Tomatoes or Strawberries

[Oldcountryboy]

Which would bring me the best income, Tomatos or Strawberries?

I have a 15' X 100' wind tunnel that I'm currently constructing and had plans to get early tomato plants started in. But I've been wondering if I could make more money selling strawberries. By using the wind tunnel I could have strawberries before anyone else around has them and with using a shade cover, I might could extend the harvest by as much as a month later. Could have a very long strawberry season. Of coarse I could also have a very long tomato season also.

[Callieslamb]

You dont' say where you are so that leaves out a bunch of info for us. If you get 1 qt of berries from each plant- how many quarts can you harvest - in a perfect year? How many tomatoes and for how much? Which has the most competition in your area?

You won't get a strawberry harvest this year. If that makes a difference.

[GrannyG]

Everybody loves tomatos....from the green ones...green fried ones...to the lovely ripe ones...

[Windy in Kansas]

Wind tunnel--interesting term, but I guess you will be testing as to what grows best.

Ripe tomatoes are easier to pick because of their size and are not as fragile to handle as are strawberries.

Consider too that strawberries really need limited picking until well established, however unlike tomatoes won't need replanted each year.

I would consider both labor intensive to harvest but my personal choice to harvest would be tomatoes as they are much easier to see from being somewhat more in the open.

There have been some studies on raising blueberries in high tunnels and they tend to be extremely profitable. Just thought I'd toss that out for you to consider as well.

Perhaps some strawberries and until they get well established tomatoes too.

[uncle Will in In.]

Put in three rows of strawberries with two paths between them. The berries will be done early enough to put a row of tomatoes in each path.

[Paquebot]

Strawberries are day-length sensative. Many aren't named June-bearers on a whim. Unless given extra artificial light to mimic a longer day, they aren't going to bear any earlier in a greenhouse.

Martin

[paintlady]

I would go with the strawberries. Many people raise their own tomatoes but not so many raise strawberries.

[Kris in MI]

My inclination is tomatoes. Like Martin says, strawberries are limited by themselves, not so much by temp, so I don't think you will extend them. Tomatoes are:
--easier to pick
--easier to weed around
--store longer
--have a longer growing season
--can be encouraged to produce earlier
--have more uses

[ldc]

With all due respect to above posters, there are many strawberries that are daylight neutral, and they are grown here in South Louisiana, and in northern calif where I used to live. Here in LA, they are grown outside, and start bearing in March in profusion. Pontchatoula is the center for the strawberry region here. They are also grown outside with rowcovers, as well as in plastic hoop houses: each system works. Here, strawberries are more valuable when early than a regular tomato crop; early "greenhouse" toms are also very valuable - the difference seems to be that early toms take supplemental heat, while early berries don't! Have fun w this; I like Uncle Will's compromise choice, that is to do some of each and see what happens in your location. ldc

[anniew]

Have you considered a higher dollar crop like raspberries?

Off topic: A 15 foot wide tunnel does not make maximum use of space. The wider the better...

[Linkovich]

Both? That way you have an income extended over a longer period of time...

[byexample]

I would try both and see if one performs better than the other. Or perhaps you can come up with an approach that allows you to do both permanently. Diversity is good.

Best of luck!

[wy_white_wolf]

I would try both. But also lean more towards the tomatoes (75-25). My back wouldn't be able to handle working a large crop of strawberries as all the work is so close to the ground. Way to much bending over.

[Cascade Failure]

Please define the local market.

[Paquebot]

Everbearing types are day-neutral but the harvest over the entire growing season is approximately the same as what day-sensitive produce in only a few weeks. Thus nothing gained by using everbearing types.

Martin

[Jalopy]

I would suggest that you do tomatoes. If you are interested in strawberries just pur row covers over the strawberrie rows since they are so close to the ground and save the high tunnel for the tomatoes which will be taller. JMHO

[Little Quacker in OR]

Here at our farmers markets the best selling "fruit" are strawberries! People buy them by the flat instead of the basket as you can eat them and then make jelly, jam etc. If you research these farmers markets and see what a tomato sells for compared to a strawberry, the price is always better for the strawberry. They are more versatile for the average fruit buye as you lose none of them. More people seem to make strawberry jam than salsa! LOL.

Tomatoes are quite perishable of course, but the strawberries can still be used and not thrown away.

Thats just us here in the west. LQ

[Oldcountryboy]

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

There have been some studies on raising blueberries in high tunnels and they tend to be extremely profitable. Just thought I'd toss that out for you to consider as well..

Have thought about them too. In fact I would like to have a wind tunnel each for several plants and bushes. Blueberries, strawberries, rasberries, dwarf fruit trees, as well as tomatoes, melons and such.

Originally Posted by Paquebot

Strawberries are day-length sensative. Many aren't named June-bearers on a whim. Unless given extra artificial light to mimic a longer day, they aren't going to bear any earlier in a greenhouse.

Martin

I have wondered about if I would need any artificial lighting, I'm glad you mentioned it.


I only have one wind tunnel/hoop house to get started with. I will be adding more as money is available. But would like to be raising the best money maker first, whether it be Strawberries, Blueberries, or Tomatoes. I do live nearby what was once called the Strawberry capital of the world,(Stillwell, Okla.) which has purty much fizzled out. Not very many people pick and bring strawberries to the roadside anymore and when you do find some, there seems to be a lot of hidden green strawberries toward the bottom of the carton there in.

As far as tomatoes go, there does seem to be a lot of people who raise their own and theres a lot of people set up next to the road selling ripe tomatoes. So the tomato competition is great. The only way I can see a edge over the tomato competition is to grow in wind tunnels and be the first to offer vine ripe tomatoes. But that would only last a few short weeks before everyone elses tomatoes get ripe to pick.

[ca2devri]

Have you ever grown strawberries on a large scale and sold them? They're much more difficult that tomatoes (as others have already stated). I've failed more times with them than almost anything else! I say, unless you know what you're doing, don't do strawberries. Tomatoes are easy, but make sure you have a market to sell them to.

Chris

[Shepherd]

What do you mean by "wind tunnel" and do you have a picture or two you could show us?

I'm thinking raise both - diversify.