30 kg of tomatoes from one bush: myth or reality? All about the method of growing tomatoes in a barrel

• Updated: June 11, 2019

Currently, more and more new methods are emerging that are used in the cultivation of tomatoes. With their help, you can harvest quite a significant harvest from a small area. One such method is growing tomatoes in a barrel. In this case, the barrel plays the role of a garden bed.

Photo

This is what tomatoes grown in barrels look like.

Advantages and disadvantages

Growing tomatoes in a barrel has a lot of advantages:

• With this method, in addition to saving space, less water is spent on watering.
• Moles and other shrews will not be able to reach them.
• Since tomato bushes do not come into contact with the soil surface, their risk of infection by pests and diseases is significantly reduced.
• The barrel does not have a closed bottom, so excess water will not be retained, and worms can easily penetrate the soil.
• There is no need to build a greenhouse, because with the onset of frost the plant can be covered with film.

Important! The only disadvantage of growing tomatoes in a barrel is the impossibility of obtaining early tomato fruits. The first ones ripen around mid-summer.

What is a tomato bush in a barrel?

So, the main secret of the yield of tomatoes in a barrel is the man-made formation of an unusually powerful root system in the bush. It occupies the entire height (depth) of the barrel, forming on the stem, which is gradually covered with soil. To do this, the leaves are cut off as they grow, leaving the stem bare. This is possible due to the fact that it continues to grow in height according to its biological characteristics.

When the stem is already covered with soil substrate to the full depth of the barrel, the leaves stop being trimmed. This allows the plant to grow a little and move on to generative functions (i.e., begin flowering and fruiting). Due to the fact that a very powerful healthy bush grows, it bears many fruits that receive enough nutrition. In such conditions, plants realize their genetic potential to the maximum, forming a powerful root and a strong tall bush with a well-developed leaf apparatus. This allows you to receive complete nutrition both from the soil using the root system, and through photosynthesis taking place in the leaves.

Preparation

Growing tomatoes in a barrel requires certain preparatory measures.:

Capacity

1. The bottom of the selected barrel is removed, and 1 cm holes are made in the walls, which should be located in each 20*20 cm area. This is necessary for better oxygen supply to the roots of the tomato bushes.
2. For the barrel, you need to choose a place that will be perfectly heated by the rays of the sun.
3. At the very bottom you need to pour a 10-centimeter layer of urgasa - a special fertilizer prepared using EM technology. It involves the use of microorganisms that transform the soil into good arable land without artificial fertilizers and pesticides. As a result, the harvest will be much higher.
4. The next layer, also 10 cm thick, will be a mixture of an equal amount:
   compost;
5. ordinary soil;
6. turf land.

Tomato seeds

Before planting, seeds need to be sorted . They should be:

• undamaged;
• large;
• correct shape.

Seed material from last year's harvest is excellent for seedlings. Preparing seeds for sowing consists of disinfection and soaking. Picking seedlings is done in large containers (read about how to grow tomatoes without picking here). This will allow the root system to develop better.

The following types are considered the best varieties for growing tomatoes in a barrel::

Pink giant

The bush of this mid-season tomato grows up to 1.5 m and higher. The fruits are distinguished by their large weight, juicy pulp, and sweetish taste.

Ilya Muromets

The yellow fruits of the tomato variety Ilya Muromets weigh about 300 grams. The growth of the bush reaches 2 m. Tomatoes ripen within 100 days.

De Barao

The lashes of the De Barao variety sometimes grow up to 3 m . These oval tomatoes come in different colors:

• yellow;
• red;
• black.

Reference! The variety is distinguished by its high yield, although it ripens quite late.

Tarasenko

Hybrid tomatoes Tarasenko are distinguished by their high growth. The fruits have a bright red color and a pleasant taste. You can remove about 3 kg of tomatoes from one branch. The bushes grow well in both sun and partial shade.

Scarlet Mustang

I like the Scarlet Mustang tomato variety for its interesting shape . The length of the fruit is from 10 cm to 14 cm. It is high-yielding and unpretentious in care.

Koenigsberg

Tall Koenigsberg tomatoes are quite suitable for growing in a barrel. The red, elongated fruits have a dense texture and excellent taste.

Budenovka

The Budenovka variety grows of medium size . It feels good in a barrel and produces a good harvest. These round tomatoes have thick, thin skin. When stored, fruits retain their taste for a long time.

All these varieties are distinguished by their resistance to frost and unpretentiousness.

Preparing the rest of the material

In order for the tomato tree in the barrel to become large, it is necessary to use urgasu . Its preparation takes place throughout the year.

