Economic Profitability of Growing Lettuce and Tomato in Western Washington under High Tunnel and Open Field Production Systems

Lettuce and tomato are popular fresh market vegetable crops. In western Washington, there is interest in growing them in high tunnel production systems due to the region’s mild, marine climate. The objectives of this study were to contrast the economic potential of growing lettuce and tomato under high tunnel and open field production systems, and identify the main factors affecting profitability within each production system. Economic data for this study were collected by interviewing experienced lettuce and tomato growers in western Washington during focus group sessions. Costs of production varied by crop and production system, and findings indicated that it was five times more costly to grow lettuce and eight times more costly to grow tomato in a high tunnel than in the open field in western Washington. For lettuce, the labor cost per square foot of growing area was found to be 6 times greater in a high tunnel than in the open field; and for tomato, the labor costs were 10 times greater in a high tunnel than in the open field. Total labor cost comprised more than 50% of the total production costs of lettuce and tomato in both the high tunnel and open field systems. The percentage of total labor cost was similar in both the high tunnel and open field production for lettuce, but was higher in high tunnel tomato production than in the open field. Tunnel-grown lettuce and tomato had three and four times greater marketable yield compared to field-grown, respectively. Given the base crop yield and average price, it was 43% more profitable to grow lettuce in the open field than in the high tunnel, while in contrast, high tunnel-grown tomato was three times more profitable than open field tomato production.