Tomatoes are one of Kenya’s most commonly grown horticultural crops. Tomatoes can either be grown in open fields or under greenhouses in Kenya. This article will go over the steps to growing tomatoes on an open field in Kenya.
Growing tomatoes on an open field in Kenya necessitates following the tomato growing guide. When growing tomatoes on an open field in Kenya, the following steps must be followed:
1. Select the Place to Plant
You must select a place for tomatoes that should be slightly sloppy to facilitate drainage during the rainy season. The soil should be deep, well drained and receive moderate rainfall.
Also, water proximity should be close to the planting field, and you can use water tanks suitable when using drip irrigation.
2. Select a Suitable Tomato Variety
There are many tomato varieties in Kenya, like Anna F1, Mavuno F1, Money Maker, Faulu, Marglobe variety, and many others. It is important to select certified seeds that are resistant to disease and give higher yields.
3. Prepare Nursery Bed
Prepare a good nursery bed that is raised around 15 cm high. Leave space for the pathway of 30 cm and row space of 15 cm. The soil should be fine and composed of small particles. Seeds are planted in holes at a depth of 1 cm and covered lightly with soil.
After 8 days, seeds will sprout, and during the entire period, watering should be done up to a week before transplanting.
4. Prepare the Land
You should prepare the land early enough to kill weeds, harrow the field to a fine tithe, and incorporate farmyard manure to improve soil structure. This is done at least two weeks before actual planting.
5. Transplanting
It is done after one month of raising seeds in a seed bed when seedlings are 30 cm high. Before the transplant, the bed should be watered well early in the morning or evening to ease the uprooting process. Uprooting is done using a garden trowel.
Seedlings are planted on a prepared field at 45cm by 60cm with a hole depth of 15cm.
6. Fertilizer Application
The application of fertilizer is essential because it promotes the growth and development of plants. During the planting of tomatoes, DSP fertilizer is applied at 10g per hole.
For leaf development after transplant, apply urea after two weeks or CAN after four weeks. Top dressing should be done with NPK at the start of flowering.
7. Tomato Support
It is necessary to provide support to tomato plants to prevent damage or breakage of stems. It vertically ties a tomato plant to the pole using a string. This is normally done when tomato plants are young.
8. Weed Control
Weeding should be done more often as weeds compete with plants for nutrients. Therefore, you should uproot weeds between rows of tomatoes.
9. Pruning
It is advisable to carry out weekly pruning by removing side shoots and old, diseased, and lateral leaves.
10. Pest and Disease Control
Common pest attacks on tomatoes include cutworms, American bollworms, red spiders, and nematodes. This can be controlled using insecticides like Escort 19EC and King Code Elite 50EC.
Common diseases like bright, bacterial wilt, and blossom end Rot. You can spray the plant with foliar fertilizer to counter disease.
11. Harvesting and Marketing
After a period of between 70 and 75 days, the tomatoes will mature depending on the tomato variety and be ready for sale on the available market.
Open Field Tomato Farming in Kenya
Tomato farming in Kenya in an open field requires one to practice it on deep and well-drained soil. The area receives moderate rainfall, and the soil PH should be between 6 and 7.5. Also, ensure the field is around a water source or use water tanks suitable for drip irrigation.
Before you start farming tomatoes, prepare the land early to kill all weeds and narrow the field to a fine tithe. During preparation, apply 8 tonnes of farm yard manure to the soil to improve the soil structure.
Tomato seeds are planted in raised seedbeds to form seedlings for transplanting in the main field. A nursery seedbed ensures proper plant establishment and vigorous early growth.
Till the soil to make it easy for seeds to break through and germinate. The seedbed should be 15cm high and leave space for the pathway of 30cm and row space of 15cm.
After sowing tomato seeds, you should water the nursery regularly until one week before transplanting. In about 8 to 10 days, seeds will start to sprout, and the seedlings will be ready to be planted in about one month.
After 3 to 4 weeks, when seedlings are 30 cm high after sowing, they will be ready to be transplanted. Plant seedlings on a prepared field at a spacing of 45 cm by 60 cm and a hole depth of 15 cm. When planting tomato seedlings, apply 10g of DSP per hole or two handfuls of manure.
To boost your yields, you need to top dress tomato plants twice with CAN, whereby the first top dressing is done four weeks after transplanting for leaf development, and the second at eight weeks.
After planting tomatoes, they should be provided with support to avoid damage and breakage of the stem. This is done by vertically tying young plants on a pole using string. After that, the plants are regularly weeded to prevent competition for nutrients by uprooting weeds.
When there are outbreaks of pests and diseases, you control them by using appropriate insecticides to kill pests and spraying the plant with foliar fertilizer to counter disease. This is normally done early in the morning.
After 60 to 75 days of planting, the tomatoes will mature, and the production will be perfect under good farm management. After successful harvesting, tomatoes are stored in crates ready for marketing. Therefore, for instance, an acre can produce 30 to 35 tonnes of tomatoes.
Best Open Field Tomato Variety
The best tomato variety for an open field is Zara F1 because it is bacterial wilt tolerant for open field production; it is a strong, vigorous plant with very good foliage coverage; and it is suitable for growth during dry and rainy seasons.
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