Ripe, juicy tomatoes abound at farmers markets across the state in the summertime, and North Carolina ranks among the top states for production of fresh market tomatoes.
Check out these interesting facts and statistics about tomatoes and North Carolina tomato production.
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Tomato Facts
- Tomatoes are native to South America.
- There are around 10,000 varieties of tomatoes worldwide.
- Henderson, Rowan and Buncombe counties are the top three tomato-producing counties in North Carolina.
- In 2018, North Carolina’s fresh-market tomatoes earned the state more than $34.7 million in cash receipts.
- While tomatoes are technically fruits, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1893 that they should be classified as vegetables due to their culinary uses.
- The best time to plant tomatoes in North Carolina is from around mid-April through early June.
- Peak harvest season for tomatoes in North Carolina runs from mid-July through mid-September.
- According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, North Carolina farmers harvested 3,057 acres of tomatoes for fresh market in 2017.
- Rowan County’s popular Woodleaf Tomato Festival takes place on the third Saturday in August each year.
