Good marketing is the process of fulfilling the objectives of both the buyer and the seller. The factors you have some control over are the 4 Ps of product, price, placement and promotion. Here are some tips to help you tune up your produce marketing plan.

Greenhouse tomatoes are about a $2.2 million business in Louisiana, assuming growers can sell what they produce for a profit. Learn the secrets of turning a profit from your tomatoes.

This guide for 2009 contains suggestions for management of the most important or more prevalent diseases of Louisiana plants. It includes information on fungicides, bactericides and nematicides, as well as safety precautions for using them.

Number of seeds/pound, seeding rate/acre, spacing, planting dates, optimum soil temperature range for germination, depth to plant seed, days to germinate, days from planting to harvest begins, approximate time from pollination to market and recommended varieties included. Revised May 2009.

2008 farm value of greenhouse vegetables in Louisiana.

A simple but accurate way of checking the output of your sprayer is the H 128 method of sprayer calibration.

Acidic soils (low pH) cause more gardening problems in Louisiana than any other soil factor. They affect so many other soil factors in both pest management and soil fertility.

This publication includes information on soil preparation, fertilization, training, pruning, nutrient solutions, pollination, harvesting, marketing, and insect and disease control for greenhouse tomatoes.

BOSSIER CITY – Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse may be less costly in the future.Dr. H.Y. Hanna, an LSU AgCenter scientist working at the Red River Research Station in Bossier City, is studying how spacing between bags that hold the plants affects the amount of heat required to produce tomatoes in greenhouses.

Community Supported Agriculture is an alternative marketing method for commercial vegetable growers. Growers sell a share of their anticipated harvest directly to consumers and deliver an agreed-upon portion of their crops to subscribers throughout the season.