The last few days pictures have appeared on AgroCare's twitter account showing tomato plants which have been propagated with substrate and all at the horticulturists. At the time of planting, the plants have four vines. The crops are also planted on the substrate at the horticulturists. Enough reasons to phone Nic van Roosmalen.
Well Nic, that looks strange. What have you got in the garden this time?
It looks good, doesn't it? It's a little taste. Together with Plantenkwekerij Vreugdenhil we have been researching how long we can extend the cultivation period for, for a few years. The idea behind this is to use as much of the light available as possible. The plants are cultivated for longer, and enter our greenhouses in a later stage. We planted them today. They are blooming for the fourth time!And how is it going so far?
It's going well in principle. Of course, it is still an experiment, that should be made clear. But we're trying to take it to the extreme, research the possibilities and see what the plant can handle. We have been doing this for five years, and have kept on changing things. The plant is now on a rockwool block of 20x20 and is put completely into the gutter. This is obviously in consultation with the horticulturist. It's an experiment for him too, but it's only two rows. Besides this we received the standard plants of which the second vine is as good as blooming. Starting with a large plant is a must at this time of year to put the plant in a good balance.
But you can harvest in three weeks?
Yes, who knows. We expect to see full colour in Petit Sweet in three weeks. it can't go fast enough for me. Let those lovely tomatoes come!
For more information, follow Nic on Twitter at: @nicagrocare