Growing tomatoes in plastic and sugar bags: description of the method, preparation and step-by-step instructions for planting tomatoes and caring for them, results and mistakes Russian farmer

Spring turned out to be quite cold in many regions, which shifts the timing of planting tomato seedlings by two weeks. This crop stops developing at temperatures below +10 degrees, and weather forecasters promise us such night temperatures only in the third ten days of May. Some gardeners start growing tomatoes early to get an early harvest. But this won't work in cold weather because the tomato plants will produce flowers but not bear fruit.

What to do if the tomato seedlings have already outgrown all the convenient containers and are long overdue for a greenhouse? We found the answer from experienced gardeners who successfully practice growing tomatoes in special bags and sacks - in them the soil temperature is several degrees higher than in general in beds in a greenhouse.

Why is it attractive to grow tomatoes in bags?
What bags should I use to grow tomatoes?
How to fill a bag with tomato seedlings
How to plant tomato seedlings in bags
How to plant tomato seedlings in a bag of soil
Recommendations for growing tomatoes in bags

Description of the essence of the method

The essence of the method is that by planting tomato seedlings in bags, you can expect high yields . To implement this idea, you need suitable bags, a substrate for filling, a place where you can place them, supports for the garter and healthy seedlings. This method of growing tomatoes is not too different from growing tomatoes using the traditional method.

In this case, we are talking about growing tomatoes in bags, when the seedlings need to be planted not in open ground in gardens, but in bags with soil, which is sold in large assortment in special stores.

When growing tomatoes in bags, you need to carry out standard procedures: watering, fertilizing, tying, loosening, pinching. Tomatoes, unlike many vegetables, develop quite well when grown in bags. Replanting plants in this way is very easy: tomatoes in bags can be easily moved from one place to another without worrying about damage to the roots or stems.

Using the method in a greenhouse and in open ground

The method of growing in bags is suitable for open ground and in greenhouses. In open ground, the same manipulations are carried out as with conventional planting in bags. Watering is carried out regularly, but not abundantly, since water evaporates poorly, which is why the roots can rot. In the first 25 days, new roots may sprout, which should be covered with a new portion of soil.

Note!

For planting in greenhouse conditions with this method, hybrids are best suited - they bear fruit better in a minimal area, placing the bags close to each other.

Before transferring the seedlings to the greenhouse, the holes must first be filled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1%). After the solution is absorbed into the soil, you can place the sprouts in bags and cover them with earth. Water the tomatoes only after 14 days. To save energy and nutrients in the bushes, the stepsons are removed before they reach 50 mm.

As with conventional greenhouse cultivation, it is necessary to carry out the pollination procedure - in the morning in sunny weather, carefully shake off the plant brushes with a cloth. Then water and spray the leaves with clean water. After 2 hours, the greenhouse is opened for ventilation.

Greenhouses are often infected with late blight, a fungus of leaves or fruits. To avoid disease, you can periodically spray with potassium-containing solutions.

If the bushes have not been watered for a long time, then they should not be irrigated abundantly right away. It is better to first moisten the top layer of soil, and after a few hours water it thoroughly.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of this planting method are the following::

In the event of premature cold or frost, the bags can be moved to the most insulated room.
When watering, moisture goes directly to the root system of plants, rather than spreading over the surface of the earth, which saves the amount of water required for irrigation.
Reduced watering time due to slow evaporation of moisture.
The soil warms up much faster under the sun's rays and cools much less at night.
Tomatoes are much less susceptible to various kinds of diseases.
The threat of the spread of pests and infections is reduced.
Minimum need for effort and time for weeding, hilling, loosening, and harvesting.
A noticeable increase in the overall yield of plantings.
After harvesting tomatoes, the soil can be used in other parts of the flower garden or vegetable garden.
The yield of tomatoes in bags does not depend on the quality of the soil in which they are grown
Such harmful factors as weeds disappear.
Compact: This growing method saves space for growing other crops and makes it possible to place bags anywhere.

