Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables in the world, with over 7500 varieties available for consumers to purchase worldwide. Although it is easy to grow in your backyard, commercial production in the U.S. is based largely out of California. China leads the world in production, a just under 34 million tons/year. The U.S. comes in as the third largest producer, with roughly 11 million tons/year, California producing 96% of the processing crop and 1/3 of the fresh market produce, with states like Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, and Indiana making up the rest of the production. Tomatoes originated from South America and were likely first domesticated in Mexico, where a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes were developed. They were
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Fruit sold for processing are generally determinate, meaning they have a defined period of fruit development and then no longer produce. Some fresh market varieties are determinate, but indeterminate cultivars are common in smaller scale farms, as they allow for a longer harvest season. Because the tomato is self-pollinated, wind pollination is normally enough to ensure good fruit set. Temperatures between 65 and 80 are ideal for the highest quality and good fruit set.
There are many factors to think about when producing tomatoes. You want a friable soil that is well drained and moderately fertile, a sandy loam is ideal. The soil should be high in organic matter and crops should be rotated on a 3-year schedule with non-Solanaceaous plants to prevent pest problems. Plants are generally transplanted into plastic mulch to allow for an earlier crop and less weed problems in row. Transplants are spaced 18”-24” in row and 5’-6’ between rows. Rows should not be planted in valleys, as frost can easily kill tender transplants early in the season or destroy fruit quality …show more content…
Tomatoes require intensive post-harvest handling to ensure fruit quality remains at the high level that consumers demand. Many problems can occur during this stage, from cooling failures, post-harvest disease issues and shipping damage. Bulk bins are taken to packing houses, where they are dumped into pits or water tanks. Jets of clean water propel the tomato along a belt into a dewatering belt. This dewatering belt contains soft bristles and cleans the field debris off the tomatoes. The fruit if then dried with jets of air, graded by color, size, and doe any defects. Some companies wax their tomatoes with edible food wax before shipping, but this is not always
Fruit sold for processing are generally determinate, meaning they have a defined period of fruit development and then no longer produce. Some fresh market varieties are determinate, but indeterminate cultivars are common in smaller scale farms, as they allow for a longer harvest season. Because the tomato is self-pollinated, wind pollination is normally enough to ensure good fruit set. Temperatures between 65 and 80 are ideal for the highest quality and good fruit set.
There are many factors to think about when producing tomatoes. You want a friable soil that is well drained and moderately fertile, a sandy loam is ideal. The soil should be high in organic matter and crops should be rotated on a 3-year schedule with non-Solanaceaous plants to prevent pest problems. Plants are generally transplanted into plastic mulch to allow for an earlier crop and less weed problems in row. Transplants are spaced 18”-24” in row and 5’-6’ between rows. Rows should not be planted in valleys, as frost can easily kill tender transplants early in the season or destroy fruit quality …show more content…
Tomatoes require intensive post-harvest handling to ensure fruit quality remains at the high level that consumers demand. Many problems can occur during this stage, from cooling failures, post-harvest disease issues and shipping damage. Bulk bins are taken to packing houses, where they are dumped into pits or water tanks. Jets of clean water propel the tomato along a belt into a dewatering belt. This dewatering belt contains soft bristles and cleans the field debris off the tomatoes. The fruit if then dried with jets of air, graded by color, size, and doe any defects. Some companies wax their tomatoes with edible food wax before shipping, but this is not always