Virginia’s tomato traditions are still growing strong
If summer had an official vegetable, it would have to be the plump, juicy tomato. Fresh from the field or garden, the very aroma of a tomato triggers thoughts of sunny days and summer meals.
Fortunately for hungry tomato lovers, fresh-market tomatoes are a multi-million dollar business in Virginia. During the 2015 growing season, the states's farmers harvested 2,200 acres of fresh-market tomatoes, generating more than $34 million in cash receipts.
A large presence on Virginia’s Eastern Shore
America’s largest field tomato growers, Lipman Family Farms, has farms in Virginia, Florida, South Carolina and California. The company grows tomatoes on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, where the majority of the state’s tomato crop originates. The most recent Census of Agriculture found 893 acres of tomatoes were grown in Northampton County and 573 acres in Accomack County.
“The Eastern Shore is a very important part of our summertime tomato production. We have 1,200 acres of tomatoes planted on the Eastern Shore,” said Gerry O’Dell, chief farming officer for Lipman Family Farms. “In the 1960s, we started our operation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland but gradually migrated to Virginia. Virginia was a better location for growing tomatoes.”
Lipman’s Eastern Shore location provides mature green and vine-ripe tomatoes from July through September. Harvesting fresh-market tomatoes is labor-intensive and requires multiple pickings by hand.
Northampton County Farm Bureau President Steve Sturgis said plastic mulch production, where vegetable crops grow through holes in plastic sheeting, increases tomato yields. The plastic suppresses weeds and helps growers manage insects and conserve water.
“We can grow so many tomatoes per acre on the Eastern Shore because we use plastic mulch production in combination with drip irrigation. This precise application gives plants the water and nutrients they need,” Sturgis said.
A celebrated crop in Hanover County
Hanover County is home to celebrated tomato crops and a tomato festival that draws more than 30,000 people each July.
“I know of 30 producers in Hanover that grow tomatoes commercially, and I often learn of new producers,” said Laura Maxey-Nay, a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent in the county. Though she has seen the number of larger producers decrease in recent years, she has seen the number of small producers increase.
“Maxey-Nay said Hanover tomato producers sell to grocery chains and wholesalers and at farmers’ markets and farm stands. “Hanover has been blessed with good soil for growing tomatoes, but in my opinion it is the resilient, passionate, hardworking Hanover tomato farmer that makes a true Hanover tomato,” she said.
Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?
Technically a tomato is a fruit, since it is the ripened ovary of a plant. But in 1893 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes were to be considered vegetables.
When looking for the best tomato, chose one that is slightly fragrant, has no blemishes and is firm to the touch. It should give slightly when pressed and should feel heavy for its size.
Heirloom tomatoes deliver tradition, taste
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in home gardens, and heirloom tomatoes are the most popular heirloom vegetable.
“Most heirloom tomatoes have great flavor, and they are something that home gardeners can have great success growing,” said Chris Mullins, a fruit and vegetable specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia State University.
Heirloom vegetables come from seeds that have been passed down from family member to family member or are hand-selected by gardeners for a special trait. They are open-pollinated, which means they’re pollinated by insects or wind without human intervention. Heirlooms are typically at least 50 years old and are often pre-World War II varieties. They tend to remain stable in their characteristics from one year to the next.
“Hybrid varieties have been through traditional breeding programs where traits have been selected for them,” Mullins said. “Some varieties are bred for fruit color, ability to ship well, flavor characteristics and disease resistance, whereas heirloom varieties do not have that.”
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Growing heirloom tomatoes
When growing heirloom tomatoes, Mullins said, consider putting in more plants.
“With heirloom tomatoes you may want to plant about 50 percent more plants, because they may have a lower yield. You may lose more to disease, and they generally have lower yields than you may be used to if you were planting hybrid varieties in the past.”
Using manure and compost creates a better-tasting tomato, Cox noted.
Seeds can be purchased from catalogs, and more greenhouses and garden centers now carry heirloom tomato plants. You also can get seeds or plants from friends and neighbors. Then save your seeds to use the next season.
You can start tomato seeds indoors and transplant the plants outside when the weather warms up. Before planting, be sure to do a soil test.