If you look at the lunar calendar for May, you will see that this month has many favorable days for planting tomatoes in a greenhouse.
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If you plant tomatoes in protected soil, this will allow you to get an early harvest and protect the plants from adverse weather conditions.
In this article we will tell you how to choose the right day in May to plant tomatoes in protected soil.
How to choose a day to plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse?
The lunar calendar will tell you the period when you can plant seedlings. But a specific day must be selected depending on the weather.
It is advisable that it be cloudy at this time. If the day is sunny, it is better to plant in the evening. Then the plants will not suffer from heat and bright sunlight, which will speed up their adaptation to greenhouse beds.
ATTENTION! By the time you decide to plant tomatoes, the soil should be warmed to a temperature of + 12 °C.
Land preparation
Soil for growing tomatoes can be purchased in specialized departments. It contains nutritional supplements, and after germination the tomato seedlings do not have to be fed.
You can use soil from your own greenhouse, after calcining it in the oven. But you should not take the soil on which nightshade crops (eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes) grew. Tomatoes love loose sandy soils with moderate acidity.
To prepare such soil yourself and sow tomatoes for seedlings for the greenhouse, you should mix greenhouse soil, river sand and humus in equal proportions in the fall. It would be useful to add ash and dry eggshells ground into flour.
Also, when planting tomato seedlings for greenhouses, you can use another composition:
- Turf 70%;
- Humus 45%;
- Ash, chalk, egg shells 15%.
Peat tablets have also proven themselves well. Even when tomato seedlings for greenhouses grow, when transplanted into the ground, the roots of the plant are not injured, and they quickly adapt to new conditions.
When to plant tomatoes in May 2022, depending on the region
The event must be carried out taking into account not only the recommendations of the lunar calendar for May, but also the climatic features of the region.
South of Russia (Crimea, Krasnodar region)
Crops can be planted on any day of the month, with the exception of unfavorable dates according to the lunar calendar.
Central regions
You can plant it already in early May.
Siberia, Far East, Ural
You can plant in the last ten days of the month.
North-West Russia (Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Leningrad regions)
You should plant tomatoes in a greenhouse no earlier than the 20th of May.
Tricks for planting tomato seedlings in a greenhouse
The procedure itself does not contain any difficulties or secrets if you choose a favorable day according to the lunar calendar and plant according to the algorithm. But you will need to disinfect the greenhouse itself in advance, create beds and prepare the plants.
How to prepare a greenhouse
You need to start preparing the greenhouse in the fall. First you need to remove all the remnants of the previous harvest, weed the weeds around it, and wash all surfaces with laundry soap.
CAREFULLY! It is better to change the twine for tying plants annually, as it retains pathogenic bacteria. But to save money, you can boil the ropes.
In April-May, when the air temperature warms up to +10 °C, it is necessary to treat all surfaces of the greenhouse with a solution of slaked lime. This way it will be possible to destroy pathogenic flora. To prepare the solution, dilute 400 g of lime in 10 liters of water. Leave the mixture for 4 hours, and then add a little copper sulfate to it.
You will also need to wash all glass surfaces with dishwashing detergent or glass cleaner. You need to finish processing a week before planting tomatoes according to the lunar calendar.
How to prepare beds
In the greenhouse you need to arrange beds, placing them along the walls. It is important that their width reaches 60-80 cm, and their height 30-40 cm. It is worth leaving a distance of 60 cm between the beds, then it will be easier to move around the greenhouse.
It is advisable to replace the top layer of soil with a new one, since bacteria and microbes multiply faster in it. But you can destroy pathogenic flora if you take the soil outside before winter. Then bacteria and pests will die from frost.
After winter, the soil will need to be dug up to a depth of 20-25 cm and loosened. To improve fertility, it is worth adding per square meter. m beds of humus or compost (3-4 kg), wood ash (100 g), bone meal (200 g).
REFERENCE! A week before you plan to plant seedlings, you need to water the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicides.
How to prepare seedlings
When you plant tomatoes in a greenhouse, this can become a serious stress for the tomato seedlings, even if you plant according to all the rules of the lunar calendar. It is better to prepare the tomatoes in advance, following this algorithm:
- Tomatoes need to be hardened. You need to start the event 2 weeks before disembarkation. The seedlings will need to be taken out onto the glazed balcony for 20-30 minutes first. Then you need to increase the duration of sessions daily by 30-45 minutes.
- 7-10 days before the expected transfer of plants to the greenhouse according to the lunar calendar in May, it is necessary to treat the foliage of the seedlings with a solution of boric acid (1 g per 1 l). This will strengthen the seedlings and prevent the dropping of buds, which will further increase the yield.
- 1-2 days before planting, it is necessary to remove the cotyledons, as well as yellowed leaves of the seedlings.
ATTENTION! 24 hours before the event, it is necessary to treat the seedlings with fungicides to prevent fungal infections. In May it is worth using the drug "Ridomil Gold". It needs to be diluted in warm water (20 g per 10 l) and sprayed on the foliage. It is advisable to add 20 g of urea to the solution, which will enhance the effect and additionally nourish the tomatoes.
