I know there are probably a lot of variables to this question, and this might be silly to ask, but If someone was wanting to grow a Indeterminate variety such as Atkinson or Brandywine tomato how many plants would you think a individual would need to plant to produce around 25 pounds of tomatoes a week when the plants are fully mature?
25 lbs of tomatoes a week?
- Thread starter Daniel92
- Start date
First of all you'll need sufficient light, warmth and the proper humidity (for fertility). Than still you would have huge variations in the output (i.e. If you need 25 lb in the lows, you will get 75 lb in the high weeks). Other factors are what you will be using it for, if it's commercial you need plenty of plants to get decent Harvests early and late in the season.
What varieties do you like or what specific use will you be using them for?
Do you want 25 lb as minimum Harvests or will you want it as an average/top Harvest?
If a steady flow is Needed, look for resistant varieties to minimise desease out breaks.
What varieties do you like or what specific use will you be using them for?
Do you want 25 lb as minimum Harvests or will you want it as an average/top Harvest?
If a steady flow is Needed, look for resistant varieties to minimise desease out breaks.
Brandywine i thought is supposed to be a great tasting tomato but not productive.
If sticking with Heirlooms...
My favorites in terms of taste are the black/russian tomatoes.
Black Tula and Paul Robeson are always dependable and didnt really crack/deform/'catface' on me past few years.
Nyagous always was a perfect small black snacking tomato.
Chocolate Stripes was one of earliest tomatoes for a larger size tomato and last pretty late for me too.
Cherokee Chocolate and Japanese Black Trifle are also some other favorites of mine...
I think for the non-russian/black tomatoes... taste and productivity I really liked Homer Fike's Yellow Oxheart. Large, pretty, and had alot of them esp considering how big they get.
San Marzano Redorta for a good tasting paste tomato.
Green Zebra was very prolific and pretty. I'm also debating planting more green heirloom tomatoes this year, cause the birds poke holes in the darker/redder tomatoes and placing a dish of water on hot days hasn't stopped them. I just cut around the hole, but still a nuisance.
If you just want the poundage and disease resistance, and don't care much about the taste (cooking only?) then the non-heirlooms tomatoes I see at the community garden always seem to be ridiculously packed with tomatoes.
PS Also for the indeterminates, they can get pretty big... I wish my cages were 6ft tall instead of 4ft. When the tomato vines can reach 8-10ft tall, so when they fall over my 4ft cage, and based on my spacing start getting into the shade which I think promotes more disease towards end of the season. Just getting them up higher *I think* and pruning better to promote sun reach all parts of the plant and cut down on disease. or i can space them further too (but i like having 35 different varieties of tomatoes a year to test out in my little garden
).
If sticking with Heirlooms...
My favorites in terms of taste are the black/russian tomatoes.
Black Tula and Paul Robeson are always dependable and didnt really crack/deform/'catface' on me past few years.
Nyagous always was a perfect small black snacking tomato.
Chocolate Stripes was one of earliest tomatoes for a larger size tomato and last pretty late for me too.
Cherokee Chocolate and Japanese Black Trifle are also some other favorites of mine...
I think for the non-russian/black tomatoes... taste and productivity I really liked Homer Fike's Yellow Oxheart. Large, pretty, and had alot of them esp considering how big they get.
San Marzano Redorta for a good tasting paste tomato.
Green Zebra was very prolific and pretty. I'm also debating planting more green heirloom tomatoes this year, cause the birds poke holes in the darker/redder tomatoes and placing a dish of water on hot days hasn't stopped them. I just cut around the hole, but still a nuisance.
If you just want the poundage and disease resistance, and don't care much about the taste (cooking only?) then the non-heirlooms tomatoes I see at the community garden always seem to be ridiculously packed with tomatoes.
PS Also for the indeterminates, they can get pretty big... I wish my cages were 6ft tall instead of 4ft. When the tomato vines can reach 8-10ft tall, so when they fall over my 4ft cage, and based on my spacing start getting into the shade which I think promotes more disease towards end of the season. Just getting them up higher *I think* and pruning better to promote sun reach all parts of the plant and cut down on disease. or i can space them further too (but i like having 35 different varieties of tomatoes a year to test out in my little garden
).
Maybe 2 plants if they are all like this one I just picked lol...
imho get a good proven commercial variety like trust... then go hydro.
prune to one vine, and string them up.
25 lbs is like 30-35ish good sized tomatoes, or like 70+ smallish roma types.
you could do that with like 12-18 plants EASILY imho.
i forget the variety, but i was harvesting a cluster that was over an lb every 10-14 days... its not even a super productive cultivar, with respect to weight.
it was called topanga i think, a greenhouse tomato bred to make clusters of "vine ripened" toms, which apparently farmers can charge alot for.
i also grew this paste tom that was amazing, i think it was called pozzano F1 or something.
if you have the cash... the dutch buckets are probably the easiest to deal with... but bang for the buck? probably top dress peat lite, or coco, with some good quality fertilizer like scotts top dress.
scotts top dress is not available everywhere however, and you will spend a grip shipping a bag of it... like 90 bucks at least.
prune to one vine, and string them up.
