How to Start Tomato Farming for Profit (2023)

FAQs

How to Start Tomato Farming for Profit? ›

For market growers, heirloom tomatoes can bring big profits – as much as $100 per plant – and repeat sales from customers who are eager to buy heirloom tomatoes for the taste they simply can't find in a supermarket tomato.

For market growers, heirloom tomatoes can bring big profits – as much as $100 per plant – and repeat sales from customers who are eager to buy heirloom tomatoes for the taste they simply can't find in a supermarket tomato.

The cost of producing a tomato crop varies substantially from season to season. It is generally accepted in the industry that this cost can range for $. 50 per pound to $. 95 per pound.

At an average retail price of $3 per pound, a single tomato plant can produce more than 100 pounds of tomatoes over its lifetime. What is this? If you can sell the crop for $6 a pound, you will make a gross profit of $4 per tomato! That's more profit than most vegetable crops.

While the national, monthly average price of such tomatoes at grocery stores fell 11 cents to $1.85 per pound in 2021, the monthly average price received by farmers simultaneously fell 16 cents to $0.56 per pound.

Tomatoes

The taste and nutritional value of a home-grown tomato picked at peak ripeness are light years ahead of supermarket fare. The cost of store-bought tomatoes coupled with the likely yield makes this gardening's best investment.

In California, the price of tomatoes in the processing market was valued at about 111 U.S. dollars per ton in 2022.

California Tomato Farmers pays an average salary of $442,675 and salaries range from a low of $382,863 to a high of $515,618.

Simple Pricing Structures

Tomatoes are most commonly sold by the pound, but consider the power of selling the fruits individually. It could work this way: Tomatoes are simply paired together by size. So, smaller ones might be $1 each while larger ones go for $1.50.

Is it cheaper to buy or grow tomatoes? ›

The six most cost-effective vegetables to grow in a home garden are curly kale, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, and asparagus, according to Country Living. While starting vegetables from seed may save the most money, buying plants may also save some money depending on the amount yielded.

Tomato Market News

The tomato market is anticipated to continue to expand alongside population and economic growth, particularly in emerging countries. There has been an expansion into the organic food industry to cater to the increasing demand.

Outdoor Tomato Yields

Yields on outdoor tomato farming on stalked crops are on average 60-100 tonnes per hectare (53.553 – 89.255 lbs per acre). Determinate varieties, however, do not usually yield more than 30-50 tonnes per hectare (26.776 -44.627 lbs per acre) due to their smaller crop cycle.

Choosing the packaging for your tomatoes really depends on how you want to sell them. Tomato boxes are great for wholesaling in bulk quantities, whereas clamshells make an easy to grab container for consumers. Tomato baskets really show off your tomatoes as "farm fresh", whereas trays market your tomatoes as high end.

Pickers are paid per bucket, on average 40 cents. To earn roughly $50, a worker must pick about two tons of tomatoes—a day.

In 2022, the retail price of field-grown tomatoes in the United States was 2.23 U.S. dollars per pound, an increase from the previous year. The average price of tomatoes has fluctuated considerably over the past two and a half decades.

Livestock is probably the most common way farmers make money from their land. And while animals have a few more expenses and a higher overhead, they usually bring in top dollar in terms of net income.

How many tomatoes in a 25 lb box? ›

A 25-pound box of tomatoes may contain the following: 5x6 (formerly extra large tomatoes) about 38-62 tomatoes. 6x6 (formerly large tomatoes) about 62-80 tomatoes. 6x7 (formerly medium tomatoes) about 87-115 tomatoes.

How many tomatoes are in a pound? One pound of tomatoes equals about 2 large or 3 medium-sized tomatoes. What is the yield from one pound of tomatoes? One pound will yield about 2 1/2 cups chopped, 3 cups wedged and 3 cups sliced tomatoes.

McDonald's is now the biggest purchaser in the world of beef, pork, potatoes, lettuce and tomatoes, and the second-biggest buyer of chicken, after KFC. When it decided to add apple slices to Happy Meals a few years ago, the company quickly became the biggest buyer of the shiny red fruit in the United States.

Favorites like tomatoes, beans and cucumbers complete their entire life cycle in a single growing season and are killed by the first hard frost. There are few true perennial vegetable plants that come back year after year.

Microgreens are some of the most profitable vegetables to grow because they produce a lot per square foot and sell for a lot. Ginseng is a plant that is known for its medicinal root that grows slowly. There are two main kinds of ginseng that are grown.

How much does a tomato truck hold? A typical tomato truck holds 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, which is about 300,000 tomatoes.

But while most of the tomatoes consumed in the U.S. — fresh, canned, and otherwise — come from California, factors like the ongoing drought, rising fuel prices, and a changing climate are making the fruit harder and more expensive to grow.

