15 secrets on how to grow a good tomato crop in open ground and in a greenhouse (Photo & Video) + Reviews

Tomatoes are often grown in a greenhouse or greenhouse. However, caressed by the sun and rain, they produce tastier and healthier fruits. But to get them, you need to clearly know how to grow tomatoes in open ground . This task can be done by any gardener.

Tomatoes grown in open ground are more aromatic and tastier

Basic principles for obtaining high yields

Tomatoes in a greenhouse

There are four main rules, the implementation of which allows you to annually collect a large number of aromatic tomatoes from the beds:

• choosing a variety that is suitable for a specific area
• planting healthy seedlings
• choosing a suitable growing site
• maintaining appropriate care

Don't rush into sowing! one of the rules for successfully growing tomato seedlings at home

Most often, inexperienced summer residents cannot correctly determine the sowing date; they are in a hurry, striving for an early harvest. Seedlings sown too early in an apartment outgrow, stretch out, and after planting in the ground they get sick for a long time. Therefore, it is difficult to get an early and decent harvest from such plants. Plants planted at later and more favorable dates begin to bear fruit faster.

The timing of sowing seeds varies greatly depending on the region of residence and the climatic conditions of a particular area. It is also very important to know where the tomatoes will be planted in the future - in a greenhouse or open ground. Another important point is whether you will have the opportunity to cover the planted plants in the event of returning cold weather, or whether you cannot often come to your site. In the latter case, it is better not to rush.

The easiest way to calculate the date of sowing seeds for seedlings is as follows. From the approximate date of planting the plants in a greenhouse or open ground, count back the recommended age for growing seedlings and the time for seed germination (for tomatoes - about one week).

The age of growing tomato seedlings at home is reference data developed based on many years of plant growing practice. For late-ripening varieties and hybrids, the optimal period is 70 days at the stage of growing seedlings, mid-ripening - 55-60 days, early-ripening varieties - 45-55 days.

Approximate landing dates are determined practically on the basis of long-term landing times in a given area. But, of course, adjusted for weather conditions at a particular time, these dates can vary greatly from year to year.

Subject to the conditions for growing tomato seedlings at home, seedlings sown on time are strong, stocky, and subsequently take root and develop well.

Seed preparation

Tomato seeds

The key to good seedlings and high yields is high-quality seeds. Serious manufacturers treat them with special antifungal substances before selling them, which increases the germination of tomatoes.

You can disinfect seeds yourself using a solution of potassium permanganate (1 gram of substance per 1 liter of water). To do this, the seeds are wrapped in a piece of gauze and placed in the prepared liquid for twenty minutes. After the time has passed, the seed should be washed well in cool water and dried.

It is believed that tomato seeds remain viable for nine years. But improper storage conditions and various other factors can significantly shorten this period. If you doubt the quality of the seeds, you can check them in a simple way.

Two to three weeks before sowing, place a couple of seeds in a linen cloth in warm water for a day. Then leave in the same piece of paper in a warm place for 3-4 days. Afterwards, plant the seeds on the ground and watch the seedlings: sprouts have appeared - everything is fine with tomato seeds, there is no greenery - the seeds are not suitable for growing.

You can also select unsuitable seed material visually. Do not leave hollow, too small or large seeds.

To speed up germination, it is recommended to place tomato seeds on a damp cloth and cover with a wet napkin for 18 hours. All this time it is necessary to maintain sufficient humidity.

Tips and rules for growing tomatoes (tomatoes) in a greenhouse

Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse

With the advent of the first spring rays, which begin to gradually warm up the cold earth after winter frosts, gardeners cannot continue to sit idle, and quickly go to their dachas in order to open the vegetable growing season. Every lover of growing vegetable crops knows that for a bountiful harvest, it is necessary to lay the foundation long before planting begins. After all, first you need to prepare the seeds and grow seedlings, prepare the beds and disinfect the greenhouses. When the beds are sown, the worries are just beginning, because in order for the harvest to bear fruit, you need to take care of the beds, weed and water the seedlings, get rid of pests and fertilize the soil.

