Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse: features and secrets

Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse attracts many vegetable growers. Closed ground conditions require a more careful attitude to the plants, but give very interesting results. This method is especially in demand in regions with a cool climate and short summers, where growing a large crop of tomatoes is problematic.

Features of growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse

To get a good result from planting tomatoes indoors, you need certain knowledge. Polycarbonate greenhouses have their own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

Therefore, methods for growing tomatoes in such a room vary significantly, depending on the agricultural technology of the open ground. We have to take into account:

• temperature changes during the day;
• the need to maintain a certain percentage of air humidity;
• the possibility of overheating of plants during the daytime;
• small area size;
• rapid spread of infection.

To achieve good tomato yields, it is important for farmers to choose the right varieties, carefully and competently prepare the greenhouse for planting, be able to prepare and disinfect the soil, and carry out preventive treatments on time.

Disease Prevention

In order to save the future harvest, it is important to carry out timely prevention against diseases to which tomatoes are susceptible. Indeed, many novice summer residents complain about the attenuation of seedlings some time after transplanting into the greenhouse. It is important to follow the rules of crop rotation, which excludes planting one crop in the same place as last year.

Autumn digging should be carried out before the first frost so that the spores and larvae freeze out. It is better to remove plant debris in the greenhouse at the end of the season, because... they are an excellent refuge for various microorganisms. Plants can be treated with special herbal preparations. It is important to use high-quality seed when planting.

Pros and cons of growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse

For those who decide to plant tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, it is important to familiarize themselves with the advantages and disadvantages of this growing method. Having weighed all the nuances, it is easier to adjust the process. Among the advantages of closed soil for tomatoes, vegetable growers highlight:

1. Earlier harvest. This is due to the fact that seedlings can be planted in a greenhouse earlier than outside.
2. The ability to create stable conditions for tomatoes. Under the roof of a greenhouse, tomatoes are not afraid of heavy rain, hail, wind or scorching sun.
3. Absence of many types of pests in the greenhouse area. The closed space does not allow parasites to enter the tomato beds.
4. There is no need for frequent watering and fertilizing. The absence of wind helps retain moisture, and balanced conditions and optimal soil composition provide the tomatoes with adequate nutrition.

However, one cannot ignore the disadvantages of growing in polycarbonate-covered greenhouse areas. They are determined by the specifics of the material from which the premises are constructed:

1. Difficulties in ventilation. Natural ventilation when covering a greenhouse with solid polycarbonate sheets is much lower than with “frame” or film sheets. Therefore, it is necessary to provide structures with side and top windows. The minimum quantity is 3 windows. If you install at least one with an automatic opening device when the temperature changes, this will significantly improve the condition of the tomatoes and increase the yield.
2. Mandatory preventive treatments against late blight and pests. The proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, fungi and parasites occurs in greenhouses as quickly as in the open air. Therefore, before planting tomatoes, the greenhouse is prepared by thoroughly disinfecting the structures.
3. Use of the entire area for a specific crop. It is not recommended to plant cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse area. Tomatoes require different temperature and humidity parameters than cucumbers. As a result, the yield of one of the crops will be lower than expected.
4. Lighting control. There is slight shading in the greenhouse due to the lower light transmitting ability of polycarbonate than glass. This affects the yield of tomatoes. If there are objects that cast a shadow, then they need to be eliminated or the tomato beds should be placed correctly.

Taking into account all the nuances, you can achieve high efficiency in growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse.

Common Mistakes

For novice gardeners, it is useful to consider common mistakes in growing tomatoes in a greenhouse.

Poor choice of variety

Varieties and hybrids of intensive and extended fruiting are grown in closed ground. Plants must be resistant to low light, high humidity and cracking.

Neighborhood with cucumbers

Cucumbers and tomatoes require different humidity levels during cultivation. It is impossible to combine crops in one greenhouse. Tomatoes can be grown next to peppers and eggplants.

