (Tell all your relatives not to buy theirs, that you plan to have them for sale!)

Good luck!

 

[chickenboy8]

I'll probaly wait to next year to get more into selling hierloom tomatoes. Thanks for the offer for the toamtoes. The guy down the road sells strawberrys, and alot of other suff to. He sells green house tomatoes, his green house is probaly about 150 feet long. He sells his tomatoes for about 2.50 a pound.

 

[Tutter]

Celebrity is determinate? I'd definitely look for something which says, 'indeterminate' then, as well.

I was going to ask the same question about the price, then assumed it was a pound. I would like to know, though. Just out of curiosity.

 

[Tutter]

Greenhouse, eh?

Maybe you could call yours 'Sun Warmed' then, and have a picture of a sun in the upper right, beaming down at your large tomato on your sign?

What do other, non-greenhouse tomatoes, go for in your area? That's the price you'll probably have to compete with, as the greenhouse tomates won't be the least costly ones.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Yeah, Celebrity is determinate.

Good advice Tutter!!

Well, IME, greenhouse tomatoes have much less flavor than varieties grown directly in the garden.

I would buy a few more varieties of some Better Boy maybe? They usually sell those pretty commonly, they're indeterminate and produce nice fruits.

Undercut the farmer a little and start small this year. Build up a client base and then move from there.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Maybe you could call yours 'Sun Warmed' then, and have a picture of a sun in the upper right, beaming down at your large tomato on your sign?

Sun Warmed. I love it.