A comprehensive guide
for growing tomatoes in Kenya.
Did you know an average family in Kenya spends
$o.2 buying tomatoes daily? Tomatoes farming is a very complex art which requires
a lot of information and relatively a huge investment outlay. An average farmer
in Kenya always has the question; what crop can they grow and reap profits.
Ecological requirements, total cost of production, source of water, seeds and
seedling raising and season to plant are some of the key things to consider.
Tomato farming has turned many into millionaires and equally 'burnt fingers '
for others.
In this article am going to focus on how to grow
tomatoes and turn profits from the venture.
I will take you through the whole process step
by step until your tomatoes reach the market. I try to give you very detailed information.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Seeds selection and seedling raising.
We have a good number of seeds from various seed
companies in Kenya. The ones I have tried and will give you good results but
you can always consult your agronomist for the latest market improvements. We
have Rambo F1, Kilele F1, Commando F1 and Ranger F1
For demonstration purposes, we shall use Half an
acre. The required quantity of seeds is 20gm.For instance 20gms of Rambo F1
seeds costs roughly Kes7,800/= as per last purchase. For best results it would
be prudent to mix the seed varieties a ratio of 50:50 based on your preference.
For example if you mix Rambo F1 and Commando F1 you will get both big fruits
and at the same time if the Land you are planting has bacteria wilt problems
Rambo will provide a shield from huge losses as it is highly resistant.
Seedling raising
After you have bought the seeds, the next step
is to decide how you want to raise your seedlings. There are three ways which
you can use to achieve this. You can either sow them in a seedbed, contract a
company to raise them for you or buy seedling raises and raise them yourself.
Based on resources available to you, option two and three offer best results.
For simplicity, I will recommend option three as it is more convenient
though it comes at a higher cost.
Seedling raiser companies
Local seedling raiser companies available in
Kenya includes, Kimplanter seedling raisers in Ruiru and Plantec Kenya in
Naivasha. They roughly charge ksh.2/= per seedling, for ½ an acre you need
roughly 4500 seedlings that comes around Ksh 9,000/= plus courier charges to
your preferred pick up point. The seedling raising takes 21 days for them to be
ready for transplanting using this approach. One should factor in logistics and
order processing as they will also take up some of your time. Seed selection
and seedling raising is a very critical stage in the whole exercise and
therefore the right investment should be made here.
Land preparation
As the process of seedling raising is
continuing, you should now embark on land preparation. This involves land
clearing, ploughing and making furrows. Based on the technology you are using
it will cost you differently. In Kirinyaga for instance, ploughing and
farrowing using ox-drawn plough for ½ an acre will cost you approximately
Ksh1,800/=. You will then need to make furrows more defined by the help
of three labor persons at a cost of ksh1050 i.e @ ksh350 each. You should
do this one week before transplanting to allow soil aeration and weed drying to
take place. This is also the ideal time to put well decomposed manure in the furrows.
Transplanting
This is the next stage after seedling raising.
Transplanting of seedlings is a labor intensive exercise and maximum care of
seedlings should be taken. It can be done during the rainy season or during
anytime as long as you have irrigated the land well. Within the furrows a Jembe
is used to make holes with the right tomato spacing. Fertilizer is placed
on the hole at the rate of two tablespoons per hole. The recommended fertilizer
variety is 23-23-23, or a mix of C.A.N and D.A.P at a ratio of 25:75. A 25 kg
bag will be enough for this at a cost of Ksh1600/=. The seedlings are carefully
removed from seedlings raisers, placed on the hole and covered with soil root
deep. This exercise will require approximately five labor persons @ksh350 each,
totaling to ksh1750/=
Plant husbandry after transplanting.
The following day after transplanting, if it is
not during the rainy season, you need to irrigate your crop. This helps reduce
stress associated with transplanting and avoids the plant from dying off. You
should also spray with an insecticide preferably Oshothion from Twiga chemicals
at the rate of 10ml per 20l pump (100ml bottle at your local agrovets costs
ksh200/=), this helps kill off all creeping insects that may cut off young
seedlings. The plants should be irrigated after every three days during a dry spell
(not the one you are thinking about).
Spraying program
Tomatoes spraying program is very strict and one
should ensure full compliance for best results. As explained below in the table.
We spray to prevent and cure; late and early blight, Tuta absoluta(can make
your crop rejected in the market if not prevented) and boost the growth cycle.
Category
|
Chemical
|
Quantity in gms/mls and 20l pumps
|
Price
(ksh)
|
Frequency of spraying
|
Fungicide
(For late/early blight)
|
Isacop/Funguran
|
500gm or 10 pumps
|
750 & 850
|
Use only during extreme cold conditions
|
Oshothene,milthane and
cobox
|
500gm or 10 pumps
|
400
|
Use every week
|
|
Pesticides
|
Oshothion(cutworms,aphids
and other common insects
|
100mls or 10 pumps
|
200
|
Every week interchange with prove
|
Prove ( tuta absoluta)
|
100mls or 10 pumps
|
600
|
Every third week and during seedling raising.
|
|
Foliar feed
|
Buy based on stage of crop e.g boom flower during flowering
period.
|
Not as pricey as others.
|
After 2 weeks
|
This will be a two-part series, stay tuned for
next week’s post of the continuation. Reach me on kingorimugambi@gmail.com
or drop a comment for anything you would like added.
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