1. Take an old plastic bucket, at the bottom of which a grate is placed at a low height.
2. The walls of the bucket need to be lined with a plastic bag with holes in the bottom.
3. All kitchen waste is placed in it.

The liquid flowing down can be used as fertilizer for indoor flowers.

Each bookmark must be sprayed with the Baikal EM1 preparation, which contains bacteria, sprinkled with Urgasy starter, and pressed down on top with a weight wrapped in a bag. The bucket must be tightly closed.

Urgasy starter is made from rolled and dried kitchen scraps like minced meat.:

1. For 1 kg of this starter you need to add 5 tbsp. l. “Baikal EM1”, then this mixture is put into a bag, and a load is placed on top.
2. After 7 days, knead and dry. This mixture helps tomato bushes develop quickly.

The preparation of EM compost differs from conventional compost only in that it contains crushed components. The porosity of the mass is achieved by adding 10 kg of sawdust per 100 kg of mixture. Everything must be mixed well and each layer should be poured with a solution of the preparation EM-1 (100 ml per 10 liters of water) and 100 ml of non-acidic jam, which does not contain berries. Compost must have a moisture content of at least 60%. It can be used after 60 days.

How to plant seedlings

So, how to grow tomatoes in a barrel. First, the barrel itself is prepared:

1. From 15 to 20 holes with a standard diameter of about 1 cm are made in advance. With the help of such manipulations, access to oxygen is opened in the structure.
2. The bottom is removed. An open bottom throughout the tomato growing season provides free movement for the worms, which will create natural channels to get rid of excess moisture.

One common option is to mix compost, turf soil and regular soil in equal volumes. A layer of urgasy (10 cm) is placed on the bottom.

The first seedling should be placed directly in the center of the barrel in May or early June in 5-7 cm of soil and be sure to cover it with polyethylene. It provides protection from the cold at night. It would not be a bad idea to use the strongest of them as the first seedling.

Subsequent treatment is carried out when the plant reaches a height of 10 cm, and requires regular repetition until the soil mixture consisting of turf soil and compost fills the entire barrel with a small hill on top.

At this stage, the plastic film can be removed, since the root system has reached a certain development, and the tomatoes of the upcoming harvest have become able to withstand any temperature changes and other negative factors that arise.

Landing

Tomato seedlings are usually planted in mid-May.:

1. After the barrel takes its place in the sun, 4-5 seedlings are planted into it at the same distance from each other to a depth of 5 cm.
2. The lower leaves need to be removed.
3. At night, the barrel is covered with film to prevent the plants from freezing.
4. After they grow to 10 cm, soil containing nutrients is poured on top. This procedure is carried out until the barrel is completely filled with earth.

Reference! After 15 days, the root system will be able to support a large bush. During this time, the stems will become stronger and the film can be removed.

Read more about the rules and subtleties of planting tomatoes here.

Care and watering

At the beginning of summer, tomatoes growing in a barrel do not need to be pinched. It is desirable, on the contrary, to create more brushes. Most often, from 20 to 30 of them are formed, each with 8-15 ovaries. As a result of the free hanging of the lower branches and stepsons, which will gradually begin to spread along the ground, they will cover the barrel. By mid-July the bush will turn into a real tomato tree, so you need to secure it:

• trunk;
• branches;
• top shoots.

When growing tomatoes in a barrel, the bushes turn out to be powerful. They need a lot of water. Be sure to monitor the soil moisture in the barrel. It should be 60-70%. It can be determined this way: when a lump of soil is slightly squeezed, water should be released. It is difficult to pour tomatoes into a barrel; the excess will leak out because there is no bottom.

By mid-summer, the tomato bush uses almost all the beneficial substances that were placed in the barrel of soil. To feed a tomato tree, you can use a mash made from EM compost .

To prepare it you need:

1. Take a container, fill a third of it in equal proportions with a soil mixture of EM compost and turf soil.
2. Pour water to the top just so that there is no chlorine in it.
3. Leave everything for a day.

It is recommended to water the tomato bush 2-3 times a week with this solution.

Tomato juice – red or yellow

I make a variety of preparations and juice from tomatoes. Last year I made juice in two colors - red and unusual for tomato juice, yellow, which turned out amazing in taste, sweet and bright! The yellow juice was obtained from tomatoes of the Mystery of Nature variety, Siberian selection. This year I want to plant more seedlings of this variety, especially for the unusual juice.

To prepare it, I take washed tomatoes, cut them into pieces, place them in a saucepan, put on low heat until softened and cover with a lid. I stir from time to time.