The disadvantages of this method of growing tomatoes include:

When moving, bags of tomatoes may tear, given the bottom holes. But they are necessary to prevent rotting of tomato rhizomes and stagnation of water in the soil.
The color of the bags should be light, because dark shades attract heat, and because of this, the tomatoes will grow poorly and overheat, and it will also be necessary to increase the amount of water for irrigation several times.
It is possible to overdo it with watering. If you don’t check it in time, the tomatoes will die.
The need to use additional materials in contrast to the usual method of planting crops.
You need to think in advance about the preparation and time for planting and caring for tomatoes.
Very frequent watering will be required. You need to think about the location of the bags on the site so that the well or standpipe is nearby.

Water should be poured directly into the drainage column, otherwise the root system of plants may rot due to excess moisture.

How to plant tomato seedlings in a bag of soil

If you lay the bag of soil flat, you will get a small mobile bed. Once you make holes and plant seedlings, you can survive for a short time. But this type of bag does not have much room for the roots to grow, which is not the case with other special grow bags. You can plant two tomato plants per 60 liter bag, three tomato plants per 75 liter bag.

Preparation

Meshochkov

To grow tomatoes using this method, you can use large sugar bags (30 kilograms or more), since they are more durable and allow air and water to pass through well than similar polyethylene ones.

In this case, it is necessary to trim the corners to form special drainage holes. But this does not prevent you from taking plastic bags for planting tomatoes.

When preparing materials for planting tomatoes, you should pay attention to the color of the bags : it is better that they are light in color, but if there are none, then the dark bags should be wrapped in light (white) material so that their rhizomes do not overheat. And the material from which the bags are made is not so important; they can be made of polyethylene, or you can take bags that previously contained sugar.

Semyan

It is possible to buy seeds in a specialized store or prepare them yourself first. Before planting tomatoes in the soil, you need to prepare the seeds 62-67 days before - tomato seedlings should be 55-60 days + a week for seedlings to emerge (for details on how to grow tomato seedlings the Chinese way, read here, and from this In this article you will learn about the non-pick method of sowing seeds).

Seeds must first be calibrated in a 3% solution of table salt (3 g per 100 ml of water). Within a few minutes, empty seeds will float, and good ones will sink to the bottom. Then the seeds need to be disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate or a solution of hydrogen peroxide for thirty minutes. Next, you need to harden the seeds in the refrigerator for two days at a temperature of + 1 °C.

If you use purchased seeds, you need to monitor the expiration date. Seedlings will sprout much better if the seeds have the shortest shelf life.

The rest of the material

Soil : In order to increase the yield of tomatoes, it is best to prepare special soil before planting them. Pre-prepared soil for tomatoes should not be highly alkaline or acidic; it is better to make it neutral. To obtain a loose effect, vermiculite, sawdust and sand should be added to the soil.

In order not to feed the tomatoes in the future before the ovaries appear, you need to fill the bags half with humus, and fill the second part with ordinary soil. Compost can also serve as a filler.

Supports for tying tomatoes : You can tie tomatoes with a rope, wire or a strip, which should be pulled over the bags, to which the bushes will be tied with twine. You can also insert wooden supports into the bags.

Detailed instructions: step by step

In a sugar container

It is best to use white sugar bags for planting tomatoes in this way, as they are denser than plastic bags. Then you need to take a spatula and pour two buckets of compost soil into the bag.

If you use sugar bags, you don’t have to worry about the holes . Using a special production technology, they are already done in advance. Thanks to the white color, the plants will not overheat and the rhizomes will develop faster.

Firstly, growing a tall variety of tomatoes means filling a third of the volume with soil. Secondly, if a low-growing variety is planted, then the bag is filled strictly halfway. Then the bags should be placed tightly next to each other in the greenhouse, and the top part of the bag should be turned outward.

