From Seed to Table

As we move into tomato season here in North Carolina, I thought it would be appropriate to show you the process of how a tomato goes from a seed, to a plant, to a fruit, to your table!

Just like every other plant in the world tomatoes start as a seed.

For those of you saying “I’ve never seen blue seeds inside my tomatoes” you are absolutely correct. We get special seeds that are treated to help the plant fight against diseases later on.

From here these tiny seeds are meticulously counted out and sent to a local greenhouse where they grow into plants. We do not plant the seeds directly because we like to have our tomatoes ready in June/July and for that to happen the seeds would have to be planted in late February or March. It takes about 75 days for a tomato to go from seed to fruit. If we put the seeds directly into the ground that early the plants would freeze and die. Tomatoes are very sensitive to cold weather, so we send them to the greenhouse where they can be grown in a controlled environment.

This is what the plants look like when we get them back a few weeks later. They come to us as young plants in trays ready to be transplanted to the field. We then punch a hole in the ground and stick each plant in by hand.

Once they get big enough they have to be supported. Many small gardeners use chicken wire cages to hold up their plants. We have too many to put chicken wire around each plant, so instead we use posts and string. The larger the plant gets, the more string we add. When a tomato plant starts to crop, the weight of the fruit can get to be too much for the plant to support and it could fall over. Not to mention all the stress that spring storms and wind can put on them. It’s important to support your tomato plants.

If you successfully avoid disease, bugs, wind, animals, and whatever else likes to mess up your tomatoes, and keep them well watered and fed then in a few months that little seed should give you nice, big tomatoes for you and your family to enjoy!

What does this mean to us?

We believe it’s very important for people to know where their food comes from and how the growing process works. It doesn’t just magically appear on your dinner table; a lot of people worked very hard to get it there; and, of course, it’s just interesting! How can such a little seed produce something so big and tasty!?

Get to know your farm!

Blog by:
Cameron Ripley