When the tomatoes have softened, I beat them in a blender and then rub them through an iron sieve. I bring the resulting juice to a boil, but do not remove the foam that forms during the cooking process (10-15 minutes from the start of boiling). Gradually it all turns into a homogeneous mass. I pour the finished juice into sterilized jars, roll it up, turn it over and wrap it. They stand like that until they cool down.

The result is a thick juice, which in jars does not cut off with water over time.

Planting in barrels

I want to share my experience of planting in barrels. Several years ago I learned about this method and got excited about the idea.

In April, I prepared three barrels, filled them with a mixture of fertile soil and compost, poured them thoroughly with water and covered them with cellophane - let everything warm up better. When it became quite warm outside, I planted cucumbers in one barrel, melons in another, and watermelons in a third. But I haven’t removed the shelter completely yet, I covered the plantings for the night.

And everything grew well for me. There was one thing I didn’t take into account - the barrels had to be placed near the fence so that the growing vines would grab onto it and grow upwards, as expected. And so I had to make supports for them. Okay, I did it. I began to admire the growing plants. And here was a new misfortune: when the fruits began to set, under their weight, the lashes on the bend of the barrels began to break, and some of them withered. She immediately rushed to tie the survivors to the supports.

I received the harvest, of course, earlier than from a regular garden bed (the cucumbers especially did their best), but the number of fruits harvested was not particularly impressive. Yes, and the above-

I didn’t really like the lazy troubles. And the next year I planted tomatoes and gladioli in barrels. And I soon realized that there was a big disadvantage here: at a height of 1 m, the greens quickly dry out and require frequent watering. And if there is windy weather, then just be careful that the plants don’t break.

In general, I refused to grow cucumbers, tomatoes and melons in barrels.

I decided to use them as a nursery for cabbage. Here we plant it either as seedlings or directly in the ground, depending on your preference. But everyone follows one rule - they must be in time before Yegor (May 6). If it’s still cold, I pour hot water over the barrels and cover them with cellophane. I put early cabbage in one barrel, in another for pickling, and in a third - late cabbage for storage. The barrel nursery is just great! At a high altitude, the plants are not affected by frost; chickens and pests do not reach them.

I monitor the seedlings through the film and water them only with warm water. I open the barrels when the seedlings get stronger, and they turn out exceptionally healthy. And when I transplant it to a permanent place, I plant baby gladioli in barrels. They grow well there, they don’t bother anyone

And I plant radishes in the soil from early crops. As soon as the snow melts and it becomes possible to dig up the bed (even if the soil sticks to the shovel), I install arcs and stretch the film. Once everything warms up, I begin landing.

The variety that grows best for me is 18 days. I open the film only for watering (after all, radishes love moisture very much), and at the same time I protect it from cold winds. Early sowing works well; I sow five bags at once. Little goes into flowers. But the second sowing in May is already worse, so instead of radishes, I began to sow daikon this month. It tastes the same, and goes off the rails less often.

Marina Nikolaevna SOLDATKINA, p. Ponomarev, Altai Territory

Common Mistakes

1. One of the common mistakes that leads to low yields is choosing the wrong tomato variety (read which tomato varieties are suitable for growing here).
2. Also, you should not use fertilizers too often or too much. Tomatoes prefer fertilizers that balance three important nutritional elements:

   • 
     nitrogen;

   phosphorus;

3. potassium.

If the nutrient solution contains nitrogen in high concentration, this leads to stimulation of the development of vegetative mass, negatively affecting the fruits. Fresh manure is especially destructive in this regard.

4. A mistake is failure to comply with the watering regime. Tomatoes begin to get sick more often due to weakened immunity, the reason for this is shallow and frequent watering. If the plant is poorly watered, it will not be able to fully absorb calcium from the soil. As a result, dry dark brown spots form on the tops of the tomatoes.

The method of growing tomatoes in a barrel is considered successful due to the rapid warming of the soil and water. This is due to the presence of limited space. Experienced gardeners advise everyone to try using this innovative technology on their site.

If you are interested in other ways to grow tomatoes, read how to do it in peat tablets and pots, as well as upside down, in bottles, buckets upside down, pots, snail methods, Chinese methods and according to Maslov.

Suitable varieties

Due to the fact that tomatoes are cultivated in containers and barrels with a volume of 100 l-200 l, indeterminate varieties and hybrids characterized by unlimited growth should be selected for planting. Good fit:

• "De Barao Giant";
• "Galina F1";
• "King of the big ones";
• "King of the Early";
• "Lucky Cross";
• "Red Velvet";
• "Cream Orange Giant";
• "Bashful blush";
• "Batyanya";
• "Pink Elephant";
• "Altai honey";
• "American Liana";
• "Brighton Beach";
• "Vasilina."