Planting in the same land for several years

The lack of crop rotation leads to the accumulation of harmful insects and pathogens in the soil. The soil in the greenhouse is disinfected every year and completely changed every 3-4 years. After harvesting the tomatoes, you can plant mustard to cleanse the soil of fungi.

Thickened or sparse planting

When the planting is dense, the bushes are poorly lit and ventilated. This leads to the development of diseases. Placing tomatoes spaciously is not profitable from an economic point of view.

Lack of ventilation

High humidity and temperature make pollen sterile. Fungal diseases spread faster.

Errors when pinching and pinching

The shoots need to be cut off or pinched so as not to damage the tomato stem. The wound is sprinkled with ash powder.

Garter too tight

The tomatoes are tied taking into account the growth of the stems, not tightly. The twine can grow into the stem or pull it over, blocking access to nutrition from the roots.

Removing too many leaves

You can remove no more than a third of the green mass from the bush at a time. The operation to remove foliage is carried out every 3 weeks.

Excess or lack of moisture

With a lack of watering, tomatoes grow slowly. The fruits set poorly and are small.

Excess water leads to rapid growth and cracking of the fruit. Fungal diseases and rot develop.

Ignoring disease and pest prevention

In the confined space of a greenhouse, the infection develops rapidly. Pests, having no natural enemies, multiply quickly. Without the necessary treatments, there is a high risk of losing plants in a matter of days.

Late harvest

Fruits in the greenhouse are collected every 3 days. Delay in harvesting leads to slower ripening of tomatoes.

The best varieties of tomatoes for growing in a greenhouse

The result directly depends on the choice of variety. There are types of tomatoes intended for growing in greenhouse areas. They give a guaranteed harvest in closed ground conditions. Some varieties are considered universal; they are equally successfully grown in open beds and in greenhouses. The main difference between varieties that must be taken into account when choosing a variety relates to the type of bush:

1. Indeterminate plants give a good harvest due to the ability to tie 6-7 clusters to the trellis. If such varieties are not formed, they will create greater thickening. They are considered priority species for polycarbonate greenhouses due to earlier ripening and duration of fruiting.
2. Determinate ones are limited in growth. But when the bushes develop, there will be enough light and air in the greenhouse area.

Many vegetable growers prefer mixed plantings for indoor soil. They believe that planting determinate varieties along the walls allows for more efficient use of greenhouse space. It is best to buy hybrid seeds for indoor soil.

On the modern market there is a sufficient selection of tomato varieties for greenhouse cultivation. It is better for beginners to start with time-tested types; experienced professionals can experiment a lot. Among the noteworthy varieties it is worth noting:

1. Southern tan. A variety of yellow tomatoes with an original fruit shape. The large-fruited tall species (indeterminate) is suitable for greenhouse cultivation and in open beds. Medium ripening period, excellent taste. It produces greater yields in greenhouses, as it requires heat.

2. Honey Spas. Salad indeterminate variety of yellow tomatoes. The large, heart-shaped fruits ripen 110 days after planting. It requires the formation of a bush of 2-3 stems per 1 square meter. m of polycarbonate greenhouse area no more than 4-5 bushes are placed.

3. Eleanor. Determinate red-fruited tomato of mid-season variety. The fruits are small and are used fresh or canned. It prefers warmth, so it bears fruit well in closed ground conditions.
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4. Cardinal is an elegant raspberry-pink variety of tomatoes for a polycarbonate greenhouse. Indeterminate, mid-early, very tasty. Formed into 1-2 stems, the bushes need a garter. Productive - up to 14 kg per 1 sq. m, disease resistant.

Many vegetable growers prefer small-fruited cherry tomato varieties. They are planted in the same area with high indeterminate varieties. Suitable for a polycarbonate greenhouse:

1. Bonsai. Determinate variety, bush height is about 50 cm. It forms independently as a standard. The taste of the tomato is excellent, the weight of the fruit does not exceed 30 g. 1 kg of fruit is collected from one plant.

