Farming tomatoes is one of the most profitable activities in kenya. This is because of the high demand of the same fruit.
It’s no surprise to find that almost every household in Kenya, a meal is incomplete without the taste of at least one tomato.
The market for this horticultural produce is humongous and ever ready, which has lured so many people to invest in such a profitable venture.
There has been huge number of farmers who have made a kill in tomato farming and at the same time however, there have been farmers who have lost millions in this activity.
In this article am going to show you what you must do , to be successful in tomato farming.
Table of Contents
1. Land preparation
Before transplanting any tomato seedling you must ensure the farm well tilled and is free from any weed. Weeds are the best breeding space for huge number of pests and diseases.
The second step is to make sure the soil is fine tuned and mixed with compost farm manure for rich nutrients addition.
Note that , you should not plant your tomatoes in a farm where potatoes or pepper was grown. A farmer should wait 3 to 4 months before growing tomatoes. This method is done to avoid risks of transfering diseases from those plants to tomatoes.
2. preparation of nursery bed
There are two ways you can use to raise your seedlings in the nursery bed;
Raised seed bed
Raised seed bed is the most common practice that has been used to raise seedlings for many years.
Using seedling trays
This is the modern and the most efficient way for raising your tomato seedlings.
Benefits of seed trays
- Seedling grow faster and strong
- Thinning is not necessary since overcrowding is well managed
- While transplanting, seedlings do not suffer from transplanting shock since their roots are completely intact with the soil.
- Seeds raised in this method do not suffer from soil borne diseases
- Less work is involved.
As you can see the best method to raise your seedlings is well put out if you wish to be a successful tomato grower.
3. Pruning and staking
Pruning should be done after about 2 weeks after transplanting. This helps the plant to acquire direct sunlight and also to provide good optimum air circulation.
4. Pest control
I recommended natural and proven ways to control pests infestation from your farm instead of using costly chemicals which end up drying pockets of many farmers.
However if need be, applying pesticides early enough is better than to wait when pests are already in the farm.
5. Disease control
For the best practice to control most tomato diseases, it’s advisable to water your plants in the early morning rather than in the evening so as to control soil borne diseases.
Regular watering and application of rich calcium fertiliser is also recommended to control blossom end rot.
To control tomato blight which is a major head ache to most farmers, you should enquire the right fungicide to use from agrovet who is near your locality.
6. application of fertiliser
After transplanting phosphate fertiliser is added at the base of the plant for excellent root development .
After 2 to 3 weeks Urea or CAN is applied for leaves development.
At flowering stage NPK can be applied for huge uniform fruits production.
7. Availability of water for irrigation
Availability of water is essential for good plant development. Without good source of water your tomato project is dead on arrival.
8. Choosing the right tomato variety
Finally, the key to success is choosing the best tomato varieties. You can read here the best tomato varieties which must be disease resistant and high yields production