How To Grow Tomatoes In A Greenhouse

As a greenhouse construction company in Kenya, we train our farmers on how to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse. This is both in a tunnel type or vented type greenhouse structure. We provide detailed manuals for all our first time farmers venturing into this commercially. This is for both small, and large scale greenhouse commercial farmers. These manuals cover in details the technicalities of how to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse  

 

How To Grow Tomatoes In A Greenhouse

Steps to follow

1. Seed selection. Select hybrid (F1) indeterminate seed from a reputable seed supplier. This is the most important step because the right seed ensures the right yield. The seed selected must be suitable for that ecological location
2. Choice of greenhouse type, and size. Depending on your location choose your greenhouse type accordingly. This will either be a tunnel type, or vented type. The size of the greenhouse is to your plant population, and budget
3. Planting bed preparation. Your indeterminate crop will yield for 9 months to one year. Before making your planting beds, create a sufficient food bank beneath to last the crop for a long time. Your beds will be 0.8M wide, by 0.3M high, running along or across the greenhouse.
4. Soil fertilisation. Conduct a soil test and study the results. Work the soil according to the manure and/ or fertiliser regime from the soil test results.
5. Planting. Space your crop 0.6M x 0.45M or 0.7M x 0.3M. So one planting bed will carry 2 rows of crop, hence 2 drip lines. At planting, your seedlings are 4-6 weeks old
6. Training. All Grekkon Limited’s greenhouses designed for capsicum or tomato growing have an inbuilt galvanised crop support system. This is for training the crop from the fourth week after planting. Train your crop by a vertical wire running from the base to the top. At the base and the top is a horizontal wire. Join the vertical one to these two. Do not tie it to the crop directly to avoid injury

 

 

How To Irrigate Tomatoes

Irrigation is through a drip system

• Irrigate before crop establishment so that your planting beds are moist enough
• Irrigate according to crop water needs. This is to avoid over or under- irrigation. One inch of water per week is enough

 

How to get high yields in your greenhouse farming

1. Soil test

Conduct a soil test to determine the right fertiliser regime. A soil test will be done in a soil testing laboratory after soil samples are collected from the site.

2. Nutrition

Before making your beds, trench to 2 feet and add manure mixed with soil and ash then do your bed over this trench. This will feed your indeterminate crop for many months, providing consistent productivity

3. Water usage

Drip irrigation is the method of watering your greenhouses. Tomato farming, strawberry farming, pepper farming, herbs farming, cucumber farming, and for every crop in the greenhouse.

4. Crops to grow

Indeterminate vegetable crops like; tomato, cucumber, strawberries herbs, and peppers. This is because the yield over a prolonged period of time, which is key in returning the greenhouse investment

5. Pests and diseases

Greenhouses reduce the incidence of pests and diseases because the crop is under a protective greenhouse cover

 

  After training farmers on how to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse in Kenya, we provide a kit for an additional cost that consists of;

• Seedling trays

• Coco peat

• Fertiliser (planting and topdressing)

• Pesticides; insecticides (long and short PHI), and fungicides (preventive and curative)

• Personal protective equipment

• goggles
• gas mask
• overalls
• gloves
• gumboots)
• A 20-liter knapsack sprayer

This secures your greenhouse budget. Our technical team is at hand to guide growers on the best greenhouse cost and sizes based on; crop type, location, and budget.