Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse in West Africa: where to start

Among our clients, tomato is the most requested greenhouse crop — ahead of sweet pepper, cucumber and onion nurseries. That is no accident: it is one of the crops that benefits most from a greenhouse's protection, and its market never stops. Here are the key points to start well.

Why the greenhouse changes everything for tomatoes

In the open field, tomatoes endure everything: heavy rain that damages plants and encourages leaf diseases, scorching sun, insects. In a greenhouse, the crop is sheltered, and you can produce in the off-season — precisely when tomatoes are scarce in the markets and prices rise. That is where the greenhouse earns its keep: you deliver while others wait for rain.

Water: regular, and at the foot of the plant

Tomatoes dislike thirst, excess water, and above all water on their leaves. That is why our greenhouses are offered with drip irrigation: water arrives directly at the base, in regular amounts, and the foliage stays dry — which greatly limits disease. Regular watering also prevents split fruit that sells poorly.

Staking and pruning: the actions that make the difference

In a greenhouse, tomatoes are grown upward, tied to a stake or string. You also need to regularly remove side shoots — the sprouts that grow at the leaf axils and exhaust the plant. These simple actions air the crop, direct the sap toward the fruit and make harvesting easier.

Watch rather than treat

The greenhouse's nets greatly reduce insect entry, but nothing replaces the grower's eye. Walk through the greenhouse every day, look under the leaves, and act at the first signs. Detecting early means treating little — and selling healthy fruit.

What surface to start with

If you are starting out, there is no need to go big immediately. A 50 m² greenhouse lets you test protected growing or start a nursery. The 250 m² format is the most requested by our clients: a good balance of surface, cost and ease of management. Experienced growers then move up to 500 or 1,000 m².

Going further

Find our detailed tomato guide — and those for sweet pepper, cucumber and onion — on this site's Crops page. And to know what your greenhouse would cost, request a free quote from the form: an adviser will study your project with you.