2. Minibel. The fruits are small, but very tasty. Bushes are decorative and productive. Plant height is about 40 cm, ripening period is 90 days.

Of course, dwarf varieties are not a priority, but in a greenhouse they give a good harvest and serve as a worthy decoration.

In addition to the listed varieties, the hybrids “Bourgeois”, “Sprut”, “Azhur”, and “Major” are very popular. The alphanumeric index F1 guarantees good fruiting and disease resistance. Self-pollinating hybrids do not require artificial pollination. This is an ideal option for a polycarbonate greenhouse.

Optimal varieties of tomatoes

To obtain the best and largest harvest, you should always pay special attention to the varieties of vegetables that you plan to plant in open ground or a greenhouse. Differences in growing conditions can have different effects on different types of tomatoes. The best option for planting in a greenhouse will be plants that have the following properties: disease resistance, the ability to grow with one stem, good tolerance of high humidity and the ability to self-pollinate.

At the discretion of the owner, both high and low varieties can be selected, which ripen at any time (from the earliest to the latest). By using different types of seedlings, you can achieve not only a richness of flavors, but also ensure a harvest throughout the entire season and even more, since optimal conditions can be maintained in the greenhouse for a longer time.

In any case, among the most common varieties of tomatoes, the following leaders can be distinguished:

1. "Mikado pink." It produces large (about 0.5 kg) pink fruits. The plant itself is characterized by good resistance to various diseases, can reach a height of about 2 meters and during the fruiting period one bush produces more than 5 kg of fruit.
2. "Pink raisins." It bears fruit abundantly over a long period of time and is distinguished by its small fruits, which are famous for their taste characteristics.
3. The two-meter bushes of the “King of Kings” can produce fruits weighing up to 1000 g, unusually juicy and rich. Disease resistance makes this variety even more attractive.
4. “Junior F1” is suitable for lovers of early varieties. Bushes of this variety quickly grow to their characteristic height of 0.5 m and begin to bear fruit in small (up to 100 g) oval tomatoes.

Growing tomato seedlings for planting in a greenhouse

Growing seedlings yourself has several advantages:

1. The vegetable grower knows exactly what variety of tomatoes he has sown.
2. The owner of a greenhouse can be confident in the exact observance of sowing dates and the quality of pre-planting preparation of seeds, containers, and soil.
3. It is easy to ensure control of all necessary activities for growing healthy tomato seedlings.

The entire process of preparing seedlings for transplanting into a polycarbonate greenhouse looks like this:

1. Choice of variety. It is necessary to select tomato hybrids that meet all the needs of the vegetable grower. Carefully familiarize yourself with the requirements of the species, its adaptability to the conditions of a polycarbonate greenhouse, and the main characteristics.
2. Prepare planting material for sowing. If the seeds are not processed by the manufacturer, you will need to place them in a saline solution (5%) for 7-10 minutes to select suitable ones. Then rinse and leave on a damp cloth to germinate. It is recommended to treat tomato seeds with a weak fungicide solution to prevent possible infectious contamination of seedlings.
3. Prepare containers and soil. The container is chosen depending on the possibilities. If you have a lot of space to grow tomato seedlings, you can take separate containers, cups or pots. With a minimum area, a common planting box that can be easily installed on a windowsill will be more effective. Containers for sowing tomato seeds must be disinfected, and plastic containers must be washed well. The soil is taken ready for tomato seedlings. It is easy to purchase at garden stores. It contains all the necessary components and substances that tomato seedlings will need during the first period of development. Important! For tomato seedlings, use containers with drainage holes.
4. Sow tomato seeds. To do this, you need to fill the container with soil mixture, shaking it periodically. Then spread the tomato seeds over the surface, sprinkle with a 1 cm thick layer of soil, and spray with water from a spray bottle.
5. Provide a greenhouse effect. Cover the container with glass, film or place in a bag. Place in a warm place.