Sowing time
Sowing should be done no earlier than two months before planting in the greenhouse. Otherwise, due to a lack of sunlight, instead of strong and healthy tomato seedlings, you may end up with stunted blades of yellow-green color that creep along the ground. Such tomatoes most likely will not survive transplantation.
The time for planting tomato seedlings for a greenhouse will be indicated by a calendar displaying the lunar phases.
Sowing is done in the second phase of the waxing moon. Seedlings planted during this period are stronger and taller, have better disease resistance and produce a richer harvest.
Advice! It is not recommended to plant tomato seedlings during the full moon.
When to plant tomato seedlings for a greenhouse depends on the plant variety:
- Tall tomatoes (Midas, De Barao - time until fruit ripening is 130-140 days) can be sown starting in mid-February;
- Early and mid-ripening varieties (Geisha, Bourgeois - time until fruit ripening is 100-110 days) should be sown in March;
- Low-growing and very early tomato varieties (Valentina, Gina - time until fruit ripening is 87-95 days) can be sown in April.
The timing of growing tomato seedlings for a greenhouse can vary dramatically among different varieties.
What to sow tomatoes for seedlings in a greenhouse
It is convenient to grow tomato seedlings for greenhouses in separate containers (cups). In this case, the seedlings do not need picking and are less injured.
But if it is not possible to provide uniform illumination to all the sprouts (there is not enough space on the windowsill), then it is more advisable to sow tomatoes as seedlings for the greenhouse in a large container.
Tomato seeds are sowed for seedlings in a container filled with damp soil, the seeds are laid out at a distance, sprinkled with soil and compacted a little. If tomatoes are sown in peat tablets, they are first soaked in settled water for an hour.
Advice! When planting tomato seedlings for a greenhouse, the soil should be warmed to room temperature and have good drainage.
Sowing tomatoes for seedlings for a greenhouse:
- Sowing of prepared tomato seeds for seedlings is carried out in a container filled with moist soil, the spread seeds are laid out at a distance, sprinkled with a thin layer of earth and pressed down;
- If the seeds are immersed in a peat tablet, then a small hole is made in its center;
- The container with the sown seeds is tightly covered with film or glass to ensure a greenhouse effect (27-29 degrees). Under such conditions, the seeds will hatch within 4-5 days. At an air temperature of 24-26 degrees, the first shoots will hatch in 8-10 days. In a cool place, the sprouts will have to wait about two weeks;
- The container is transferred to a warm place and the ground is periodically ventilated by lifting the glass. If this is not done, the soil will become covered with mold fungi and the tomato seeds will rot;
- After the sprouts appear, the glass is removed and the box is placed on a well-lit windowsill. At this time (the appearance of 10-15 sprouts), it is recommended to lower the ambient temperature to 15-17 degrees, otherwise the seedlings will be strongly pulled upward. If the lighting is not enough, you need to use a fluorescent lamp to additionally illuminate the tomato seedlings;
- When the bulk of the seeds germinate, the temperature in the room where the tomato seedlings are located rises again to 19-21 degrees. This is the optimal climate for its full development.
Reference! When planting tomato seedlings for a greenhouse, it is worth considering that sudden temperature changes and cold air flows are detrimental to young seedlings.
It is not recommended to water early tomato crops; simply spray the soil with a spray bottle.
When planting seedlings, tomatoes for the greenhouse can also be placed in special polystyrene cassettes.
They have several rows of cells measuring 6x8 cm. Cassettes are convenient because:
- They have a tray, which simplifies the procedure for watering plants;
- To remove tomato seedlings from the cell you do not need to make any special effort. It is enough to pull the stem at the base and pry off the bottom layer of soil with a shovel;
- The root system of bushes transplanted using this method is not disturbed, and they take root better in a new place;
- New cassettes do not require additional disinfection.
An unusual way of sowing
When there is no time to sow tomatoes in the ground for greenhouse seedlings, craftsmen suggest using a different method. For this you will need:
- Multi-layer paper napkins, toilet paper will also work;
- Cellophane strips 10x50 cm. To do this, it is better to cut garbage bags into strips, as they are denser than packaging bags;
Before sowing tomato seedlings for the greenhouse, you need to lay out several layers of paper on cellophane and sprinkle them generously with filtered water from a spray bottle. Stepping back from the edge, place the seeds in the middle of the tape at a short distance from each other. Then the paper is rolled into a loose roll and placed vertically in a container with purified water.
The liquid should only reach the bottom edge of the roll.
After a short time, the seeds will germinate. At the three-leaf stage, tomato seedlings are planted in large boxes with prepared soil.
How to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse in May according to the lunar calendar
The process itself looks like this:
- In 30 min. Before planting, water the plants generously with warm water.
