Tomatoes
February 25, 2012
© Freya Najade
© Freya Najade
In order to consume locally grown tomatoes in countries such as Netherlands, UK, Germany, the tomatoes need to be produced in heated green houses.
Tomatoes locally grown allow a more instant distribution to the consumer and supposedly minimise the use of carbon since less fuel is needed to transport the goods. One green house with a size off 12 ha (17 football fields) produces 3000t tomatoes per year.
The tomatoes are grown on rock wool and not in soil, which allows total control of the nutrients and the water entering the plant system. Like this the plants are according to the growers less likely be infected by a disease and a smaller amount of pesticides is needed. The irrigation, the nutrients and also the climate inside a green house are precisely managed by a computer system. To boost the harvest the growers often add CO2 to the plants.
In order to produce in more sustainable ways and to keep the cost of energy low the green house above is heated by the waste heat from a near by nuclear power station.
