BIG TOMATOES FOR THE WIN!

WE know that tomato farming has obviously been one of the most profitable farming activities in our country. Consequently, the market is large, very ready and this is the fact that has encouraged lots of farmers to invest in large scale tomato farming.

There are some who has made millions with this crop but there are some farmers who have lost terribly while at it. Tomatoes are very easy to grow; just throw a seed anywhere and a few days later you will find a nice green seedling there. However, for us to achieve a good harvest and make profit, we need to establish our farm under the optimum conditions. It thrives in deep well drained soils under warm or hot climate, the crop also requires a lot of water to produce well.

Always select varieties that are high producing and disease resistant. Do not try to stick to those varieties that give you only a handful after your long wait and hard work, we have many best open field tomato varieties existing in our country, one of them is the Champ tomato from Known You Seed Philippines.

It is a large type tomato that can be used for cooking, salad and sandwiches. This is also the variety used by different cooperatives acknowledged by Jollibee Food Corporation to supply their tomato requirements. This variety when used in production has very good potential and the variety has the ability to resist common tomato pests and diseases.

When you venture in tomato farming, do not use ancient nursery methods to raise your tomato seedlings, no matter what variety you opt to use, the greatest determinant of whether your farming is going to be a success or a failure is the method you use to raise your seedlings. Poor start is equal to poor results. So go for those seedlings that are professionally raised using modern technology. These seedlings are planted in either coco peat or peat moss. These are medium that are disease-free, very light and less compact to allow for faster root development.

Farmers should also need not to forget about proper staking and pruning of your tomato plants. Staking should be done early while the seedling is still young., this helps the plant to receive maximum sunlight throughout its growth period. Pruning is what most our farmers have completely ignored, yet, it is as important as staking. We should prune tomato plants to get rid of diseased branches, improve air circulation and lighting and most importantly to help the plant feed what is of importance to us – the fruits. If the tomato plant has too many side shoots and old leaves are left clinging on the stem, a lot of nutrients will be used to feed these parts yet they are not important to us.

Another variety that is very good for farming and cooking at the same time is the variety called Maya. This variety is like Champ but a bit bigger and heavier. Champ grows its fruits with 4 to

5 per cluster, weighs 100-120 gram per piece., while Maya is bigger, Maya grows 6-7 big fruits per cluster, weighs 130-150g per fruit. They both have thick rind, which make them good for long transport and longer shelf life.

Finally, the most important aspect of successful tomato farming is taking required actions early enough. Take actions early. Unfortunately, some farmers will wait until their crop is heavily infested with pests before they start running from one store to the other in search for the most powerful pesticide. This way, we end up using a lot of money and saving nothing since the pest would have already done its damage. When we do this, this takes the plants several steps backwards and significantly affect its production. So do what you need to do early enough: apply that fertilizer at the right time, strike that pest before it goes through its full cycle and irrigate the plants regularly. Happy tomato farming

Champ and Maya are products of Known You Seed Philippines, Inc. For orders and inquiries, call or text 0917-320-1689 or 0998968-0630. Thank you!