Francisco and
his father have been growing organic tomatoes in the neighbourhood of La Canada between Almeria and the airport for about 6 years.
They have a greenhouse with about 2,000 plants, each with two branches. These
are trained up raffia strings to 2 metres and then allowed to grow down again almost to
ground level. Then they are pinched out to encourage ripening of the final
trusses.
Francisco
y
su padre cultivan tomates ecológicos en el barrio de
La Cañada entre Almería y el aeropuerto desde hace 6 años. Tienen un
invernadero con alrededor de 2.000 plantas a 2 tallos.
Están colgadas por rafia hasta llegar a un alambre de 2 m y despues
siguen creciendo hacia abajo hasta llegar al suelo donde se corta la
planta.
The lower
leaves are removed as the plant grows taller and they are placed in a large
container to make compost. The composting process creates heat which destroys
the pests and diseases in the leaves. The liquid which drains out of the bottom
of this container is then matured for 6 months in a closed container before
being diluted for use as a liquid fertiliser for the growing plants.
Se
eliminan
las hojas inferiores a medida que la planta va creciendo y se colocan
en un contenedor para obtener materia orgánica. El proceso de compostage
genera calor que destruye las plagas y enfermedades en las
hojas. El líquido que sale de la parte inferior del contenedor
se deja 6 meses en recipientes cerrados antes de ser
diluido para su uso como fertilizante líquido.
The growing
season is between early September and April. The grafted hybrid Ramily
is grown, chosen for its resistance to attack by the tomato yellow leaf curl
virus. When the plants are small, Nesidiocoris tenuis flies are released into the
greenhouse. These are the natural predators of whitefly and Tuta absoluta, the tomato borer, which are the worst pests.
La
temporada
de cultivo es entre principios de septiembre y abril. La varieda es
Ramily injertado, es un híbrido resistente al virus de la cuchara.
Cuando las plantas estan pequeñas en el vivero se le sueltan insectos
llamados nesidiocoris que controlan las plagas de mosca blanca y la de
tuta.
The plants are
watered every two to four days, depending on the temperature in the greenhouse.
The water is a mixture from two wells, one of which is slightly saline.
Tomatoes are more tolerant of saline water than many other plants. It is said
that the salt water gives the tomatoes a sweeter taste as it contains many extra
minerals not available in fresh water.
Las
plantas se riegan de dos a cuatro días, dependiendo de la
temperatura en el invernadero. El agua es una mezcla de dos pozos,
uno de los cuales es ligeramente salada. Los tomates son más
tolerantes de agua salada que muchas otras plantas. Se dice que el
agua salada da a los tomates un sabor más dulce.
The flowers are
pollinated by bumble bees (Bombus terrestris). A number of colonies of
bees are brought into the greenhouse in small cardboard box hives, complete
with living quarters and a substitute food supply so that they can continue
their development whilst feeding on the pollen and nectar supplied by the
tomato flowers. Each hive is able to pollinate an area of 2,000 square meters
and has a life of about 2 months.
Las flores son polinizadas por abejorros (Bombus terrestris)
Un número de colonias de
abejorros son introducidas en el invernadero en en pequeñas colmenas de
cartón, cada colmena puede polinizar una superficie de 2000 metros y
tienen una vida aproximada de 2 meses.
Francisco and
his father supply a wholesaler in Campohermoso who requires tomatoes to be
harvested on the truss. The trusses are cut when there are 5 or 6 ripe tomatoes
on them. The remaining 25% of the crop which does not ripen is removed and
given to a friend nearby who feeds them to his sheep and goats. In cooler
weather the tomatoes ripen more evenly and 7 or 8 tomatoes can be harvested on
each truss. However during the 2015/2016 season the temperatures have remained
high and Francisco has observed that the trend is towards a warmer growing
season each year in Almeria
province, due to climate change.
Francisco y su padre suministran a un mayorista de Campohermoso que requiere los tomates para ser envasados en racimos. Se cortan cuando hay 5 o 6 tomates maduros en ellos. El 25% restante de la cosecha no madura es retirado y dado a un amigo cercano que alimenta a sus ovejas y cabras. Cuando el clima es mas frío los tomates maduran más uniformemente entre 7 u 8 tomates pueden ser cosechados en cada racimo. Sin embargo, durante la temporada 2015/2016 las temperaturas se han mantenido altas y Francisco ha observado que la tendencia es hacia una temporada de cultivo más cálida cada año en la provincia de Almería, debido al cambio climático.
A special mix
of sulphur and quicklime is used as a spray to manage fungal disease, tomato
borer and spider infestation. No chemical fungicides or pesticides are used.
With the increasing heat in the spring, the management of the insects and fungi
becomes much more difficult, so in April the irrigation is turned off. The last
tomatoes are harvested then cut in half and dried in the sun. A week later the
plants are easily removed and are taken away for commercial composting. Then the
ground is prepared for the next crop.
Una
mezcla
especial de azufre y la cal viva se utiliza como un spray para
tratar la enfermedad de hongo y las plagas de araña y tuta . Ningún
fungicida químico o pesticida son utilizados. Con el aumento de
calor en la primavera, el control de los insectos se hace mas difícil,
entonce se termina la recolección, se deja de regar y se arrancan las
plantas a la semana siguiente, después se hace compos y se lleva el
sobrante a la planta de reciclaje,los últimos tomates se utilizan para
hacer tomate seco, se abren por la mitad y se dejan al sol durante unos
días.
The surface
mulch of sand is pulled back from the planting lines and organic compost and
manure are spread before the sand is replaced. With this minimal disturbance,
the natural microbial life within the soil is maintained and this feeds the
roots of the plants. During the
summer most pests and diseases within the greenhouse are killed by the intense
heat.
In September it is time to plant again.
En septiembre es el
momento de sembrar otra vez.
The monthly
market at Cariatiz is currently the only market where you can buy Francisco's
tomatoes.
This market is currently held every last Sunday of the month between
September and June. Always check ecolocalalmeria.blogspot.com.es
for confirmation of date and time. Be sure to arrive early before he sells out!
To place a
special order for a larger quantity of tomatoes, call Francisco on 656
969 066.
Para colocar una orden especial para una mayor cantidad de tomates puede llamar Francisco sobre 656 969 066
With many thanks y muchissimas gracias a Francisco who allowed us to visit his greenhouse and helped with the writing of this article and to Pablo who also helped with translation and editing.
No comments:
Post a Comment