Video - photo tips for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse

If you want to try growing tomatoes in greenhouse conditions for the first time, then you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of this rather complex, but at the same time fascinating process.

Where to start growing tomatoes indoors

First of all, it is necessary to prepare the seeds. If you have coated seeds with a bright color, they do not require special processing. If the seeds are not treated, then you will need to immerse them for twenty minutes in a solution of Fitosporin-M, which should be prepared according to the recommendations in the instructions. The treated seeds do not need to be washed, but it would not be superfluous to keep them in a composition that stimulates the growth of shoots, and then plant them in previously prepared soil.

It is important to prepare the soil for planting seeds if you want greenhouse tomatoes to germinate quickly and well. The most suitable time for planting seeds is considered to be from February to March inclusive. It should be remembered that if you are planting a late variety of tomatoes, it is better to do this in February. If it’s early, then the end of March will come.

Sowing tomato seeds for seedlings

Tomato seeds are planted in boxes about seven centimeters deep between February and March. One equal part of peat, humus and turf soil is used as soil. To keep the soil well moistened, per one bucket of soil, add one liter jar of river sand, a tablespoon of wood ash, and one tablespoon of superphosphate.

The resulting soil is poured into boxes and compacted well. Next, grooves are made in the soil, the depth of which is about a centimeter, and watered with a solution of sodium humanate. It is very important that the solution is warm. Afterwards the seeds are sown and covered with soil. The box with seedlings should be in a bright place where the air temperature is twenty-two degrees. In order for the seedlings to germinate as quickly as possible, the boxes should be placed under film.

Picking up tomato seedlings

After a week, the seedlings should have 2 leaves, and this will mean that you need to dive. This procedure involves transplanting the sprouts into a larger container so that the root system has room to develop.

This procedure is performed as follows. Using a toothpick, remove each plant from the box and transplant it into a larger container. The plant should be replanted together with a lump of earth.

In such conditions, seedlings should be kept for no more than fifty days. During this time, the height of the sprouts will reach about thirty centimeters. Throughout the entire period, it is necessary to monitor the temperature and light. But no later than ten days before planting the sprouts in the greenhouse, the seedlings must be hardened, taken out to the balcony for a short time, and the room well ventilated.

Greenhouse preparation

To ensure that tomato seedlings in greenhouse conditions do not get sick and give a good harvest, it is necessary to properly prepare the greenhouse for the planting season.

Since the seedlings are transplanted into greenhouse conditions in early May, the greenhouse should be placed under a double layer of film, since at this time of year the temperature at night is still quite low. Between the layers of film there should be a space that forms a kind of air insulation. The greenhouse should have vents around the perimeter that will allow for good air ventilation.

When preparing the greenhouse for planting seedlings, remove about ten centimeters of soil remaining from last year, and disinfect the rest of the soil with a solution of copper sulfate (dilute 1 tablespoon of powder in a bucket of water). The soil can contain various infections that attack the plant and kill it. Therefore, you should not plant tomatoes in the same soil two years in a row to avoid infection.

Those vegetable growers who decide to grow tomatoes in greenhouse conditions in the winter should take care of additional lighting. Without a light source, seedlings will not begin to bloom and, naturally, will not bear fruit. In order for tomatoes to bear a good harvest, it is better if the greenhouse has sandy or loamy soil that allows air to pass through well.

Preparation of the beds begins ten days before the seedlings are transplanted into the greenhouse. The soil should be fertilized, well loosened and weeded. In order to properly fertilize the soil, you can use a glass of charcoal and about six kilograms of humus per square meter of land. If the soil is well fertilized, then you can limit yourself to two kilograms of humus.

Features of planting seedlings

When transplanting tomato seedlings directly into a greenhouse, you need to follow a few simple tips.

