|
| I thought it might be nice to send a couple of old friends back east some tomatoes next spring.
Any tips on how to best ship tomatoes in terms of packing methods or materials? What services do you prefer -- UPS, Fed Ex, etc? Anything else? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| In April 2003, some Sungolds were sent up from Houston via USPS Priority Mail. A number of us received them the next day while several got them the second day. Those that I received were in a canister type container and well-packed to avoid any movement of the fruit. Only a single tomato was smashed. Martin |
|
| In April 2003, some Sungolds were sent up from Houston via USPS Priority Mail. How nice. S and R? A number of us received them the next day while several got them the second day. Those that I received were in a canister type container and well-packed to avoid any movement of the fruit. What materials were used to avoid movement -- bubble wrap, newspaper, packing peanuts? What are your thoughts on sending larger fruit? I'm thinking one would not want to go more than one layer deep and would want to individually wrap each fruit in bubble wrap or newspaper, then pad package on all sides to prevent movement. Probably best to send fruit at least a few days away from dead ripe stage. |
|
| Anyone? |
|
| I shipped some tomatoes last summer, taking reasonable care with the packing, but nothing extreme. I used USPS priority mail and they went through just fine. Each was wrapped in crumpled paper and they were then surrounded by plastic peanuts. The idea is to prevent them from moving around and from bumping against each other or the shipping container and to give them a bit of insulation against hear or cold. Jim |
|
| Thanks Jim. |
|
| A friend of mine sent me some chicken eggs last year from his farm in South Carolina last year and he packed them in large coffe cans with bubble wrap and not a single broken egg. |
|
| I received an orchid from a lady in Idaho while I was living in Miami. She lightly taped the top of the small pot so the potting mix (and orchid) didn't fall out of the pot. And as I recall she had plenty of balled up newspaper in the box to keep the orchid from bouncing around inside. The orchid arrived safe and healthy. I've also heard some people water the plants with a special spray that helps them retain the water during the trip. I have no idea what it's called though. I'm also planning on shipping a few seedings in April so I was happy to see this question posed. Jeff |
|
| Jeff, There are several "transplant" sprays available which stop transpiration, allowing the plant to retain water. I found one such product at a hydroponics supply company; similar ones can be found by searching Froogle with the words "spray" and "transpiration" together. --Alison |
|
| Good info Alison. Thanks! I'm worried the tomato plants I'll be sending in late April may dry out before they're delivered. USPS Priority mail is 2-3 days delivery time I believe. I'll be checking UPS and maybe Fedex to see how expensive they are also. Jeff |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Growing Tomatoes Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
