Some of the finest tomatoes Come not from the field, but from the greenhouse. When cultivating tomatoes indoors, Producers can strictly control the growing conditions, So greenhouse tomatoes are more uniform In size, shape, and color than field-grown tomatoes. Some would argue that they taste better, too. This company grows large cluster type And smaller cocktail-size tomatoes. It also produces a kit containing tomatoes, A pouch of italian spices, and a bruschetta recipe. In this hydroponic greenhouse, The tomato plants grow in a substrate rather than soil. The substrate is a block of coconut-shell fibers That retains and drains water very well.
Greenhouse workers mix fertilizer Primarily out of powdered iron and calcium nitrate. They dissolve these and additional chemicals in water, Which they then dilute and store in tanks. Computerized fertilizer injectors Shoot controlled amounts of the solution Directly into the irrigation-system water supply. A new tomato plant takes 30 to 55 days to blossom, Then another 8 weeks to produce fully ripened fruit. Each plant receives Up to one gallon of fertilized water per day Via an irrigation dripper. The irrigation system collects Whatever the plant doesn't absorb, Mixes it with fresh water, adjusts the fertilization, Then re-feeds it to the plants.
The task of pollination Is left to a resident colony of bumblebees. The plants grow at an astounding rate of 8 to 12 inches per week. To train them upright So they won't get tangled with neighboring plants, Workers twist each one around a nylon cord every week. Tomato plants grow to a height of more than 36 feet. That's taller than the greenhouse, Which is why, once a week, Workers lower the plants by 8 inches. The lowering process also lines them up at the same height, Which makes harvesting much easier. The greenhouse temperature Is 70 to 77 degrees fahrenheit during the day And 54 to 61 degrees at night.
Artificial lighting simulates 18-hour stretches of sunshine. Thanks to these controlled growing conditions, Greenhouse tomato plants, unlike field plants, Are in continuous bloom. Every week, A new cluster appears at the top of each plant, While a cluster at the bottom is ready for picking. In its one-year lifetime, A tomato plant yields some 200 large tomatoes Or 500 cocktail tomatoes. As conveyor belts move the tomatoes Through the packaging area, Workers separate the green ones from the ripe ones. Each shipping box must contain 11 pounds. Workers place the box on a tray scale And clusters of tomatoes on digital scales above it.
A computer calculates Which combination of clusters would total the target weight, Then illuminates the light under those clusters To tell the packer which ones to put in the box. Once filled, the box is passed Through an automated labeling machine. A camera takes a photo of the configuration, Then guides an applicator To slap a code sticker on every tomato. Besides selling bulk tomatoes in the bruschetta kit, This company packages cocktail
tomatoes in two formats -- Loose and still on the vine... ...Giving greenhouse-tomato lovers a few tasty options.
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