Early tomato for commercial crop?

Petal to the Metal

Petal to the Metal

Golden Chicken
Messages
191
I'm in SoCal. Which of the tomato plant varieties is an early producer as a commercial crop? Do you think it's possible to grow an acre of tomatoes without using any pesticides? I know there are organic growers out there, but I'm not sure about the degree of difficulty involved.
 
Pinewood Acres

Pinewood Acres

Farm Hand
Messages
97
Early Girl is a popular variety with high demand that produces in 50 days. Organic farming is almost always tougher than it would be if you used herbicides and pesticides. Tomatoes have a lot of pests, so keep that in mind. Early Girl is supposed to be one of the varieties that is resistant to the most common pests and diseases.
 
Mayfield

Mayfield

Farm Hand
Messages
71
I would go with the Early Girl variety too. We have always had luck with them. Tomatoes do attract a lot of pests but if you're diligent you could probably be successful without using a pesticide.
 
Henderson

Henderson

Golden Chicken
Messages
170
Which side of the tomato industry are you looking to enter - fresh market or processing? I guess I'm just wondering what brought this on. What led you to make the jump from flowers to tomatoes? I only ask because I'd hate to see you lose money. Don't tomatoes require a steady supply of water too? You're going to struggle with that as a Californian unless you already have an irrigation system in place.
 
Petal to the Metal

Petal to the Metal

Golden Chicken
Messages
191
Which side of the tomato industry are you looking to enter - fresh market or processing?
Fresh market. I appreciate your concern too. What we've learned in California is that the tomatoes are sweeter when given less water. There's a big market for those here. I already have two buyers who have asked me to grow tomatoes. That's what got me thinking about it.
 
 
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