25 lbs is like 30-35ish good sized tomatoes, or like 70+ smallish roma types.
you could do that with like 12-18 plants EASILY imho.
i forget the variety, but i was harvesting a cluster that was over an lb every 10-14 days... its not even a super productive cultivar, with respect to weight.
it was called topanga i think, a greenhouse tomato bred to make clusters of "vine ripened" toms, which apparently farmers can charge alot for.
i also grew this paste tom that was amazing, i think it was called pozzano F1 or something.
if you have the cash... the dutch buckets are probably the easiest to deal with... but bang for the buck? probably top dress peat lite, or coco, with some good quality fertilizer like scotts top dress.
scotts top dress is not available everywhere however, and you will spend a grip shipping a bag of it... like 90 bucks at least.
Pfeffer said:
I'm sorry, I forgot to mention I will be growing these in a greenhouse with heat to extend the growing season. I will be wanting 25 lb as minimum for each week. I don't have a specific variety picked yet, but both Atkinson & Superboy 785 have grown very well for me in the past where I live. My use for them will be be on sandwiches, so I am looking for a good slicing tomato.
persianninja said:Brandywine i thought is supposed to be a great tasting tomato but not productive.
If sticking with Heirlooms...
My favorites in terms of taste are the black/russian tomatoes.
Black Tula and Paul Robeson are always dependable and didnt really crack/deform/'catface' on me past few years.
Nyagous always was a perfect small black snacking tomato.
Chocolate Stripes was one of earliest tomatoes for a larger size tomato and last pretty late for me too.
Cherokee Chocolate and Japanese Black Trifle are also some other favorites of mine...
I think for the non-russian/black tomatoes... taste and productivity I really liked Homer Fike's Yellow Oxheart. Large, pretty, and had alot of them esp considering how big they get.
San Marzano Redorta for a good tasting paste tomato.
Green Zebra was very prolific and pretty. I'm also debating planting more green heirloom tomatoes this year, cause the birds poke holes in the darker/redder tomatoes and placing a dish of water on hot days hasn't stopped them. I just cut around the hole, but still a nuisance.
If you just want the poundage and disease resistance, and don't care much about the taste (cooking only?) then the non-heirlooms tomatoes I see at the community garden always seem to be ridiculously packed with tomatoes.
PS Also for the indeterminates, they can get pretty big... I wish my cages were 6ft tall instead of 4ft. When the tomato vines can reach 8-10ft tall, so when they fall over my 4ft cage, and based on my spacing start getting into the shade which I think promotes more disease towards end of the season. Just getting them up higher *I think* and pruning better to promote sun reach all parts of the plant and cut down on disease. or i can space them further too (but i like having 35 different varieties of tomatoes a year to test out in my little garden
I need to do some more research, I'm looking for a medium to large tomato that is good for sandwiches and slicing. I found that three varieties grow really well where I live, Atkinson, Arkansas traveler and superboy 785 hybrid. I would like to find a tomato that has a good balance in production and taste, but at the end of the day taste is definitely the more important thing for me though
JoynersHotPeppers said:Maybe 2 plants if they are all like this one I just picked lol...
Wowwzersss, now that is a big tomato!
maby look at DR 7749? or are you looking for heirloom?Daniel92 said:
http://paramountseeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/DRW-7749-variety-file.pdf
i grew it once, and in rockwool, it was remarkably productive. but yea its not heirloom, its a super breed hybrid.
out of curiosity are you trying to actually make money?
this is a cluster of the DR7749. keep in mind, they are a greenhouse cultivar. if you let the temp and humidity wander all over the place, THEY WILL CRACK. as you see here...
queequeg152 said:imho get a good proven commercial variety like trust... then go hydro.
prune to one vine, and string them up.
25 lbs is like 30-35ish good sized tomatoes, or like 70+ smallish roma types.
you could do that with like 12-18 plants EASILY imho.
i forget the variety, but i was harvesting a cluster that was over an lb every 10-14 days... its not even a super productive cultivar, with respect to weight.
it was called topanga i think, a greenhouse tomato bred to make clusters of "vine ripened" toms, which apparently farmers can charge alot for.
i also grew this paste tom that was amazing, i think it was called pozzano F1 or something.
if you have the cash... the dutch buckets are probably the easiest to deal with... but bang for the buck? probably top dress peat lite, or coco, with some good quality fertilizer like scotts top dress.
scotts top dress is not available everywhere however, and you will spend a grip shipping a bag of it... like 90 bucks at least.
Sorry, I didn't see this when I posted last!
I have done Hydro before with my peppers (DWC) even though I did like the results I would like to keep this grow soil based.
queequeg152 said:maby look at DR 7749? or are you looking for heirloom?
http://paramountseeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/DRW-7749-variety-file.pdf
i grew it once, and in rockwool, it was remarkably productive. but yea its not heirloom, its a super breed hybrid.
out of curiosity are you trying to actually make money?
this is a cluster of the DR7749. keep in mind, they are a greenhouse cultivar. if you let the temp and humidity wander all over the place, THEY WILL CRACK. as you see here...
