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Old August 3, 2016   #25
PureHarvest
Tomatovillian™
 
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b
Posts: 1,369
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellmanns View Post
The millions was sarcasm, I thought the emoji spoke for that. Sorry.

I grew 2 high quality red hybrids for the bulk of my sales, and a bicolor to round it out. I also learned to avoid having peak production this time of year. I started growing in a tunnel about 30 years ago, and would have a crop that commanded top dollar because no one else had any. I would also plant a main crop to mature about the time everyone else's was ending. Those two things along with paying strict attention to quality helped more than anything to turn a profit.
This is exactly what I have concluded after this season so far!
You are absolutely correct Hellmanns.

Growing one long crop from early May to frost makes no sense for me.
I am gonna do a very early crop next year and set them into a heated high tunnel in Mid-February. Hope to harvest from May to mid-July. By the time the heat rolls around in late July, my next crop will be coming on in the vegetative stage. So no fruit to split, or blossoms to drop.
Combined together, I hope to yield more for the year from 2 crops than one long crop that has to struggle through the heat at some point with new blossoms or fruit load.
I also think I can get the premium on the early stuff. Nobody has local tomatoes in may or June here commercially.
My buyer will have to go elsewhere for late July to August, but that is fine, he's a broker and that's his job and he knows how to get product if need be. Plus, there are plenty of tomatoes around then.

Last edited by PureHarvest; August 3, 2016 at 04:14 PM.
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