Colin writes: Can you please tell me when is the best time of the year to start growing tomatoes in Bali? I have had great success in Australia, but all my attempts here have either shrivelled up or been executed by unstoppable white fungi like creatures!!
Dry Season: The best time to grow tomatoes here, but they can be grown all year around with a small change of growing methods. Did you bring seed from Australia, or have you purchased locally? (Not possible to wander into a local nursery and buy a punnet or two of seedlings here.) Suitable seed must be from varieties which prosper in the tropics and many Australian varieties do not. You cannot even be certain that locally bought seed is OK.
One way to obtain suitable seed is to buy very ripe fruit from your local market which has almost certainly been grown here. Squash the fruit in a shallow bowl; place in an airy position to completely dry; manually remove dried pulp. Wash the seed in a fine sieve under running water until clean; dry again; raise your seedlings as per usual.
My best results have come from self-sown tomatoes – I dig small holes in my garden each week to bury kitchen waste, covering with soil for compost. In a very short time the tomato seeds germinate and in time may be transplanted to grow in a raised bed or pot.
Most fruit and veg here are grown in the cooler (especially at night), upland areas. Hotter coastal plains are more difficult. As an experienced grower, you know about soil quality/fertility/texture and never grow tomatoes in the same soil twice. Location may be a problem. Even in Oz, a heat-wave can collapse the plant and sun-scorch fruit. At times, the fruit practically cooks while on the plant. This also happens here.
Grow your tomatoes under 50% shadecloth. Just a top covering – leave the sides open for maximum airflow. Avoid watering over the foliage – run hose gently on the garden bed itself until thoroughly soaked. A weekly good soaking is best! Give more only if signs of wilt/severe water stress. Otherwise, choose a location which gets shade between the hours of 10.30am – 3.30pm.
Wet Season: Grow in pots/tubs so that they may be moved under cover. The smaller cherry/pear size fruits often do better, though some bush varieties do OK.
Your pest problem – it sounds like scale (cushiony/cottony/etc). Systemics can help, (read label and obey withholding periods). All scale insects have a waterproof exterior so spray insecticides are useless. If an organic gardener, lukewarm, very soapy water spray will help some. If the infestation is mobile a stomach poison is needed. See below for further details.
Barbara, Umalas, writes: I have a small factory on ten are of land. I have planted a vegetable garden in the yard there with my staff which has done surprisingly well........to date we have picked over 500 tomatoes and one crop of sayur hijau. We also have eggplant growing, peanuts almost ready to harvest, and have just planted cucumbers.
So far we have avoided using chemicals but there are problems I would like to address, so far only with the tomatoes and the leaves on the cucumber plants. The leaves have developed little squiggly lines (1. leaf-miner caterpillar) and some white powdery stuff (2. powdery mildew); I also found a greenish white worm about an inch long on one tomato plant (possibly white cabbage moth caterpillar). The fruit on that plant had black spots on the tip of the fruit (3. blossom-end rot).
I heard that you could use dish detergent mixed with water to spray (Yes. Lukewarm soapy water is even better), I think the worm problem is gone but I am left with some pretty dry looking leaves. Can you give me some sort of recipe to make a spray myself or is there some natural solution available to buy.
I also grew the same plants at my house which were doing well till a few days ago when they started having white fluff on the leaves. This morning the security guard was hitting a flowering tree in the property next door with a broom. Hundreds of white moths were expelled together with all kinds of the white fluff. Anything you can suggest I can do? I expect the white fluff and moths have probably moved over to this side of the fence to stay.
PS I have a gardening book recipe for garlic spray but in order to make it I need to find paraffin oil, I don’t know what that is, do you? (Yes! Kerosene) It also it calls for pure soap - not sure where I can get either of these (Pears or any kind of baby soap). It often mentions “white oil” and I would like to know where to find that.
I have taken the ‘easy way out’ Barbara and used your very detailed enquiry to answer within. The numbered items need more complete answers but you will have to wait for the next issue for these as I am already over my space allotment.
Please send all your gardening questions to
E-mail: gardendoctor08@yahoo.com