1. It is important that the soil for seedlings is well heated. Tomatoes should not be transplanted into cold soil. This will lead to the fact that the root system will not develop, but will simply begin to rot, and, as a result, the seedlings will not take root. The normal soil temperature for planting seedlings is 12 to 15C. In order to set this temperature, you should first cover the ground with dark cellophane film. If you have not done this, then before planting the sprout in the ground, pour a small amount of hot water into the hole.
2. You should not immerse the stem deep into the ground, because then it will grow new roots and the tomato will stop its growth. If you doubt whether you can transplant seedlings correctly, it is better to check out the video on this topic.
3. Do not overuse nitrogen. Otherwise, you will get nothing but lush tops.
4. Constantly monitor the condition of the plant. If there are diseased or yellowed leaves, they must be removed in time. When transplanting seedlings into a greenhouse, cut off the cotyledon leaves.
5. Tomato seedlings should be transplanted into a greenhouse in the evening or on a cloudy day, after moistening the soil before doing so.

Only compliance with all the above rules will give you the opportunity to get a good harvest of tomatoes.

Scheme of planting tomatoes in a greenhouse

When deciding to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, you should first familiarize yourself with the conditions for planting them. As a rule, beds are organized lengthwise. The width of the beds varies from half a meter to a meter, but their number depends directly on the size of the greenhouse itself. Remember that the beds should be separated by a passage approximately seventy centimeters wide. Depending on the variety of tomatoes, their planting scheme is selected.

• Tomatoes that ripen quickly and produce low shoots are planted in a checkerboard pattern in two rows. The distance between rows should be half a meter, and between tomatoes 30-40 cm.
• Determinate and standard tomatoes that have one stem can be planted more densely, keeping a distance between them of at least 20 cm.
• As for tall varieties of tomatoes, they are also planted in a checkerboard pattern. But the distance should be more than about 80 cm.

Tomatoes are planted in a greenhouse at a distance of no less than thirty-five centimeters from each other.

Pay close attention to seedlings that have outgrown them. In order to plant it in a greenhouse, you must follow some rules. First of all, make a twelve-centimeter hole in the soil, and in it make another deeper one, the height of which will be exactly the same as the height of the pot in which the seedlings are growing. Overgrown seedlings should initially be planted in a hole together with a pot in a deep hole, and after a couple of weeks the original hole should be covered with soil.

Vegetable growers should remember that it is better to grow tomatoes of one variety in a greenhouse. If you organize a so-called hodgepodge in a greenhouse, the plants will not have enough light and air. The infection will spread throughout the greenhouse and this will negatively affect the harvest.

Care and watering of tomatoes in greenhouse conditions

In order to get a good harvest, it is necessary to properly care for the plants. Care should be taken immediately after the seedlings are transplanted into the greenhouse. Caring for tomatoes in greenhouse conditions has several stages, including:

Watering seedlings

Those who have been involved in vegetable growing for a long time recommend not watering the seedlings during the first few days after planting in the greenhouse. Watering should be done after the seedlings have taken root in the new soil, approximately ten days. The water temperature should be 20-22 degrees. Until the tomatoes begin to bloom, they should be watered every 4 days, based on the proportion of 4-5 liters of water per cubic meter. At the time of flowering, the amount of water should be increased to 10-13 liters. It is better to water in the morning.

Ventilation

In order to get a good harvest, it is necessary to maintain the correct temperature and humidity level in the greenhouse. Tomatoes are resistant to drafts, so the greenhouse can be ventilated in any convenient way. Be sure to ventilate the greenhouse after watering, several hours later. Ventilation plays a special role when seedlings begin to bloom.

Plant garter

Tomatoes must be tied up, because when the fruits appear, the plants will bend under the weight and the tomatoes will begin to rot. For gartering, it is necessary to use material that will not harm the stem. You should start tying up plants 3-4 days after planting.

Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse

Stepchildren are the shoots of the plant that are located on the sides. They sprout from the axils of the leaves. Stepchildren make the bush more branched, and this leads to diseases of the shoots and affects the ripening period of fruits. The shoots should be broken out in the morning so that the wound on the seedlings has time to dry out. You can see how to do this by watching the corresponding video on the Internet.

