The pros and cons of tunnel tomatoes

Growing tomatoes in tunnels is not as easy or affordable as some people think. Do your research before committing yourself, cautions Bill Kerr.

- Bill Kerr

South Africa has areas that are sufficiently warm in winter for growing tomatoes. Equally, in some areas, winter temperatures drop too low for tomato production.

Many people think that growing tomatoes under plastic eliminates the problem of frost. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Only if you heat the tunnel can you be productive in winter. The problem, however, is that the cost of heating will be higher than the cost of transporting tomatoes from a warm-winter area.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot produce tomatoes in tunnels. But it does mean you need to have a market that pays a fixed price higher than the average market price and that your outlet will contract for a fixed volume. This will make tunnel growing more viable for you.