Last year we had two outfits selling canning tomatoes $10 for 25 pounds. That is 40 cents a pound. Is this a sale price for tomatoes or is it the regular price?

Tonight I sold 150-180 pounds for $2.50 a pound. I was the highest price at the market. Most were at $2.00. I will lower my price to $2.00 next week. My visual quality and size is getting smaller and poorer, better than most of the other vendors. I have a high standards.

I sell cherry tomatoes for $2.00-$2.50 a pint basket, also.

Jay

my market is flooded with tomatoes. yesterday the certified organic folks were selling for $3/lb. I was $2.50. nobody was close to selling out. the market was dead.

Until last week, I was at $3/lb. Last week, I had over 2,000 pounds picked, so I dropped my price to $2/lb and offer bulk buys at 25 lbs for $25.00. Mine were not "canners", they were the same ones that were on the table. Another vendor was selling his 'canners'(rejects, in my eyes) for $12/box(don't know what size of box, I was just told).

I have found that IF you drop your prices TOO much, nobody wants them. Keep a reasonable price, and buy a pig. If they don't sell, feed the pig and have pork later. That's what we are doing, our friend has pigs and by us sending the non-selling produce to him, he's giving us a pig ready to butcher. Also cows like tomatoes, we have 2 of them eating 'grownup' food and 1 baby so far.

2,000 pounds WOW! That is crazy! I haven't even picked 2,000 pounds this year. I guess you have a really good market.

Last year I picked that many by this time of the year. It has been too hot, too early this year.

This is one of the reasons I really like growing in a high tunnel. I get my glut of tomatoes about 1-4 weeks prior to everyone starting to get a bunch of tomatoes. By this time I have many regular customers and they keep coming back. Even when others have larger, cheaper tomatoes. They like mine because of the flavor.

Jay

Unfortunately, I didn't sell that many. Still have about 1,000 lbs after sorting out any blemished or bad tomatoes. I even took 75 lbs to the local food bank on Monday and will be taking more next Tuesday.

As far as a good market, one year we SOLD over 3,000 lbs in ONE week, 3 days of market, most of them on Saturdy.
That the reason I can't give up my 1-ton extended cargo van. I stack the tomato boxes 3-5 high and have about 20 or more stacks. I also sell other items, but tomatoes are a main stay.

I sold my tomatoes for $3/lb the last 4 weeks as I was about the only vendor with any. This week I took about 40 lbs. of Beef Hearts, 50 lbs. Jet Star, 20 lbs. of Beefmaster, and about 15 lbs. of Best Boys. I have Cherokee Purple, Delicious, and Prime Times almost ready.
Yesterday several vendors had tomatoes and most were at $2/lb., I priced mine at $2.50/lb. sold out an hour before the market closing. Our county market is in it's second year and is a rather small "sell only what you grow" market, but it is catching on and growing.
We start all of our plants from seed for our 1/2 acre gardens, and work very hard at offering the freshest and best quality, I have signs that guarantee everything we sell is picked within the last 24 hours. We pride ourselves in being knowledgeable about the varieties we sell and buyers regularly commend us for it.
The cheapest I've seen tomatoes in the store for is .99/lb, but they have hydroponics at $3/lb.

lannya, what county are you in?

Well I don't grow tomatoes for market, I grow mostly dates and then a little bit of this and that tree crops. But I seem to hit that wonderful, elusive niche this year. I will almost certainly sell my last box form cold storage this coming week and I will start harvest in 2 weeks. Raised my price from $4/# to $5/# this week and maybe 5 people even batted an eye, and I just gave them the old price for being regulars.
I didn't get rich this year but made something, and the season and the amount of crop worked out just right. Plenty to praise the Lord for this year.
Bountiful harvest and better than market prices to y'all.
Arthur the date guy.

Well, the slump has hit me. Since 7/10, my sales topped out at $1800 for Saturday, it has got worse each week since then, 7/17 down to $1600, 7/24 down more to $1200 and today only $430. This week I made enough to pay payroll for my family members. Nothing for hubby or I. I'm really hoping that sales pick up, since the tomatoes are coming on like gangbusters.

Sorry, I just needed to complain alittle. Normally this slump doesn't happen til mid-August. Plus this year, the peak took longer to get here.

Other vendors in my market are saying that their sales are about 1/2 of last year, and last year about 1/2-2/3 of the previous year. Don't know what's happening, but hope it changes.

Marla, I feel your pain. The August slump hit me today. My sales high was on July 21. I have had a steady climb since 6/22. My sales this WEEK were $50 more than my sales for July 21st!

The good thing for me is that I am almost out of tomatoes. Between the heat and lower production, I am picking enough to fill my demand. This August slump is one of the reasons I grow in High Tunnels. I try to maximize production, when the demand is highest. Also as a teacher, August is always really busy and all of my gardens production is lower and then picks back up in September. Last year, I didn't even go to a Saturday market because my production was so low. Also I sold out of everything I had on the Wednesday before.

Sales are down this year too for most. However, I did figure out one thing, my production is WAY down, on some crops it is zero. However, my bottom line is more than last year by $1,000-$1,200 and I quit going to one market. What is helping me is several larger vendors at my Wednesday market lost most of their crops in a hail storm in early June. Lower supply, means higher demand for me! Not higher prices. Actually lower prices.

This has also exposed me to more customers. I have also gained the loyalty of many of these customers. I hope I can keep them for next year.

Jay

I noticed last year that the number of boxes of tomatoes had dropped by more than 1/2, and this year, we've sold only 4 so far. We should still have some more box sales. If I can remember year before last we sold between 30-50 boxes (I didn't keep track), last year maybe 10-15 max. I do know that our 'community gardens' are expanding like hot cakes, so people are trying to grow their own. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping.

I know things go in cycles, and after 11 market years, I definitely seeing it within the farmers markets. I started out there wasn't many vendors, or customers (less than 40, in our market) and this year we have closer to 80 regular vendors). But we are also seeing more customers, but I don't think 2x as many to divide the $$$ the same.

I guess I cant complain. I forget this is my first year growing, and you all have done it a while and have a customer base. Actually, I am doing quite well. The lady that goes to market for me says people rave about my tomatoes. I always send my best. They are perfect and blow everyone else's away. I am getting known and a small base of people that regularly buy from me at work and around town. It will just take time.

The "Glut" hit early here. Around here anyone that has 1 tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket has about 50 tomatoes on them. The growing has been that good this year. I started getting out door early girls july 5th. Picked my first ripe watermelon today! Things are crazy early this year.

At least 1 new farmers market opens up every year here it seems. There is a couple markets Monday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday. So ya it getting pretty diluted here also.

Anyone work full time and market farm on the side? If so any tips on how to do it all?