Top dressing

After about two weeks have passed after planting the tomatoes in the greenhouse, it is necessary to fertilize the plant for the first time. Prepare the solution according to the following recipe: add 1 tbsp to 10 liters of water. a spoonful of nitrophoska and 500 gr. Liquid mullein. The resulting composition, 1 liter, is added to each plant. This feeding is carried out 3-4 times a season.

stroi-rasti.ru

Growing seedlings

Tomatoes in glasses

To grow your own seedlings, in addition to seeds, you need to acquire seedling containers and soil. To sow seeds, you can use either special peat containers (pots), cassettes, or the simplest plastic cups with drainage holes at the bottom. The soil is suitable for universal sowing or a mixture of sand and peat 1:1.

The seedling container is tightly filled with soil, which is slightly moistened on top. The seeds are planted shallowly and sown not densely, otherwise the seedlings will be weak with thin stems. Immediately after sowing, the containers are covered with film to ensure optimal soil moisture and placed in a warm place where the temperature is kept at 20-23 degrees. After the first shoots appear, the film is removed.

How to sow tomato seeds for seedlings at home

Seeds are sown according to the following scheme: 4-5 cm distance between rows and 1-2 cm between plants. The sowing depth of the seeds is about 1 cm. If they are sown deeper, the seedlings may be uneven. Maintain distance between seeds when sowing. If seeds are sown too often, then in the future the seedlings will interfere with each other’s development, and excessive plant density can provoke the development of “black leg”.

Helpful advice! It is most convenient to make markings using a ruler, and then carefully sow the seeds with tweezers.

Seedling care

Tomato seedlings

• Water the tomato seedlings with a thin stream. Plants cannot be overwatered. Excess moisture will cause blackleg to appear.
• Seedling containers are placed in places with good lighting. With a lack of light, plants will not develop well
• The laying of the first inflorescences occurs in late March - early April. If no flower buds are observed at this time, you need to cut off the stem above the second true leaf so that a couple of new shoots appear

Don't neglect soil preparation! important rule for good tomato seedlings

The causative agent of the plant disease “root collar rot”, or simply “blackleg”, is always present in the soil. Therefore, to avoid the death of young plants from this disease, be sure to disinfect the soil.

You don’t have to go through the hassle of etching the soil mixture in the oven or freezing it on the balcony. Now there are modern drugs, for example, Fitosporin. It can be used both for soil treatment and for seed treatment (but only according to the instructions). This is not a chemical, but a biological product, which is important for opponents of the use of “chemistry” when growing plants.

To avoid the death of tomato seedlings from blackleg, be sure to disinfect the soil.

Buying seedlings

Tomato seedlings

If there is no desire or opportunity to grow seedlings, you can buy them. Good planting material can be easily found both in garden centers, from grandmothers at the market or from familiar gardeners.

When purchasing containers with seedlings, you should be guided by the following points:

• Plant stems should be erect and strong.
• The leaves are dark green, without spots or signs of pests.
• Taking flowering seedlings is risky. Planting in a new location can stress the plant, resulting in it not bearing fruit.

How to grow strong and healthy tomato seedlings from seeds at home on the windowsill

Tomato seedlings from seeds at home on the windowsill

Before picking, seedlings are watered little so as not to cause them to grow strongly. A week after germination, the container is again moved to a warmer place. When the plants get a little stronger, they are periodically taken out to the balcony if the temperature outside is not lower than +8 ° C (the weather should be calm). When the first true leaf appears, the daytime temperature is sharply increased to 20-22 ° C, choosing the warmest and brightest places in the apartment. Plants continue to be periodically taken out onto the balcony, hardening them off. Sometimes in warm weather you can leave them there overnight. Watering is still rare, only when noticeable drying of the soil is noticed.

