define high yield

[Minnesota Mato]

What is everyones feelings on high yield? Is it the number of tomatoes? Cherry tomatoes can have hundreds. Is it the size of the tomato? Is it the number of pounds of fruit picked? What are peoples thoughts and what are your highest yields ever from one plant? craig

[Doug9345]

I'd say weight is the governing factor.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by Doug9345

I'd say weight is the governing factor.

That's what I go by.

[carolyn137]

Some define it by weight of fruits off each plant. Others by the number of frjuits off each plant.

I don't do either since such data is highly suspect since one person growing variety X in one season may get a high yeild, whatever that is, and someone growing the same variety elsewhere , for a variety of reasons, may not.

I grow tomatoes primarily for taste. If a particular variety happens to yield well, all to the good. Most of the heart varieties are not known to be high yielders yet I find that most heart varieties have some of THE best tastes.

Carolyn

[Lee]

I would probably stick with the commercial definition.
For cherry/saladette size = total container volume
Others = weight

Of course for my records I just measure numbers for the cherry tomatoes and weight for all others.
Typically I will adjust/not count extremely disfigured/damaged fruit
as those would not be marketable or saleable.

In my central NC garden, I define a plant providing 10+ pounds of fruit as excellent. (Heat, humidity, disease pressure, etc... are too much here to expect more IMO)
A local farmer here told me he prefers to get 20+ pounds of fruit per plant.
But I'll take <10pounds of Cuostralee over 25 pounds of Mountain Magic anyday!

My largest yield ever was a couple of years ago from a Plum Regal plant that gave me 26 pounds of fruit. Unfortunately, it didn't taste good fresh, and the sauce wasn't spectacular either....
http://www.tomatopalooza.org/tomatop.../ATSB00017.jpg

Lee

[sjoella]

i go by my opinion in my own garden.

for instance, my Early Treat yields about 20ish lbs average per plant...to me that is TONS! for me it makes good salsa (and THIS is why i grow a garden)

but my Black Krim yields an average of 7-8lbs per plant...which is ok for me..the taste is wonderful

then i have a Rutgers Hybrid that produces around 15lbs average per plant but is not very tasty although very pretty and a good producer....

is my standard commercial, not likely but it is what i go by when considering next years garden.

i will grow Early Treats and Black Krims again, but not Rutgers hybrid...

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by sjoella

i go by my opinion in my own garden.

for instance, my Early Treat yields about 20ish lbs average per plant...to me that is TONS! for me it makes good salsa (and THIS is why i grow a garden)

but my Black Krim yields an average of 7-8lbs per plant...which is ok for me..the taste is wonderful

then i have a Rutgers Hybrid that produces around 15lbs average per plant but is not very tasty although very pretty and a good producer....

is my standard commercial, not likely but it is what i go by when considering next years garden.

i will grow Early Treats and Black Krims again, but not Rutgers hybrid...

I don't know of a Rutgers Hybrid, There are many different Rutgers strains, some with some disease tolerances bred in, but that doesn't make them a hybrid.

Rutgers OP came for Rutgers in NJ, but maybe you were thinkging of Ramapo F1, also from Rutgers. I dehybridized that one and many are growing the OP form of it.

Carolyn, just curious

[Keger]

Originally Posted by Minnesota Mato

What is everyones feelings on high yield? Is it the number of tomatoes? Cherry tomatoes can have hundreds. Is it the size of the tomato? Is it the number of pounds of fruit picked? What are peoples thoughts and what are your highest yields ever from one plant? craig

For me it is usable quality, with little waste. This has not been one of those years.

[Tormato]

Define high yield...

A van full of Grateful Dead fans briefly stopped at an upside-down triangular yellow sign?

For me, high yield (non-cherries) is pounds, as in 30+ lbs /plant of Kellogg's Breakfast. KB is the only variety that, weather permitting, consistently yields that much in my garden.

Dr. Lve Apple

[Father'sDaughter]

While I use weight to measure yield, I treat the results differently. For eating tomatoes, tracking weight is more for my own curiosity as I will grow a low yield variety again if I really enjoy the taste. Virginia Sweets, for example, only produced a small number of fruits last year, but was so delicious it has gained a permanent spot in my garden. For pastes/canners, which typically get cooked all together in a pot, I'm more concerned with having higher yield plants. I want to fill enough jars from as few plants as possible so that I still have room to grow and sample a good number of eating tomatoes.

[AKmark]

In all honesty, flavor aside, it is the most produced in a given area per season.

We have no choice in AK but to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, practical tomato gardening that is, and farmers up here have became quite proficient at using available space. Some of my friends up here, who grow tomatoes for farmers markets, are very efficient at this. For example; they choose a variety that is very manageable, me I have trees, I get much more yield on some plants, per plant, but because they can keep more order, their yields exceed mine overall. On top of that I have more waste/canning goods, from bemishes, tortured shapes, cracks, especially on shoulders, but I grow yummy tomatoes too, better than theirs, but their tomatoes are still good.
I put cherries in a catagory, Ildi is a freak, determinates, Bush Early Girl beats all I've tries per square foot, and inderminates, where many are close to another in yields. My biggest Early Girl had 140 tomatoes set at once, averaging 4-5 oz per tomato, so far, with some smaller weird ones I should pluck, I have a tortured looking Caspian that yielded over 10lbs from the first 8 tomatoes with 25-30 still set, but fruit size slowly shrinking. Both are looking to hit 25-30lbs from observation, and in my world thats alot. I have several that should have around 15- 20lb yields, and a few flops too.
At the end of the season two things happen; "hey Art how was your yield? And "hey try this." I grow my reliables every year, new experimental brands, my favorite tastes, and all of these together is my real yield based on a balance of variables between certainty, taste, and my quest for the best tomato in the world.

[AKmark]

I had to actually look at my notes and go to the greenhouse. As of today, my Caspian Pink on my watertank has yielded 18.28lbs from 22 tomatoes harversted, and has 25 still growiing bigger than a golfball. I will chop the tops on her soon because time runs out for us in AK by early October, temps get us and length of day. I call it the scarecrow plant, horribly ugly foilage, hates the length of day up here, but she produces perfect round beefsteaks when I water her right, not to much, likes the drier side of tomatoland. There is a pic of the bottom of it somewhere on my AK smart pot thread.
Don't laugh she's ugly.

[Fusion_power]

I define high yield as anything more than 50 pounds per plant. Very few tomato varieties can hit 50 pounds and only one that I have grown went over 80 pounds.

For comparison,
Brandywine Sudduth - 10 to 20 pounds
Red Brandywine - 30 to 40 pounds
Druzba - 30 to 40 pounds
Eva Purple Ball - 25 to 50 pounds
Burgundy Traveler - 30 to 40 pounds
(Big Beef X Eva Purple Ball) X Disease tolerant Red (Randy Gardner cross) - 80+ pounds

Note that high production ONLY occurs when water is available, the soil is very fertile, and diseases are controlled.

[sjoella]

Carolyn---outside of the tag i purchased from the local nursery, i know nothing else about it. very pretty, i just didnt care for the taste...not that it was bad...but bland?

[bejustice]

I planted a bunch of Montserrat. They are huge, hollow and about a week away. They are going to be too big for our 10 pound box and I am pretty sure they would be lighter than 10 pounds. I need a produce broker. I have a bunch. I am starting to worry. The seed pack was really generous, and despite all the rain are turning out beautifully. I think fruit worms must have gotten knocked out of the sky this year from all the rain.