A significant expansion of Tomato Masters in Deinze. The Flemish company now occupies an area of 10.5 ha, and this year 5.7 ha will be added to that.
Photo: Havecon
The new construction will be done by Havecon, and is the result of a request of supermarket chain Carrefour. Johan Vlaemynck: "We are already growing 6 ha for Carrefour, but they want all year round supply, and that's the reason of the expansion."
Photo: Havecon
In the new greenhouse vine tomatoes in lighted cultivation will be planted. Johan: "The varieties have not been chosen yet."
Team Tomato Masters, f.l.t.r.: Herman, Johan, Tom and Dirk Vlaemynck.
Not a drop of groundwater
The Belgian tomato grower focuses on a sustainable cultivation. The greenhouse will be equipped with diffuse glass to optimize the use of energy. A new cogeneration will be installed for the new greenhouse. The first supplies the existing greenhouses with heat for five years already. "We work together with a fish farm. In exchange for the heat and electricity we supply them, we get the water of the fishes, which contains a lot of nutrients for the plants."
Two large basins collect the rain water. "We have a storage capacity of 8.000 m2 per ha. Not a drop of groundwater is used for the tomato plants.
Organic substrate
"We have been growing on Peltacom Grow Bag for a number of years. It is a completely biological substrate of coconut and peat bog. Carrefour sells the vine tomatoes under the hallmark Carrefour. This stipulates that a biological substrate has to be used and not rock wool. This is one of the reasons Carrefour is interested in our company."
For more information:
Tomato Masters
T. +32 (0)93357701
M. +32 (0)494 84 09 55
Stokstormestraat 14 A
9800 Deinze
info@tomatomasters.be
www.tomatomasters.be