Another recommendation on how to grow healthy tomato seedlings on a windowsill is to fertilize after germination once every 10 days, starting from the tenth day. The following solutions are recommended: 100 g of fresh chicken manure per 10 liters of water, 300 g of cow manure or slurry per 10 liters of water. Both solutions are infused for a day and filtered before use.

How to grow homemade tomato seedlings if there is no droppings or manure? In this case, you can feed it with compost or humus infusion - 500-700 g per 10 liters of water, infused for 2-3 days with periodic stirring.

The video below will help you grow tomato seedlings at home:

Planting seedlings in open ground

Planting seedlings

When the end of spring frosts comes (late May - first half of June), you can begin planting young tomatoes in open ground. It is recommended to carry out garden work on a cloudy, cool day or in the evening.

Tomato plants develop best in sunny but sheltered places with pre-prepared soil.

Choosing a place for a tomato bed

The area for tomatoes should be sunny, without drafts. The bed is not planned in lowlands, since high humidity harms the plant. The yield largely depends on what crops were previously grown in the garden. It is advisable not to plant seedlings in areas where nightshades were previously grown. If old roots of eggplant or potatoes remain in the ground, then there is a high probability of pathogens and pests of tomatoes being found in it.

Preparing beds for tomatoes

Attention! You cannot make tomato beds in the same place for several years in a row.

The best predecessors of tomatoes are:

• beans, peas, soybeans and other legumes;
• beets, carrots, radishes, radishes.

It would be a good idea to have a strawberry bed next to the tomato plant.

Beets are a useful neighbor and predecessor of tomatoes

Sowing seeds in open ground

Some varieties of tomatoes are grown without seedlings, sowing seeds directly into open ground. In particular, this applies to the Alpha . Seeding conditions should be clarified on the seed manufacturer's packaging.

Soil preparation

Soil preparation

Every gardener knows about the importance of crop rotation. After all, the right approach to the planting plan allows you to avoid damage by diseases and pests, as well as preserve the fertility of the post .

The best predecessors of tomatoes are: strawberries, carrots, cucumbers, onions, green manure. After them, the yield will increase several times, and the fruits themselves will become much larger. If turnips, beets, and cabbage crops were previously grown in beds with tomatoes, this will also ensure good yields.

It is not worth planting nightshades after potatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, peas, fennel, and various tall vegetables. The harvest from such beds will be insignificant.

Another important factor is ensuring soil quality.

1 Acidity. If you don't know the acidity level of your soil, pH tests can be purchased at any garden department. For neutral soil this indicator is 7. A higher value indicates increased acidity. To grow tomatoes, the soil pH level should be 6-7 units. If the indicator is lower, then lime must be added to the soil at the rate of 0.5-0.8 kg per 1 sq.m.

1 Nutrients. To ensure a large tomato harvest, the soil must contain three important components: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Nitrogen has a beneficial effect on the leaves of the plant. Potassium increases immunity and resistance to disease. Phosphorus strengthens the root system and ensures high-quality fruits. To replenish the lack of nitrogen in the soil, it is recommended to add compost or inorganic substances, potassium - sand, wood ash or granite dust, phosphorus - compost or superphosphates.

1 Compost. This is a natural remedy that not only saturates the soil with nutrients. It also makes the soil structure looser, which has a good effect on the development of the plant’s root system.

It is recommended to add compost in autumn and spring. In the autumn, humus, peat, bird droppings and other organic fertilizers are applied to a depth of 20-25 cm. In the spring - 12-20 cm.

Selecting a location and preparing the soil for planting seedlings

In order for the transplanted seedlings to take root and grow well, you need to select a site for planting and prepare it in advance.

Site selection

It is known that tomatoes are light-loving vegetables and therefore it is better to plant them in well-lit places. Experienced gardeners advise choosing areas for replanting located on southern slopes. They are reliably protected from cold gusts of wind.

You should not plant seedlings in shaded areas with high humidity and high groundwater. In such conditions, seedlings will grow slowly. Also, when choosing a suitable location, pay attention to the acidity of the soil. It is recommended to choose areas that have a pH level of 6 or 7.

