Warriewood was the tomato capital of NSW
Glasshouses have almost disappeared from the Warriewood Valley area, but in the 1950s it was known as Crystal Valley, with over 3,000 in operation, mainly growing tomatoes.
Following its subdivision in 1906, the suitability of the climate of the Warriewood Valley for market gardening was recognised. However, it was the arrival in 1927 of an Englishman, Philip Aheir, who migrated to Adelaide in 1920 and worked growing tomatoes in quite simple glasshouses, combined with the construction of the Spit and Roseville Bridges in 1924, which changed things.
Aheir bought about 2.5 acres on behalf of a Sydney syndicate, built eight glasshouses and planted tomatoes. Scientific assistance was also given by Austin Pinn, an instructor with the NSW Department of Agriculture, who had visited Adelaide to study these ‘cold’ glasshouses. The two men triggered Warriewood’s growth to become the tomato capital of NSW.
Glass or hot houses were widely used in parts of Europe to extend the growing season. However, the structures were quite sophisticated, with masonry lower walls and heating and ventilation controls.
The glasshouses that Aheir and Pinn brought to Warriewood were relatively primitive. Simple frames covered with sheets of glass, they had no temperature controls but were very cheap and easy to build. In the Warriewood climate they worked well.
They also had the advantage of being able to be dismantled and rebuilt quickly. The build-up of pests and pathogens in the soil was a constant problem and the simple solution was to move the houses every couple of years, allowing the soil to recover.
Although it was an Englishman who introduced the concept, it was Yugoslav migrants who ran with it, with some Italians in the mix.
The 1950s were peak tomato period but, as interstate transport became more efficient and sophisticated, the Warriewood growers began to struggle against North Queensland growers with their advantages of climate and scale. By 1990, residential development was considered more attractive than market gardening.