Landing goes like this:

The nutrient mixture should be poured into a bag.
From the container you need to transplant two or three plants into each bag, depending on their height.
Tomato rhizomes should be sprinkled with soil on top, the neck should be at ground level.
The soil must be compacted thoroughly.
Then the planted seedlings should be watered.
Next, you need to move the bags of tomatoes to the greenhouse. If the cold weather has passed, then they can be taken out into the garden.

In plastic bags

If you use a plastic bag for planting tomatoes, you should cut holes for the seedlings, while cutting off the top of the bag along the cut line.
These bags are best designed for planting three tomato seedlings in one bag.
Next, you need to make drainage holes on the sides of the bag.
Then you need to make small holes in the soil for planting seedlings. The dimensions of such holes must correspond to the size of the container from which the plant will be planted.
The seedling should be carefully removed and transplanted into a dug hole.
You can use small pegs or string for support.
At the end of planting, the tomatoes must be irrigated abundantly.

Agricultural technology and plant care

The process of caring for tomatoes after planting in bags is in many ways similar to agricultural techniques when growing in the classical way. However, there are several features that affect the development activity and fruiting of plants. By following the basic rules of care and taking into account all the nuances, you will be able to grow large and healthy fruits in due time.

Irrigation and fertilization

Tomatoes in bags should be watered as the soil dries. Before irrigation, you should make sure that not only the top part, but the deeper layer has dried. It is enough to check the condition of the soil at a depth of 4-5 cm. You should not use a large amount of water, since excess moisture often provokes the development of infectious diseases and the spread of rot.

If plants are grown outdoors, watering should be done exclusively at the roots.

Adding fertilizers to the soil promotes the rapid and proper development of bushes, as well as intensive fruiting. In the case when the soil mixture consists of humus or compost, fertilizers begin to be applied only when the ovaries are formed. In other situations, fertilizing is applied before planting seedlings, during the flowering period and 7-10 days before the expected fruiting.

Garter and bush formation

Plant staking is required when growing tall varieties and when placing containers outside. By fixing the bushes, it will be possible to prevent their damage due to the weight of the fruits and wind gusts. Fixation also ensures the growth of the stem in a vertical position without kinks.

The formation procedure includes the removal of excess foliage, deformed and old branches, and rotting parts. The formation of bushes has the following advantages:

nutritional components from the soil are supplied only to healthy parts of plants;
bushes acquire a decorative appearance;
More natural light penetrates to the fruits, which has a beneficial effect on ripening time and taste characteristics.

Loosening the soil

After each watering, the soil should be loosened to ensure better aeration. Access to oxygen is necessary for plant roots to actively develop. At the first stages, loosening is carried out to a depth of 3-5 cm; with further development of the bushes, a layer up to 12 cm deep is loosened.

Stepsoning

A large number of tomato varieties grow side shoots during development. If you leave the shoots on the stem, they will begin to actively grow and form clusters with fruits. If the bushes grow too much, the fruits will become smaller and lose their taste.

To remove shoots in a timely manner, it is necessary to regularly inspect the plants.

You can remove stepsons manually or using special equipment. Use your hands to break off the shoots to the side. If a small stump remains on the stem after breaking, this will not affect the development of the plant. It is more convenient to cut the stepsons with sharp garden shears, previously disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate. The scissors should be treated after each pruned plant to prevent the spread of possible infections.

Some varieties of tomatoes form several stems. Determinate varieties, when grown in the middle zone, are recommended to be formed into 3-4 stems, and in the southern region - not to be pinched. On medium-growing determinate varieties, it is better to leave 2 stems.

How to care for tomato seeds before and after planting?

Before planting tomatoes in bags, you need to carry out high-quality disinfection of the seeds . The seeds should be soaked in hydrogen peroxide or a solution of potassium permanganate in advance. If you purchase seeds, the need for this procedure automatically disappears. Before planting, the seeds should be germinated in advance: you need to put them in warm water for a day and wrap them in a damp cloth for several days until germination.

They also need to be dried until they flow. You need to make special grooves at a distance of several centimeters from each other using a pen, water well and sow the seeds at intervals of about three centimeters. Then you should cover the container with a transparent film until germination, periodically moistening and ventilating.

