🍅 Amazing Greenhouse Tomatoes Farming and Harvesting - Modern Tomato Agriculture Technology ▶33

In this short movie, we will briefly explain how things are done in a tomato greenhouse. That way, you will know exactly what to do. Good work starts with good preparations. In the Netherlands, tomatoes are grown in greenhouses. That means it'll never be cold at work. While in summer, it can get quite warm. So, on a warm day, wear light clothing like shorts and a T-shirt. The work is very physical. You'll be doing a lot of walking and standing up. So, make sure you wear good, sturdy work shoes. Hygiene, too, is very important. Wear clean clothes and never go from one grower to another in the same clothes because of the risk of spreading plant diseases. Once a year, thousands of new tomato plants are delivered to the greenhouse. All of them are then prepared for cultivation one by one. Place the little plant on the mat or in the pot, secure it with the stick, and insert the dropper so that the plant receives enough water. It is important you do this carefully to avoid damage to the plants. Tomato plants grow upwards along a rope. This rope hangs on the crop wire at the top of the greenhouse. When tomato plants are still small, the rope is secured to the plant. A tomato plant can have multiple stalks. Each stalk is secured fast. This work is not strenuous. If the plants are in a cultivation trench, you do the work while walking. If the plants are on a substrate mat on the ground, you sit in a cart and ride on your own around the greenhouse. As the tomato plants grow, side shoots begin to grow on the main stem. We call these side shoots runners. It is important to remove these runners so that all the energy can flow to the head of the plant and the fruits. You start working on the runners after the securing, and this continues until the end of the growing period. While the plants are still small, you can do the work walking about. Later, as the plants grow bigger, you use an electrocart. To ensure that the plant grows upward along the rope, growers use plastic or metal clips. The plant is secured to the rope with these clips. Some companies use a device for this. At other growers, the clips are put on manually. Instead of clipping, you can also turn the plant. Then, you turn the rope around the plant. Turning or clipping is done immediately after the securing, until the end of the growing period. In the beginning, you can do the work walking, but as the plants grow larger, you will have to use an electrocart. Clipping and working on runners is mostly done in the same round to save time. Tomato plants get several vines. Flowers grow on the vine, which then grow into tomatoes. Not all flowers can grow into tomatoes in vine tomatoes. Mostly, there are 5 to 10 tomatoes on a vine. All extra flowers should be removed. The pruning of the vines starts a few weeks after the planting. All new vines must then be pruned. If the vines are still hanging low, you can do this while walking. As the plant grows higher, pruning is done with an electrocart. If a tomato plant has too many leaves, the crop grows a dense cover. The leaves prevent the new fruits from getting light while harvesting too becomes more difficult. This is why the leaves must be removed. When the tomatoes or vine tomatoes are fully grown, it is time for the harvesting. To determine whether a tomato is ripe, you must carefully examine its colour. Harvesting is done with a pair of scissors. It must be done very carefully to avoid damage to the tomatoes. Cut the stalks at the correct length without cutting the plant. The harvested tomatoes are then placed in crates or boxes. This is done while walking behind a harvest cart. The harvest begins approximately 2 months after the planting and continues until the end of the growing period. The harvested tomatoes are sorted and packed into boxes or crates in a warehouse. Then, they are shipped to the customers. Often, the tomatoes are already put in their final packaging during the harvesting. Then, it only has to be weighed at the warehouse to check whether each package has the correct weight. All the tomatoes are also checked for colour and quality. Sorting and packaging is done standing up. In some companies, the boxes or crates have to be lifted and put away. Hygiene is very important while sorting and packaging. A hair net and a special overcoat are mandatory in some companies. Jewellery, watches and piercings are not permitted in the warehouses. Do you have a wound on your hand? Then, you should cover it with a band-aid. Crop rotation is done once a year. All the plants are removed so that planting can begin again. The plants are cut along the crop wire with a cutting knife. Here, you see how it is done with cucumbers. But it is quite similar in the tomato cultivation. Now, you know the basics of cultivation. It's time to start. ABBAY BERGT wishes you lots of success in the tomato greenhouse.