Tomato growers in Massachusetts have faced a challenging season due to a cold, wet spring that extended beyond Memorial Day weekend, delaying planting schedules across the state. Wetter-than-average conditions in early summer brought steady weekly rains, affecting cultivation.
Worcester County grower Michael Pineo of Pineo Family Farm in Sterling produces about 10,000 pounds of tomatoes annually. His operation includes 600 plants under long tunnels and another 100 plants outdoors. The tunnel system helps mitigate weather-related issues for tomato crops, including low temperatures, insect pressure, and rain-borne pathogens and fungi.
Despite this protection, Pineo said the season's weather affected his planting schedule. "It was too cold in February to start the seeds in the greenhouse," he told the Telegram & Gazette. The prolonged wet spring put his plants about 35 days behind schedule compared to a normal season.
Ed Paquette of Paquette American Harvest Farm in Shrewsbury also reported weather challenges this spring. He said evening temperatures frequently dropped below average from late May into early June. On May 29, the evening temperature fell to 40°F after a daytime high of only 43°F.
According to the Telegram & Gazette, Massachusetts farmers produce about 6 million pounds of tomatoes annually, including both field-grown crops and those cultivated in greenhouses or under plastic tunnels.
"What we grow," Paquette said of his tomato harvest, "it's in the supermarket eight hours later."
Source: WROR
