Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Better get those tomatoes planted

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Better get those tomatoes planted
  • Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:01:56 -0600


That'll affect the East coast somewhat, and what affects one region affects
all the others. Barb noticed the gallon tomato pots at China-Mart went from
$3 to $4.50.

Mine were started in Feb. three months before last frost date in May. The
first batch of 24 plants were transplanted in the greenhouse beds from
gallon pots yesterday. Some have flowers already. They'll produce for
market before June. Two more batches will follow the next three months to
make continuous supply for market thru Oct. Total 72 plants. Last fall they
were eight feet high reaching the rafters. Unfortunately we only had two
beds of the Costoluto Genovese and four other beds of misc including a
French market tomato that lacked the knockout taste of the Genovese. Those
didn't sell well and didn't produce as well either.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 3/28/2008 at 8:34 PM Liz wrote:

>Not making a statement about immigrant labor,
>just passing on info about a likely shortage of fresh tomatoes in the
>stores.
>
>This is excerpted--the original is at
>http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLcw2uB74fh2WVfW9hUsryKDFUrwD8VK1T480
>
>
>Major Grower Ends Crop, Lacking Workers
>
>By MICHAEL RUBINKAM – 4 days ago
>
>CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. (AP) ­ Saying the nation's
>immigration system is broken, Pennsylvania's
>largest grower of fresh-to-market tomatoes
>announced Monday he will no longer produce the
>crop because he can't find enough workers to harvest it.
>
>Keith Eckel, 61, a fourth-generation farmer and
>the owner of Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms Inc., said
>he saw a dramatic decline last summer in the
>number of migrant workers who showed up to pick
>tomatoes at his 2,000-acre farm in northeastern Pennsylvania.
>
>He said Congress' failure to approve
>comprehensive immigration reform had hindered his
>ability to hire enough workers to get his crop to
>the market. Most of Eckel's workers came from Mexico.
>
>"There are a number of workers hesitant to
>travel, legal or illegal, because of the scrutiny
>they are now under," said Eckel, whose tomatoes
>have been shipped to supermarkets and restaurants
>throughout the eastern United States. "So there
>are less workers crossing state lines."
>
>Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last
>year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and
>will plant half as much sweet corn as usual,
>resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs.
>
>Eckel, one of the largest growers of fresh
>tomatoes in the Northeast, said it cost him $1.5
>million to $2 million to plant and harvest a
>tomato crop ­ too much of an investment to risk
>not having enough workers at harvest time.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Livingontheland mailing list
>Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
>http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page