We grow our tomatoes in extremely fertile soils that capture and release water efficiently — silty clay loams. This means we don’t have to irrigate the tomatoes very much, especially once harvest begins. Less water means more concentrated flavor.
Our tomato plants grow to over 6 feet tall, trellised with metal stakes and baling twine, requiring lots of fertility. To make sure they get it, in the fall or winter prior to planting, we grow a lush cover crop of legumes that provide the majority of the tomatoes’ nutritional needs.
We grow about 15 acres of tomatoes each year, in 4 different plantings each with at least 10 varieties. That’s less than one tenth of the acreage we farm. But we dedicate more time and energy to those 15 acres than we do to any other crop. And the tomatoes — usually — provide for us in an equally disproportionate fashion.
This year, our early planting is absolutely loaded with fruit (later plantings have yet to start making tomatoes). And despite the hot weather the last few days, they mostly still have not begun to ripen yet. We’re a little scared about being able to get them all harvested.
Enjoy the tomatoes in your box today. They are the first of many — our tomato season lasts at least until the end of August and possibly through September.
Thanks,
Pablito