I'm not necessarily looking for heirloom, I'm open to suggestions. What did you think of the taste on your DR7749? I'm not really looking to make money on this grow. This grow would be in a pit greenhouse to keep the temperature as consistent as possible.
taste like a generic grocery store tomato. nothing special there. the flesh is thicker tho, like any brandywine.Daniel92 said:
If you have a proper greenhouse and a quality fertilizer (and some experience with tomatoes), about 20 plants should do. However if you're using them for sandwiches, I wouldn't put to much of one variety. Just plant a bunch of different varieties and get to know which ones you like most. For example, I do prefer the black/purple variants (Purple russian plum, purple calabash, black cherokee etc) whilst others go for brandywines etc. The purple russian plum gave me a very nice harvest with medium sized (larger than roma) pointy tomatoes. It's quite subsceptible for pytophtora, but that shouldn't be much of a problem in a green house.
Get to know your taste and plant about 2-4 plants of each variety.. With about 20 plants you should get very nice harvests when the weather is good, but you might not make it to 25lbs in the bad periods. A steady flow of 25lbs, even in the rainy periods (I'm not sure how the weather/climate in Tulsa is) is quite hard. Tomatoes tend to stay green and laugh at you.. and when the weather flips back to Sunshine, they tend to boom into ripening (all at the same time), forcing your family to eat BLT sandwiches, tomato soup, pasta sauce, tomato salad FOR WEEKS and laugh at you just a little bit more.
Some varieties I like..
- Purple Calabash
- Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja
- Brandywine
- Old German
- Purple Russian Plum
- Black Cherokee
- Dansk Export
- San Marzano
- Gartenperle (mini tomato, huge yields)
- Randy
- Coeur de Boeuf (Oxheart?)
Get to know your taste and plant about 2-4 plants of each variety.. With about 20 plants you should get very nice harvests when the weather is good, but you might not make it to 25lbs in the bad periods. A steady flow of 25lbs, even in the rainy periods (I'm not sure how the weather/climate in Tulsa is) is quite hard. Tomatoes tend to stay green and laugh at you.. and when the weather flips back to Sunshine, they tend to boom into ripening (all at the same time), forcing your family to eat BLT sandwiches, tomato soup, pasta sauce, tomato salad FOR WEEKS and laugh at you just a little bit more.
Some varieties I like..
- Purple Calabash
- Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja
- Brandywine
- Old German
- Purple Russian Plum
- Black Cherokee
- Dansk Export
- San Marzano
- Gartenperle (mini tomato, huge yields)
- Randy
- Coeur de Boeuf (Oxheart?)
Jesus queuqueg!!! Those are some tiny root balls on such large, healthy plants. Were you doing a continuous drip or what?!
I want to know too. Because I will DO THAT if at all possible.
Also wanted to suggest Big Beef. I've heard people raving about it but this was my first year trying it. With zero attention and zero pruning and zero fertilizing in my side yard it has about half a dozen tomatoes on it. And the one I snagged earlier in the season was quite delicious.
I'm also very fond of Homestead. I found it to be prolific and tasty, plus it produces perfect "slicers'. They look the way a tomato should look all sliced up on a sandwich or in a caprese. Didn't seem to mind our heat. It's also a semi-determinate -- I found it behaved very much like an indeterminate but didn't vine out everywhere like crazy.
Also wanted to suggest Big Beef. I've heard people raving about it but this was my first year trying it. With zero attention and zero pruning and zero fertilizing in my side yard it has about half a dozen tomatoes on it. And the one I snagged earlier in the season was quite delicious.
I'm also very fond of Homestead. I found it to be prolific and tasty, plus it produces perfect "slicers'. They look the way a tomato should look all sliced up on a sandwich or in a caprese. Didn't seem to mind our heat. It's also a semi-determinate -- I found it behaved very much like an indeterminate but didn't vine out everywhere like crazy.
are you talking about the slabs?Noah Yates said:
the slabs themselves are not as small as you might think... i think they are 32 long by 4 wide by 2 tall? they might look smaller in the pictures.
but yea they were fed like 6 times a day. each watering was like... a bit less than a coke cans worth of nutrient solution per plant. 1gph emitters for like 3 minutes at a time.
its nothing special... that was an early photo... they eventually got to like 14 feet, then i kept breaking the stems when i was levering them and gave up.
the key to this system is a very little amount of work EVERY SINGLE DAY... you cannot go week to week like normal tomatos in a cage or what ever...
plants grow so fast that you need to lower them like an inch or two every other day... else the stems break when you try to lower them like a foot at once.
if you are interested, i could SASBE you some tom seeds that are very productive... I cannot share my DR7749... as they cost me like a dollar a seed, im a generous guy, but not enough to give away like 10 bucks worth of seed lol.