What are Tengeru Tomatoes?
Tengeru 97 is one of the highest-yielding and most popular tomato varieties in Zambia but it is susceptible to tomato bacterial wilt.
How To Grow Tengeru Tomatoes In Zambia
Step 1: Get a Farmland
You must acquire farmland on which to plant your tomato seedlings. You can obtain large farmland where you can carry out both nursery and main planting.
Step 2: Select an Appropriate Tomato Variety
Choose tomato varieties that are fast-growing and disease-resistant. There are numerous tomato species available, but not all of them are suitable for the Zambian climate.
Step 3: Prepare the Nursery
For your nursery, we recommend that you make use of a seedling tray and or cocopeat.
To harden the seedlings, water heavily the day before transplanting. It should germinate in 5 to 7 days. If the sun is too hot, cover the soil with dry grasses to prevent moisture loss and to keep birds from eating the tomato seeds.
Step 4: Prepare the Farmland
You must clear the farmland and prepare it for farming operations by removing unwanted plants and debris.
Step 5: Transplanting
Our recommended method is transplanting already sprouted plants to the prepared garden/farm. You can now transplant your seedlings after 35 to 40 days.
Step 6: Irrigation
Water supply is critical, especially during the dry season. The early fruiting stages are the most critical for adequate soil moisture. The best irrigation method is a sprinkler to avoid overflooding the farm.
Step 7: Weeding, Pest, and Disease Control
It’s time to weed when you notice unwanted plants growing alongside your tomato plants. If you have a large farm, you can weed it yourself or hire laborers to do it for you.
Also, apply pesticides to boost your plants’ immunity against pests and diseases.
Step 8: Fertilizer Application
After weeding, apply fertilizer to help replenish the soil nutrients depleted by the weeds. Tomatoes require nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, potash, calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals to grow successfully.
Step 9: Harvesting
After 100 days, most tomato varieties reach full maturity and are ready for harvest. However, some excellent tomato varieties mature in 50 to 60 days.
How much are Tengeru tomatoes per kg in Zambia?
The price in Zambian Kwacha is ZMW 11302.85 per kg.
How long does Tengeru take to mature?
Product details. Tengeru Supreme is a high-yielding tomato variety producing up to 10 – 15kg of fruits per plant It is tolerant to both early and late blight,
has a long shelf life, and is very succulent. Maturity 80 days.
What is the best time to grow tomatoes in Zambia?
Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in Zambia grown both commercially and on a small scale.
The highest yields are obtained in the dry season under irrigation and the lowest during the rainy season from the end of October to the end of March.