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Old January 6, 2009   #12
Wi-sunflower
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 2,591
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OK, prices depend a lot on time of the year.

Spring in my area, Greenhouse tomatoes get around $4/ lb for hybrid but vine ripe. Sometimes a bit more.

Field tomatoes don't come on strong here til late July or occasionally mid Aug. From then til frost around Sept/Oct, prices can get as low as $1 lb for perfect but hybrids. Some of the growers that are organic can get better. Sometimes up to $3/ lb for heirlooms but I don't recall anything higher during the tomato glut time.

The trick is to somehow have tomatoes earlier than field growers but not go thru the hassle and heating costs of a full fledged greenhouse. Planting in a "high tunnel" or some other system for getting tomatoes a couple of weeks or month earlier is how you can get $2-3/lb and turn your customers on to the better taste at the same time.
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