08/29/2026
๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐: ๐
๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐. ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
Growing tomatoes for a community looks significantly different from growing a few plants at home.
Our tomato season begins months before the first harvest. We start the plants, care for them in the greenhouse, prepare the fields, transplant, stake, irrigate and maintain them throughout the growing season. Once harvest begins, we hand-pick bushels and bushels of tomatoes while continuing to harvest every other crop grown on the farm.
In a home garden, you may wait for a handful of tomatoes to become completely red before picking them for dinner. On a farm, thousands of tomatoes are developing at different rates. Even tomatoes on the same plant or within the same cluster will not ripen at the same time.
Once a tomato shows its first change in color, the ripening process has already begun. This is the breaker stage and is often the best time to harvest because the tomato is mature but still firm enough to pick, wash, sort and transport without cracking or bruising.
๐
Solid green: Leave it on the plant
๐
First blush of color: Best time to pick
๐
Turning pink or red: Pick and handle carefully
๐
Fully red or soft: Use soon
This is especially important for U-pick customers: ๐-๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ค ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ. ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ-๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค.
U-pick allows you to harvest your own tomatoesโnot select an entire bushel of perfectly red, same-day canning tomatoes. Choose mature tomatoes that have begun changing color, bring them home and allow them to finish ripening indoors.
The same applies to pre-picked orders. We harvest, wash and sort each order by hand before calling down the list. The tomatoes continue ripening while waiting for pickup and once they arrive at your home.
If you are planning to can, build several days of ripening time into your plans. Spread the tomatoes in a single layer indoors, check them daily and can them once they are ready.
๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐. ๐
๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒโ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ. ๐