- Dig holes with a depth of 20-25 cm. Maintain a distance of 50-60 cm between them. Immediately install pegs for the garter near the recesses, having previously treated them with a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Add 15 g (1 tbsp) of superphosphate to the holes. Instead of mineral fertilizer, you can add 200 g of rotted compost.
- Carefully remove the seedlings from the containers, and without removing the earthen ball, place them in the holes at a slight angle.
- Fill the voids with soil and compact it carefully. Water the surface of the bed with settled water at a temperature of +18…+22 °C.
When the moisture is absorbed, add a new portion of soil if it settles.
ATTENTION! After planting, it is advisable to spray the leaves and stems of tomatoes with copper oxychloride (40 g per 10 liters of water). It will strengthen immunity to fungal infections that often affect crops in the greenhouse. After 10 days, it is worth repeating this procedure to consolidate the effect.
What to add to the wells
Before fruiting, tomato bushes must produce new shoots on which the crop will grow. Therefore, it is necessary to add fertilizer to the holes when planting tomato seedlings.
Feeding options to increase yield:
- A handful of rotted manure, wood ash and crushed eggshells.
- A handful of humus, 2 tbsp. l. ash, 1 tbsp. l. Nitroammofoska or other complex fertilizer. The main thing is that the fertilizing composition includes 3 important elements - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.
- Handful of compost, 1 tbsp. l. with a pile of ash, dried banana peel. When watered, banana peels very quickly become limp and begin to enrich the soil with nutrients.
- A very good organic fertilizer Agrovit-cor, which contains all the elements necessary for plant development. To enrich the soil with useful elements, just add 1 tbsp to the hole. l. such feeding.
You may be interested to know what folk remedies can be added to the hole when planting tomatoes .
Mix the fertilizer with the soil from the hole, pour it onto the bottom and water it generously. When the water is absorbed, you can begin planting.
You will be interested to know: Serum with iodine as a fertilizer for tomatoes and for treatment against late blight: proportions, how to spray and water
Caring for tomato seedlings after planting in a greenhouse
The first time after planting the crop (about a week to a week and a half) you cannot water, fertilize or disturb it in any way. At this time, plants recover from stress, grow roots and take root in new conditions. After the adaptation period, tomatoes will need to provide the following care:
- Watering . For crops, it is better to arrange drip irrigation. If this is not possible, then the seedlings will need to be irrigated as soon as the top layer of soil dries out (once every 5-7 days). You should use settled water with a temperature of +18…+22 C, and watering should be done in the morning. It is necessary to pour water strictly at the root, without getting on the leaves and stems.
- Loosening . After 30-60 minutes. After irrigation, it is necessary to loosen the surface of the bed. Otherwise, it will become denser and block the access of oxygen to the roots.
- Fertilizer application . If 1-2 weeks after planting the seedlings look weak and sickly, then it is worth feeding the plants with liquid mineral complexes.
- Garter . After planting, the tomatoes should be immediately tied to supports. Otherwise, their lashes will fall to the ground under the weight of the crop, which will increase the risk of developing fungal diseases.
- Pollination . When flowers form on the bushes, you will need to lightly shake the shoots. This will improve pollination and increase the number of ovaries. And it is advisable to carry out this procedure from 9:00 to 12:00.
You will also need to ventilate the greenhouse daily. 2-3 weeks after planting, it is better to mulch the surface of the bed with straw or mown grass, which will greatly facilitate further care.
Common mistakes
When planting tomatoes in May according to the lunar calendar, inexperienced gardeners make the following mistakes:
- Choose the wrong variety. Some tomatoes are not intended to be grown in a greenhouse, and they quickly die from lack of light and other factors.
- Excessively moisten the soil. If moisture stagnates at the roots, plants can develop blackleg and other fungal diseases.
- Use water taken from a well. Tomatoes do not tolerate cold moisture well, and from water with chlorine they get sick and may die.
When to do this, optimal timing of transplantation
Proper planting of tomatoes in greenhouses is an important point for a subsequent good harvest. Spring is a good time of year to grow seedlings. It is planted in soil closed from fresh air at the end of April or at the beginning of May. The climate is ideal at this time of year: the frosts have already passed, the weather is warm outside. The soil should be well warmed up by this time.
If the ground temperature at this time is less than +9°, then it is better to wait a few days until the temperature regime is optimal. By this time, tomato sprouts should have at least 8 leaves that are already well developed, and also have about one or more inflorescences. The height should reach 30-35 cm.
Answers to frequently asked questions
Gardeners are often interested in the following questions:
How to plant stretched seedlings?
In seedlings, not only the cotyledons should be removed, but also the lower leaves (2-3 pieces). Seedlings must be planted at an angle of 45°, deepening to the first shoots.
How to speed up the establishment of plants?
A couple of days before the day when you plan to plant tomatoes, you can treat the seedlings with growth stimulants (Epin, Heteroauxin).
How to feed tomatoes after planting in May?
“Agricola for vegetables”, potassium sulfate, monopotassium phosphate or nitroammophoska are suitable.