Tomatoes are warm-season plants that do not tolerate frost or chilly temperatures. We normally recommend planting early to mid-May when the danger of frost has past and soil has had a chance to warm.

Fresh Market Tomatoes

Lipman is America's largest field tomato grower focused on providing a dependable and sustainable tomato supply chain.

What is the number 1 tomato producing country? ›

China is the world's largest tomato producer with 64.768 million mT, i.e. 34.67% of the world's total production.

A drought has destroyed Californian tomatoes

The reason why tomatoes and tomato products have become so particularly expensive is that the drought in California has killed off so many tomatoes that there is a shortage.

Why are Heirloom Tomatoes So Expensive? Heirloom tomatoes are expensive because they are not mass-produced. With fewer available (than hybrids), their price typically stays high. Heirlooms are not disease resistant, their vines produce less per acre than hybrid varieties, and they do not travel well.

Tomatoes are less expensive during the summer and fall. If you find a great price on tomatoes, spend a weekend making spaghetti sauce for the next several months. This will ensure you don't have to buy tomatoes during the months when they are priced higher.

Tomato production can be highly profitable, but you need to choose your tomato type and cultivar with care, says Bill Kerr. Saladette tomatoes are slowly gaining ground. Tomatoes, like potatoes, can offer the farmer handsome rewards.

Growing your own food is a healthy way to save money and enjoy fresh produce at home. When done correctly, even the smallest backyard plot can produce copious amounts of fruits and vegetables and possibly even a significant saving to the grocery budget.

Pick firm tomatoes that are free of bruises and cracks. Ideally, they'll exude a fresh tomato aroma. Look for intense color (again, they come in many colors) and firm texture that gives a little when pressed. Tomatoes should be free of blemishes, cracks, or sunken spots, and smell intensely of tomato.

Determinate tomato plants are "programmed" to grow, bloom and fruit just once during a growing season, says The Old Farmer's Almanac. After the fruits on these compact plants are borne, the plants produce no more fruits and eventually die.

How long does it take to grow Tomatoes? Depending on the variety—early-, mid-, or late-season—and local weather conditions, Tomatoes take 50 to more than 80 days to grow from seedling to harvest. Consider early- or mid-season cultivars if you live in a USDA Zone with a relatively short growing season.

How many tomatoes can you grow on 5 acres? ›

Field grown fresh market tomatoes can be planted at densities of 3,200–5,700 plants per acre if unstaked or, 2,400–3,200 plants per acre if staked. Processing tomatoes which are grown unstaked can be planted at densities of 4,000–4,800 plants per acre.

Water management

Tomatoes require a constant supply of moisture during the growing season. In field situations, tomatoes require 214 - 706 thousand gallons/acre of water per season to produce a high yielding crop.

Tomatoes produced on plastic mulch with drip irrigation will commonly average more than 1,500 25-pound cartons per acre. Select varieties that have yield potential that equals or surpasses this average. Plants also need to produce adequate foliage to protect fruit.

In the 1930s Pittston was dubbed the "Tomato Capital of the World," because it fulfilled the high demand for tomatoes by metropolitan New York. Pittston is located in the northeast region of the state and its soil and climate are especially conducive to tomato breeding.

Tomato plants will grow well in well-drained sites that receive full sun for most of the day. The soil pH should be slightly acidic (6.2 to 6.8). Excess nitrogen can result in plants with lush, vigorous foliage but little fruit production.

How much do California Tomato Farmers employees earn on average in the United States? California Tomato Farmers pays an average salary of $442,675 and salaries range from a low of $382,863 to a high of $515,618.

Livestock is probably the most common way farmers make money from their land. And while animals have a few more expenses and a higher overhead, they usually bring in top dollar in terms of net income.

Labor costs down

Tom Goeke says it costs him about $15,000 to put in an acre of tomatoes. This year he planted three acres. At about five thousand plants per acre, he's a midsized grower with at least 15,000 plants.

Productive heirloom tomato varieties will produce 20 pounds or more of salable tomatoes, worth about $80 at retail prices. That's a return of $13 per square foot of growing area. Planting about 3,000 square feet with 500 plants (that's only 1/15th of an acre.) could bring $40,000.

Which state grows the most tomatoes? ›

To save money, grow more expensive items, like tomatoes and melons, or large quantities of vegetables that you purchase regularly. Consider vegetables like beans, beets, onions, spinach, broccoli, peppers, carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, peas, and Swiss chard.

There are two types of tomatoes commonly grown. Most commercial varieties are determinate. These “bushy” types have a defined period of flowering and fruit development. Most heirloom garden varieties and greenhouse tomatoes are indeterminate, which means they produce flowers and fruit throughout the life of the plant.