Having created ideal conditions for tomato seedlings, all that remains is to ventilate the greenhouse and spray the soil with water once every 3 days.

As soon as the seedlings appear, the seedlings should be moved to a lighted place and continued care. It is important that tomato seedlings do not stretch. To do this they need enough light. Watering no more than 2-3 times a week - seedlings do not like waterlogging. Water for irrigation should be at room temperature (20 °C). At night the air temperature is maintained within + 13-15 °C, during the day + 18-20 °C. Turn the container to the light in different directions every day. This technique saves you from pulling out tomato seedlings. Picking is done in the phase of 2 true leaves. Continue watering once a week. 14 days after picking, feed the plants with nitrophoska (1 tbsp per bucket of water). Repeat feeding after 14 days. For one tomato bush, 1 cup of solution is enough. A week before planting in the greenhouse, spray the seedlings with a solution of boric acid (1%). This will preserve all the flower buds.

Scheme of planting seedlings

Medium-growing and tall varieties should be planted in a checkerboard pattern: the distance between individuals should be up to 60 cm, the row spacing should be 30-40 cm. Low-growing plants can be planted a little denser, but not less than 30 cm from one another. Tomatoes love space. For the bush to fully develop, they need space, light and moisture. Reducing the distance between plantings leads to overcrowding, diseases and reduced yields. Before planting seedlings, it is recommended to treat them with a boron solution: dilute 1 g of the substance in 1 liter of warm water.

Agricultural technology for growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse

Vegetable growers should know that tomato seedlings with certain parameters are suitable for planting. Before planting, they should have a height of 35 cm, 8-12 true leaves, 1-2 inflorescences. Before planting in a polycarbonate greenhouse, it is better to cut off 2-3 lower leaves to improve ventilation and reduce the risk of disease. The optimal age of seedlings is no more than 60 days. Polycarbonate will protect tomatoes from possible fluctuations in ambient temperature.

The technology for growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse provides for the presence of a sufficient amount of calcium, which prevents the falling of flowers and the development of fruit diseases. Also necessary are substances from the NPK group, microelements in an accessible form for absorption by tomatoes.

Landing dates

The planting time is calculated based on the life expectancy of tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse. Typically, vegetable growers plan to transplant seedlings in early May, when the ground warms up enough. This is enough time for the tomatoes to form 7-8 bunches during the season. Approximate dates:

• late-ripening, mid-ripening varieties and tall hybrids - from May 1 to May 10;
• early ripening - from April 15 to 25.

The exact date can be checked with the lunar calendar recommendations for the corresponding region.

Soil preparation

It is very important to properly prepare the soil. If you prepare a soil mixture for tomatoes yourself, then most often vegetable growers use soil from their own plot.

Loamy or clayey soil needs to be structured. It is enough to contribute per 1 sq. m area of ​​peat, sawdust and humus, one bucket of each component. For peaty soil, add turf soil, wood shavings (fine), humus - 1 bucket per 1 square meter. m and 0.5 buckets of coarse sand. For chernozem, 1 bucket of humus and 0.5 buckets of sand are enough. Additionally you need to pay per 1 sq. m greenhouse area:

• 1 tsp. ammonium nitrate;
• 3 tsp. superphosphate;
• 2 tbsp. l. wood ash.

Dig up the resulting composition and loosen it.

Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse requires compliance with certain rules. Before the formation of ridges, the soil must be removed, treated with disinfecting solutions, fertilized and only then laid. Restoring fertility after harvesting is a mandatory condition of agricultural technology.

Landing rules

The basic rules are to follow the planting pattern and correctly transplant tomato seedlings. The scheme depends on the variety and development characteristics of the tomato bush. There are recommendations for this:

1. Low-growing, early-ripening species form 3 shoots. Therefore, it is customary to plant them in two rows in a checkerboard pattern. The distance between bushes is 35 cm.
2. Standard trees are allowed to be planted thicker. They develop one main shoot, so leave no more than 30 cm between tomatoes.
3. Tall plants are placed at a distance of 70 cm from each other and also in the form of a chessboard.

