Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Time spent harvesting tomatoes for market

Cole_Robbie · July 28, 2015

My grandparents started market gardening in 1982. I grew up working with them in the gardens. They always told me, "never count your time."

The week before last was my busiest of the year. I stayed up all night washing, sorting, and packing tomatoes for market, and that was after picking them all day. Counting the next morning of selling them at market, I worked a 24-hour shift.

But there's a limit to what any one person can accomplish. I hope to be able to hire help next summer. The only way to pay pickers is per unit picked, and it's still really difficult to find people who can tolerate working in the hot sun.

July 28, 2015	#2
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	My grandparents started market gardening in 1982. I grew up working with them in the gardens. They always told me, "never count your time." The week before last was my busiest of the year. I stayed up all night washing, sorting, and packing tomatoes for market, and that was after picking them all day. Counting the next morning of selling them at market, I worked a 24-hour shift. But there's a limit to what any one person can accomplish. I hope to be able to hire help next summer. The only way to pay pickers is per unit picked, and it's still really difficult to find people who can tolerate working in the hot sun.