In addition, the choice of site depends on what vegetables were previously grown on it. Tomatoes grow best after legumes or potatoes.

Soil preparation

The soil in which vegetables are grown affects the yield, and therefore it is necessary to seriously prepare it. Experts advise fertilizing the area with fertilizers before planting. It is recommended to treat the soil with a solution made from copper sulfate. One and a half liters of liquid are consumed per square meter of garden. Also, to saturate the soil with nutrients, the soil is fertilized with sawdust, peat, humus and potassium sulfate.

Preparing seedlings before planting in the ground

Seedlings in pots

About two weeks before transplanting plants into open ground, boxes with seedlings must be taken out to the balcony or street if the air temperature is not lower than 10 degrees. First, the seedling container is hardened for about half an hour. Then the time is gradually increased. A few days before planting, boxes of seedlings can be left outside for the whole day and night.

Watering the plants is stopped a week before planting in open ground. If the tomato leaves begin to wilt a little, the soil can be moistened, but only a little.

By the time of planting, healthy seedlings should have a well-developed root system, reach a height of 25-30 cm, and have from 6 to 9 dark green leaves on a straight stem.

Tomato diseases

Unfortunately, no one is immune from tomato diseases. There are a huge number of them, but you shouldn’t be afraid of them, but you need to know how they manifest themselves and how to deal with them. This knowledge will be very useful for you. You will know what to do in a given situation. Below we will look at the most common symptoms and diseases of tomatoes.

Late blight

Late blight on tomatoes is a disease caused by a fungus called late blight. Late blight is such a rapidly developing disease that it can destroy an entire tomato crop in just a few days. It is tomatoes that are most often exposed to this unpleasant disease - they are at particular risk. The name of the disease means “plant eater”.

Fight against late blight:

• An ordinary saline solution helps very well in the fight against late blight. To prepare the solution, pour 1 cup of table salt per 10 liters of water and sprinkle the plants. Just before this, it is recommended to remove dark leaves and fruits from the plants. As soon as the solution dries, it forms a film that will protect against the spread of mycelium.
• You can use iodine solution. For 10 liters of water, add 20-30 drops of iodine and one liter of low-fat milk. Plants are sprayed with this mixture. This method is very effective in combating late blight on tomatoes.
• A very interesting folk way of combating late blight. Take a copper wire and cut a piece of 3-5 centimeters from it, then sand it a little with sandpaper. Using a cut piece, pierce the tomato bush through and through at the very bottom and leave the wire there. There is an opinion that copper wire will supply the plant with the required amount of copper, which will prevent late blight from developing.

Read more about late blight in the publication: “Late blight”.

Yellowing of tomato leaves

It happens that during the period of flowering and the formation of ovaries, yellowing of leaves with further drying can be observed on tomatoes. There are a lot of reasons why tomatoes turn yellow, and let's try to sort them all out.

If you observe yellowing of the lower leaves on the plant, and the veins are not damaged, then most likely the plant is experiencing a lack of nitrogen fertilizers. If yellowing of other leaves on the plant is not observed, then no measures need to be taken.

The reason may also lie elsewhere. The plant may simply be affected by a fungal disease. Read the article: “Why do tomato leaves turn yellow?”

Features of planting seedlings in open ground

Planting seedlings

The first step is to thoroughly water the soil in the seedling pots or boxes. This way the plants can be removed from the container easily and without damaging the root system.

Next, you need to make holes up to 10-15 cm deep. The layout of the beds depends on the characteristics of the variety. For example, tomato bushes "Zhigalo" reach a height of 30-45 cm and do not require much space. Pink Honey tomatoes grow up to 100-125 cm and spread up to 50-60 cm wide, so their seedlings are planted at a distance of up to 70 cm.

With a classic landing, the diagram looks like this:

• for low-growing varieties – 40x40 cm
• for medium-sized children – 50x50 or 60x60 cm
• for tall spreading varieties – 70x70 cm

The holes are generously filled with water and mineral fertilizers with humus are added to them in a ratio of 1:3.