Important! Tomatoes cannot be planted in a polycarbonate greenhouse for 2 years in a row in the same soil and in the same place.

Tomato care

To get a good harvest of tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, you need to strictly follow the rules for growing and caring for plants. Vegetable growers pay their main attention to those activities that have a direct impact on the development of the bush and the formation of fruits. Each procedure has its own nuances due to the specifics of the covering material.

In a polycarbonate greenhouse, tomatoes need:

1. Watering. Infrequent, but plentiful. The bushes are watered for the first time 7-10 days after planting. During this time, the plants will have time to “take root.” Then follow the schedule 1-2 times during the week, but taking into account soil moisture and ambient air.
2. Ventilation, shading. If you allow high humidity and high temperatures, then indoors tomatoes begin to be affected by late blight or brown spot. Therefore, it is impossible to do without regular ventilation. Open transoms in the morning and close them in the evening. This will save the tomatoes from fog. In extreme heat, it is recommended to additionally shade the plantings with thin covering material, gauze, and paper.
3. Stepsonning. This technique is necessary for tomato varieties that need to remove shoots. Remove them regularly, pinching them when they are no more than 5 cm in size. At the same time, leave stumps 2 cm high to prevent re-growth. The second aspect is to remove the lower leaves up to the first cluster.
4. Feeding. When growing in greenhouses, regular feeding is required. Organic and mineral complexes are used. There are types of tomatoes with intensive fruiting; they need to be provided with a full list of macro- and microelements. The first fertilizing can be done with organic matter 10 days after planting. “Green fertilizer” is suitable - an infusion of herbs. For 200 liters of water you will need 2 buckets of chopped grass (nettle, wheatgrass, wood lice). Add 0.5 buckets of ash, 1 bucket of manure. Infuse the mixture for 12 days, then dilute with water (1:10). Tomatoes are fertilized using the root method at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 square meter. m area. You can replace organic fertilizer with the ready-made composition “Fertility”. Use 3 times per season, mixing 10 liters of water, 1 tbsp. l. means, 1 tsp. potassium sulfate. Foliar sprays are very important for greenhouse cultivation. Vegetable growers use iodine (3 drops per 1 liter of water), boric acid (1%), superphosphate, potassium and calcium nitrate (according to instructions). You can use special complexes (“Ovary”).
5. Tying. For this, trellises or individual supports are used. In addition to the stems, heavy brushes should be tied up.

Video about growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse:

Greenhouse preparation

Before placing tomato seedlings in the greenhouse, they must be prepared for the arrival of residents: washed and disinfected.

Washing

Polycarbonate is easy to clean with soap and water. Cleaning powders and other abrasive products cannot be used; they can damage (scratch) the polycarbonate.

The greenhouse needs to be washed inside and out.

Disinfection

While growing plants, pathogens and parasites can accumulate inside the greenhouse. To destroy them, special disinfectants are used. It is necessary to treat all structures inside the building: walls, joints of polycarbonate sheets, windows, doors, equipment.

Lime

Lime powder is poured with water until it becomes liquid sour cream. Using a brush, the lime mass is applied to the frame of the greenhouse without touching the transparent walls.

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Bleach powder is used against pests that inhabit the soil. It is sprayed over dug up soil in the fall, using 2 cups of the drug per 1 square meter. m.

Formalin

A drug with a strong effect. Its disadvantage is the impact on all microorganisms, beneficial and harmful, without exception. The greenhouse is treated with formaldehyde only in the most extreme cases.

Important! When working with the drug, you must wear a respirator, goggles and gloves.

Formalin is sprayed on the walls of the greenhouse and on the ground, using 20–25 ml of a 40% solution per 1 square meter. meter. After spraying, keep the greenhouse closed for 1 day.

Sulfur

Effectively disinfect a greenhouse with sulfur bombs. The gas not only destroys microorganisms on open surfaces, but also penetrates 8–10 cm deep into the dug soil.

