Tomatoes
Optimal Conditions
| Parameter | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Day temperature | 75-85°F | Fruit set drops below 60°F and above 95°F |
| Night temperature | 62-68°F | Positive DIF (day > night by 8-15°F) improves fruit quality |
| VPD | 0.8-1.2 kPa | Moderate — tomatoes have strong transpiration |
| DLI | 20-30 mol/m²/d | Heavy light requirement. Minimum 15 for fruit. |
| pH (hydro) | 5.5-6.5 | Flexible |
| EC | 2.0-5.0 mS/cm | Heavy feeder. EC increases during fruiting. |
| Photoperiod | 14-18 hours | Day-neutral but more light = more fruit |
Varieties for This Greenhouse
| Variety | Type | Growth | Days to Fruit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry (Sungold, Sweet 100) | Indeterminate | 5-8 ft | 55-65 | Best ROI — prolific, small, sweet |
| Roma/Paste | Determinate | 3-4 ft | 70-80 | Compact, good for sauces |
| Beefsteak | Indeterminate | 6-10 ft | 80-90 | Large fruit but needs significant support |
| Cocktail/Campari | Indeterminate | 4-6 ft | 60-70 | Good middle ground |
| Recommendation: Cherry tomatoes (Sungold or Sweet 100) for maximum production in limited space. Determinate Roma for sauce/preservation. Skip beefsteak — too tall for greenhouse shelf bays. |
Zone Recommendation
Primary: South Zone floor pots or lower shelves The south zone’s 100°F+ peak temperatures at solar noon are within tomato tolerance. Fruit set slows above 95°F but the plants handle it. The south zone has the highest natural light — critical for tomatoes’ heavy DLI requirement. ⚠️ Hydro consideration: Tomatoes CAN grow in the East Zone hydro system, but their height (5-8 ft for indeterminate) creates support challenges. Better suited to floor pots in the south zone with wall drip irrigation.
Growing Notes
- Support: Essential. Tomato cages, trellising, or string training.
- Pruning: Remove suckers on indeterminate varieties to focus energy on fruit.
- Pollination: Self-pollinating but benefit from vibration. Tap flower clusters daily.
- Blossom end rot: Common at high VPD. Caused by calcium transport failure during rapid transpiration. Maintain VPD < 1.5 kPa during fruiting if possible.
- Temperature management: Shade cloth and cooling on the south face would moderate peak temps while maintaining adequate DLI.
Economics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Grocery cherry tomatoes | USD 3-5/pint |
| Greenhouse cherry yield | 2-4 pints/plant/month (established) |
| Value per plant | USD 6-20/month |
| Space required | 2-4 sq ft per plant (floor) |
| Cherry tomatoes are among the highest-value crops per plant. 4 plants in the south zone floor could produce USD 40-80/month in grocery-equivalent tomatoes. | |
| → See [[greenhouse/crops/peppers | Peppers]] (similar requirements) |
| → See [[greenhouse/growing | All Crops]] |
Current Light Availability
Catalog Entry
Slug tomatoes; category fruit.
Cycle 70-90; scientific name —.
Default DLI; default VPD 0.80-1.20 kPa.
Launch Taxonomy
Does not count toward the active-control crop total. No active planting in v_position_current; retained as a south-zone future crop profile.
Current occupied positions from v_position_current: none.
Target Bands
No hourly target profiles defined for this crop yet.
Current Plantings
No active plantings of this crop type right now.
Latest Vision
No camera observations have been linked to this crop yet.
Planting History
No historical plantings recorded yet.