Any reliable tomatoes or sweet peppers that will grow in my greenhouses on Pacific coastal plain of Nicaragua?
¡Hola Tim! Saludos y Bendiciones.
I am not sure which part of the Pacific region you are in, as soil types and temperatures vary significantly (28 to 37 Celsius G), but I would be happy to help if you have further questions. Regarding Chiltoma, the most widely grown variety is “Tres Cantos,” a traditional “criollo”, variety that has been used for a long time. My grandparents (who were from Masaya), used to place tortillas around the seedbeds to keep ants from eating the seedlings. The key thing to remember is that these are “criollo varieties”; you can save and share the seeds, provided you always select the best fruit. I am available to assist with any questions regarding nutrition, soil, and climate. However, knowing the specific location where you plan to establish your crop would give me a better idea of the soil type and potential needs. INTA in Nicaragua has a native tomato program (specifically the “Manzana” variety), that allows you to save and propagate the seeds; it was adapted for the fields in the city of Masaya or similar zones (Rivas for the type of soil). Remember the two plants sometimes have problems with virus from Witeflies - Bemicia tabacci.
Best regards, Joxual.
Hello Joxual.
I am about 20 km north of Chinandega near Rancheria. I have 3 greenhouses where I mostly grow chiltomas. I finally found some Nathaly hybrids and these have done very well in the past. We did recently contact INTA and they didn’t have anything. I can look into the tres cantos. Here in Chinandega it is hard to reliably buy criollo seeds. I planted a greenhouse in a type of criollo tomato a few years ago and ended up with five different varieties of tomatoes and none really produced.
Thank you so much for your advice and your kind offer to help me.
Best regards,
Oh! interesante!
Those soils are interesting and very nutrient rich, though you must be careful with nitrogen, as it can leach out quickly; as a tip, avoid using too much ammonium sulfate (I don’t know if it was recommended to you, but I’m mentioning it anyway). Take good care of that soil, it’s rich, though I recall it being a sandy loam. Sorry for the situation with INTA, the reason I mentioned those other seeds is so you could produce your own and adapt; the seeds they sometimes provide are F1 hybrids, meaning you have to keep buying new ones, whereas it’s better to use native or adapted local varieties. Theoretically, they did have those seeds in Masaya (I know it’s a long way off). That bit about the Nathaly hybrid is interesting, too, though if you try to propagate them, the results will be a mixed bag, the new generations will be unpredictable. Feel free to reach out (Direct Message) if you need advice or help with the soil or improving your farming practices.
Con amistad,