Sulfur blocks (“FAS”, “Climate”) are purchased at garden stores. The number of blocks needed for processing depends on the volume of the greenhouse (the height, width and length of the structure are multiplied). Processing principle.

1. The required number of checkers are evenly laid out indoors.
2. Close the windows tightly.
3. They set fire to the checkers, walking from the far corner of the greenhouse to the exit.
4. Keep the room tightly closed for up to 3 days.

When working with checkers, you must use personal protective equipment.

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Advice. To prevent sulfur from causing corrosion on metal structures, they are lubricated with grease before processing.

Soil preparation

After removing all plant debris, the soil is dug up. Various solutions are used to disinfect soil:

• “Fufanon” (10 ml per bucket of water);
• "Marshal" (7 ml per bucket of liquid);
• “Fitosporin” (5 g per 10 liters of water);
• “Copper sulfate” (30 g per 10 liters of water).

The surface of the dug up soil is sprayed with solutions or the soil is watered from a watering can with a sprayer. Treating the entire structure with a sulfur bomb will reliably disinfect the soil.

Important! These drugs also destroy beneficial microflora in the soil. Before planting seedlings in the spring, the soil is not only filled with fertilizers, but also watered with special solutions, enriching the soil with microorganisms. They use “Baikal EM”, “Shine”, “Phoenix”, vermichay.

Protection from diseases and pests

Indoor soil does not completely protect tomatoes from attacks by pests or the spread of diseases. Therefore, the main rule of a vegetable grower is prevention. Additionally, it is necessary to regularly inspect tomato bushes to detect possible problems. Greenhouse tomatoes can get the same diseases as those in open ground. Therefore, to protect against:

1. Spray late blight bushes with garlic infusion + 1 g of potassium permanganate once a week. The “Zaslon” product will help perfectly according to the instructions. Treatment 14 days after planting, then again after 14 days with Barrier.

2. For root rot, it is good to disinfect the greenhouse soil with a solution of copper sulfate before planting tomatoes.
3. Brown rot also requires disinfecting the soil, rationing watering, and removing affected plant specimens in a timely manner.
4. For cracking fruits, carefully monitor the watering schedule or equip a drip.

A general preventive treatment of tomatoes under polycarbonate with a solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture is recommended. Spray not only the bushes, but also the soil.

To prevent pests from bothering you, preventative spraying with ash (1 glass) or garlic (100 g) infusion of substances per 1 liter of water works well. It is diluted in a bucket of water and sprayed on the leaf.

Ways to fight diseases

Copper-based preparations, as well as antifungal drugs, are used to treat most tomato ailments.

Late blight

The disease manifests itself as yellowing of the foliage and the appearance of brown spots on the fruit. As the disease progresses, the foliage dries out and the fruits begin to rot. Late blight develops in conditions of high humidity and low temperature.

Affected fruits are removed from the bushes, the foliage is torn off and burned. Plants are sprayed:

• “Fitosporin” (5 g per 10 liters of water);
• "Furacilin" (10 tablets per 10 l);
• “Ordan” (50 g per 10 l), apply until the fruits ripen.

Folk remedies include whey, iodine solution, and garlic infusion.

Stem necrosis

The viral disease is characterized by cracking and blackening of the stem at the base. The source of infection is soil and seeds. There is no treatment. The diseased plant is removed from the garden bed and burned. The soil is shed with Fitolavin.

Septoria

A fungal disease, also called “white spotting”. Spots appear on the leaves with a white center and darkening towards the periphery, subsequently the leaves turn brown and dry out.

After removing the diseased foliage, the plants are sprayed with the preparations “Skor”, “Ditan”, “Acrobat”.

Important! The fungicide is diluted strictly according to the instructions! Treatment is carried out no later than 2 weeks before harvesting. When working, use a respirator and goggles.

