Helps nail down actual production per plant versus what would otherwise be somewhat subjective memory or rough estimates. Easy google document formulas can be plugged in to update the log after each tomato gets weighed and recorded.
The screenshot of the 2025 log is current as of this morning. The photo of the tomatoes is from yesterday. I have similar logs and photos going back a few years. Those help spot trends on production, size and how early a tomato might be.
Not a time consuming process. Weighing takes seconds, data entry a couple of tics. Done, over, the data is there forever.
by karstopo
8 Comments
Damn you… guess I’m keeping a harvest log this season on top of my seed log that I have to make because of the last post.
I started this season with a firm resolve to keep such a log myself, for all the same totally valid reasons. What torpedoes the project for me every year is that I go out in the morning with a basket and harvest ripe fruit from several plants on one pass. Maybe also collect a cuke, a squash, a couple eggplants, and a handful of okra along the way. By the time I get back into the house, where the kitchen scale and the laptop spreadsheet have been left, I cannot remember which tomato in my harvest basket is which. By then, I’m also aware of other garden tasks that need attention ASAP. I might have founds some bugs that need removal. I might have found some stems that need better support or judicious pruning, a stray potted basil that seems to desperately need watering, and so on.
What do “M” and “C” mean?
That Prudens Purple M is a bit of a goer.
Excellent work!
Do you have a list of best tasting in order from top to bottom?
This is better than the pictures I take everyday. I’m getting nowhere near this amount of tomatoes though. Squirrels probably aren’t helping either.
Impressive.
I’ve kept a much less detailed Onenote document for several years.
I record the plant type, maturation time in days, when I planted, and then a date and number of tomatoes picked and finally a running total of the harvest from my 3 plants.
Having the data and knowing which plants produce the most would be quite helpful.
I tend to buy the same plants yearly since our growing season is so short (Zone 5a). However, this year I strayed outside my comfort zone and planted a Pink Brandywine Heirloom. I’m hoping we have a long fall!