Read more about how to treat tomato seeds before sowing in a separate article.

Differences between street and greenhouse varieties of tomatoes

Typically, more capricious varieties of vegetables are grown in a greenhouse.
Including tomatoes. This is due to the fact that it is easier to create suitable conditions in the greenhouse. Tomatoes for greenhouses are usually more capricious, more responsive to temperature changes and more susceptible to diseases. Tomatoes for open ground tolerate harsh conditions better. They are not afraid of the coolness of the night and the bright sun of the day. They are also less likely to get late blight.

Another factor for choosing a variety for a greenhouse may be the type of bush. Tomato bushes are either determinate or indeterminate. They differ in the nature of bush growth.

Indeterminate tomatoes are great for greenhouses. For open ground, determinate varieties are usually chosen. They are less demanding to care for and do not require support in the form of a garter or bush support.

What result should you expect?

When growing tomatoes in bags, the fruits ripen much earlier than when grown using the traditional method (about two to three weeks ahead of schedule). Tomatoes grown in bags are significantly larger in number on each bush than those plants that grow in open ground.

With this method, tomatoes turn out much juicier and larger (you can learn about the difficulties and features of growing large tomatoes here). Their weight can even reach one kilogram. Such fruits do not crack, and their flesh is much denser and fleshier than the fruits of tomatoes growing in garden beds.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

The spread of the method is due to a large number of advantages. Their list includes the following:

bags can be placed in any convenient place: both in the apartment and outdoors;
when cold weather sets in, it is enough to move the plants to a warm room;
in dense containers, moisture evaporates more slowly, which reduces the number of waterings;
harmful insects, which often infect the roots of plants when grown in beds, do not penetrate into the soil;
a small amount of soil warms up faster and cools down more slowly, which has a beneficial effect on root development.

The only drawback of the technology is that if you use fragile bags, they can tear. For this reason, special attention should be paid to the choice of material.

Common Mistakes

Excessive watering. There is no need to over-fill the soil, since the outflow of excess moisture from the bag occurs quite slowly, and the roots can rot.
Insufficient disinfection before the next planting of tomatoes.
After harvesting, the soil can be thrown into a compost pit, and the bags can be saved, as they can be used several times. But before the next planting, you must definitely treat the bags with a disinfectant composition, especially if the tomatoes were sick.
Insufficient care of plants when temperatures drop. When it gets cold, you need to unfold the upper free edge of the bag and cover the seedlings; for a while you can drag the bags to a more insulated room.
Insufficient disinfection. It is necessary, first of all, to disinfect seeds, soil and containers for growing tomatoes to prevent the occurrence of diseases, and not to treat plants for diseases.

It is thanks to planting tomatoes in bags that in the spring it is easy to protect them from frost , create favorable conditions for plant development and a good harvest.

Many who garden are constantly trying to find all sorts of ways to increase the yield of the products they grow and simplify the planting process itself. We advise you to look at our materials about other non-standard methods of growing tomatoes: according to Maslov, in a barrel, upside down, on two roots.

Harvest and storage

When harvesting, in order to produce more of it, they begin to remove the fruits, which begin to turn brown.
They will then ripen on their own in the sun. The harvest time depends on the tomato variety, climate, weather forecasts and many other factors. Some varieties require long ripening, others are distinguished by early ripening.

Harvesting is carried out with the stalk, so the tomato will retain its elasticity and useful microelements longer. In any case, harvesting is carried out until the night temperature remains above +8ºС. Tomatoes that have cooled after a late harvest quickly begin to rot. Tomatoes should not be left to ripen on the branches, as they also do not last long.

Unripe fruits are placed in a warm, bright place. The stalk of ripe tomatoes is separated and then stored without it, in wooden boxes.

Wrapping with dry peat, paper, or fresh sawdust extends the shelf life of tomatoes.

The degree of keeping quality of a vegetable can be determined during the harvesting period: if it is easily picked, it will not last long. But a fruit that is difficult to pick will last a long time.