Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook
This comprehensive resource was developed from research and Extension projects conducted at 12 land-grant universities, including NC State. The handbook contains everything tomato growers need, including which variety to plant, planting dates, fertilizer recommendations, cover crop selection and conservation tillage options, pesticide selection, fertigation, plasticulture, postharvest handling, alternative pest management tools and more.
Commercial Production of Staked Tomatoes in the Southeast
All of the information a grower needs to start producing staked tomatoes is in this guide from N.C. State University. Get advice on choosing cultivars; budget expected costs; learn about equipment; discover pest management practices, and consider marketing methods that will help sell staked tomatoes.
Fresh Market Tomato Production – Piedmont and Coastal Plain of North Carolina
Includes production basics in a nutshell including varieties, field preparation, pest control, and harvest expectations. Don’t miss the 10 tips for successful tomato production.
A Closer Look At Production Practices
Fertigation: The Basics of Injecting Fertilizer for Field-Grown Tomatoes Fertigation refers to injecting fertilizer into a drip irrigation system for field crops. Nutrients can be applied to plants in the correct dosage and at the time appropriate for a specific stage of plant growth.The Stake and Weave Training System for Tomatoes in the Home Garden Staking and weaving is a highly specialized production system used by commercial tomato growers. It is a system that can easily be adapted for home garden use. Some advantages of staking are improved fruit quality and yield, ease of harvest, less disease, improved spray coverage, larger fruit, and fewer damaged fruit or fruit with imperfections.
Additional Production Guides
The following resources are not North Carolina-specific; however, they contain general information that North Carolina growers may find valuable. Be sure to recognize differences in climate, disease pressure and seasonality as you review this material. For cultural information such as planting dates and pest control options for North Carolina tomato production, contact your local NC State Extension agent.Commercial Tomato Production Handbook (University of Georgia)
This publication is a joint effort of the seven disciplines that comprise the Georgia Vegetable Team. It is comprised of 14 topics on tomatoes, including the history of tomato production, cultural practices, pest management, harvesting, handling and marketing. This publication provides information that will assist producers in improving the profitability of tomato production, whether they are new or experienced producers.
Frequently Asked Questions: Tomato, Pepper and Eggplant (Mississippi State University)
Tomato, pepper and eggplant are commonly grown using plastic mulch and drip irrigation. Extension personnel from Mississippi State University maintain a list of FAQs for commercial vegetable producers.
Tomato Breeding Program
The Fresh Market Tomato Breeding Program emphasizes the development of improved, disease resistant cultivars adapted to production in North Carolina and surrounding areas. The program has just published four research papers on trial breeding varieties.- ‘Mountain Vineyard’ Hybrid Grape Tomato and Its Parents: NC 4 Grape and NC 5 Grape Tomato Breeding Lines
- ‘Mountain Majesty’: A Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus-resistant Fresh-market Hybrid Tomato and Its Parents NC 714 and NC 1CS
- ‘Mountain Honey’ Hybrid Grape Tomato and Its Parent NC 6 Grape Breeding Line
- ‘Mountain Vineyard’ Hybrid Grape Tomato and Its Parents: NC 4 Grape and NC 5 Grape Tomato Breeding Lines