Apical rot

The disease manifests itself as rotting of the tip (top) of the tomato. Occurs due to a lack of calcium during the period of mass fruiting. Tomatoes are fed with calcium nitrate (10 g per 10 l), dusted with wood ash. It is useful to insert 1 teaspoon of crushed eggshells into the root zone of the tomato.

Root rot

A fungal disease affects the base of the stem. The stem rots and the plant falls. It is too late to treat a tomato when the stem has turned black. Prevention is done by treating bushes and soil with antifungal drugs.

Fruit cracking

Occurs due to excess watering and fertilizing at the time of fruit filling. The fruits of modern varieties of intensive cultivation have dense skin that does not burst.

Harvesting

When harvesting tomatoes under polycarbonate, you should follow some rules:

• pick slightly unripe fruits;
• remove tomatoes along with the stem;
• First of all, remove the ripe fruits, leave the rest on the bush for ripening;
• Continue harvesting in the greenhouse until the night temperature drops to + 8 °C (it should not be lower so that the fruits do not rot).

If you had to remove unripe fruits, they should be placed in wooden boxes for ripening, removing the stalks.

Basic landing rules

On the day of transplantation, it is necessary to remove all cotyledons and yellowed leaves, leaving a small cutting for better lighting and ventilation of the plants. Afterwards, the seedlings are watered, and the soil in the greenhouse is sprinkled with water and loosened well, holes are formed, taking into account the distance indicated in the selected planting pattern.

Then the seedlings are carefully removed from the container, moved together with the soil into the hole strictly perpendicular to the surface of the earth and dug in a little to fix it. If the soil in the pots differs from the soil in the greenhouse, it is better to carefully shake it off the roots. Now you need to add fertilizer: manure or humus and you can fill it up, compacting the hole a little.

After planting, each plant needs abundant watering. Additionally, it is recommended to cover the soil around the bushes with mulch; sawdust is good for this.

Secrets of growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse

Vegetable growers who have experience growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse are happy to share their secrets:

1. It is important to choose the variety carefully. It is better to buy new seeds for each season rather than use your own. Preference should be given to hybrid tomatoes of popular selections.
2. Be sure to mix soil for tomato seedlings with nutritional components.
3. Plant seedlings 2 weeks after germination.
4. Be sure to organize gradual tying of the bushes in order to balance the load on the stem and strengthen the root system.
5. When treating tomatoes under polycarbonate, do not abuse chemicals. In closed ground they work more efficiently.
6. Harvest in a timely manner.

These simple rules will help you grow a decent harvest of greenhouse tomatoes.

How to get an early harvest

In order to grow crops in an unheated polycarbonate greenhouse by the beginning of summer, you must adhere to several rules:

• grow ultra-early ripening varieties of tomatoes;
• sow seeds in February;
• plant seedlings in the greenhouse already with a flower brush;
• carry out intensive feeding.

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Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

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Yeast infusion is used as a top dressing. The correct way to prepare it is this: dissolve 100 g of dry yeast and 40 g of sugar in warm water (10 l). Leave the mixture for a day, then dilute it with water 5 times. Tomatoes are watered with a nutrient composition at the root at the time of fruiting.

Care

However, preparing for planting and sowing seeds is only half the battle. How to grow seedlings in a greenhouse or greenhouse, especially if you need them for sale? In order for your seedlings to grow really strong and healthy, you need proper care of the seedlings, which is quite troublesome.

1. It is important to carefully monitor the appearance of the plants. If the foliage has turned pale, then it’s time to fertilize. The best recommendation here is ready-made complex fertilizers. Before watering, you need to dilute the mineral mixture in the proportion of 1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water.
2. When it is cloudy outside, it is better to keep the temperature in the greenhouse low, to about plus 14-15 °C, so that the seedlings do not stretch out. Elongated seedlings do not need to be watered heavily, let the soil dry out a little.

By following these simple tips, we hope you will be able to grow strong and healthy seedlings that will delight you with delicious fruits all summer and until the end of September.