Week 2: Planting Tomatoes

Much of this second week was spent setting up some tomato field trials.  In one village, we started nurseries to produce tomato seedlings, and in the second village, the tomato seedlings were big enough to plant in the fields.

Preparation of tomato seedlings and transplanting is a very important aspect of tomato production and involves a lot of steps.  Here’s the entire process from bed preparation to field transplanting.

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First, prepare raised beds, cover with dry plant debris, and start on fire.

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Let beds cool overnight, remove burned debris and smooth the surface of the bed.

Prepare furrows for tomato seeds

Prepare furrows for tomato seeds

Add slow release fertilizer to give seedlings a boost

Add slow release fertilizer to give seedlings a boost

Get ready to seed!

Get ready to seed!

Plant the seeds

Plant the seeds

Cover the beds with grass and water

Cover the beds with grass and water

 

Eventually you get mature tomato seedlings that are ready for transplant

Eventually you get mature tomato seedlings that are ready for transplant

Collect seedlings for transplanting

Collect seedlings for transplanting

Transplant the seedlings in the field (I do like to get my hands dirty, too!)

Transplant the seedlings in the field (I like to get my hands dirty, too!)

A transplanted tomato field

A transplanted tomato field

And that’s the entire process from seed to transplanting!

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