Originally Posted by MileHighMike
I haven't done it for a few years, but used to rent land in Denver. I grew about 375 tomato plants a year and sold to multiple high-end restaurants. I have a few principles for you, as well as specific tomatoes to try.
1 - Grow a wide variety of tomatoes. Different colors, shapes, sizes and perhaps most importantly, maturation date. You need to have some early season tomatoes so that you have product to sell early in the season. you also don't want everything ripening at once, then not being able to move all of your product.
2 - If you are selling at a farmer's market, looks are about all that matter. No matter how insistently you tell them that Black Krim is the best tasting tomato, they cannot take their eyes of of the striped tomato.
3 - When selling to chefs, taste is about all that matters. You will sell to them by bringing them samples that they will taste before they buy them. If you bring them pretty, but tasteless, tomatoes, you will not get that business. Bring them a mix of different colors, flavors, etc., that look great together and taste great individually.
4 - I only grow open-pollinated varieties and I save seeds. I used to experiment a lot and was very selective in what got saved and grown again. Line up similar tomatoes and taste test them. Only save seeds from the best tasting ones and stop growing those that are not as good. you will absolutely get better quality from your saved seeds.
5 - Charge more for cherries. They take a lot more time to pick.
6 - Remember that you are a business. Provide them a great product and good service, but don't be afraid to tell them "no" when you can't make an emergency delivery because they were not managing their inventory.
7 - I live in Denver, so my soil and environment will be very different from NY, but here are some specific thoughts on varieties:
- Black Krim is so much better than Cherokee purple. It is not even close.
- Brandywine, Sudduth's Strain is so much better than Pink Brandywine (or any other Brandywine).
- Nikolayev Yellow Cherry is as early as you will get.
- Early season tomatoes: Flamme, Taxi, Tangella, Moskovich
- Black: Black Krim, Dana's Dusky Rose, Gypsy
- Pink: Brandywine Sudduths Strain
- Yellow: Serendipity, Orange Russian 117
- Green: Captain Lucky, GWRWildThyme, Green Zebra
- Cherries: Nikolayev Yellow Cherry, Chocolate Cherry, Blush, Green Tiger, Black Cherry. Mix these all together and it is too sexy for a chef to resist.
- I also have seven unique varieties that I grew out from seed lines started by Bill Jeffers. These are all very good, and includes a GWR that is truly outstanding. I may be willing to share some seeds once things (literally) die down.
Good luck!!!
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