After preparing the planting site, you need to turn the container with the seedlings over and carefully remove the plant by pulling it by the trunk. The lower leaves should be removed, leaving only 2-3 on top. The seedling, together with a lump of earth, is placed in the hole so that the stem remains open. Only the rhizome should be in the ground.

The seedlings are planted in drops, pressing the soil tightly around the stem. You can sprinkle a layer of wilted grass, sawdust or straw on top (maximum height 10 cm).

After planting, the seedlings are left alone for 8-10 days. During this period, the plants should take root in the new place and get stronger. If some tomatoes die within ten days, fresh seedlings can be planted in their place.

Sequence of actions when transplanting into the ground

When transplanting seedlings to a permanent place, the following sequence of actions is performed:

• Marking the beds. First, the area chosen for planting is marked with a special garden marker.
• Creating holes. After marking, holes are made in which the seedlings will be planted. The depth of each hole is 5-8 centimeters.
• Removing seedlings from pots. To carefully remove the seedlings, you need to tap the sides of the pot with your hand. After this, the seedling needs to be taken by the lower part of the stem and gradually removed from the ground.
• Landing. The extracted seedlings are planted in the created holes and covered with soil.

Regular garter tomato

Garter tomato

You should take care of the pegs immediately after planting the seedlings. Depending on the plant variety, the length of the supports can vary from 50 to 100 cm. The pegs should be placed on the north side, 10 cm away from the bush.

It is recommended to garter a tomato for the first time when the fourth or fifth true leaf is formed on the stem. In total, the bushes are tied up about three to four times throughout the entire season. The bushes are fixed with twine or sponge.

Tomatoes should only be tied under branches with fruits. This method provides the plant and crop with the greatest illumination and sufficient heat. In addition, this way the lower tomatoes do not come into contact with the ground and are less susceptible to attacks by pests.

How to grow tomatoes correctly

Tomatoes can be grown in seedlings or without seedlings, and each case has its own growing rules.

Through seedlings

You can sow seeds for planting in open ground from early March to early April (the period is adjusted according to the region).

Store-bought seeds most often do not require preparation. They are processed and ready for sowing.

Self-collected seeds must undergo calibration, disinfection, hardening and germination.

The seed is placed in a saline solution (a level teaspoon of salt per 0.5 liter of water) for 10 minutes. The floating seeds are caught and removed, and the settled ones are washed and transferred to a warm solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection for 20 minutes.

After this, they are poured into a gauze bag and placed in a growth stimulator solution for 1 hour. Then the seeds are sent to the refrigerator (lower shelf) for a day.

The hardened seed in a damp bag is placed on a saucer and sent to a warm place until hatching. After small roots appear, you can begin sowing the seeds.

The soil for planting seedlings must also be prepared. You can buy it ready-made or make it at home. It should consist of part turf, part rotted humus, part sand, part peat or coconut substrate.

• The mixture is mixed and poured with a hot solution of potassium permanganate. The earth is scattered into prepared containers (about 10 centimeters deep) and lightly compacted.
• An hour before planting, it is spilled with warm, settled water.
• After the moisture has drained, grooves 0.5-1 centimeter deep are made in the soil. The row spacing is 3-4 centimeters.

The seeds are evenly distributed at a distance of 1.5-3 centimeters, sprinkled with a thin layer of soil mixture or sand. 2 seeds are planted in a separate container. The crops are sprayed with warm water from a spray bottle, covered with glass (film) and sent to a warm place.

At a temperature of 25-27 degrees, friendly shoots appear within a week. After seed germination, the shelter is removed, and the plants are placed on a bright windowsill on the south, southeast side.

The air temperature for plant growth should be 20-22 degrees during the day, 14+16 degrees at night.

After 2-4 true leaves appear (in dense crops) the seedlings begin to dive. Plants are planted in separate pots or cups.

Watering the seedlings is carried out every 5 days, after the top layer of soil has dried.

If there is a lack of light, the plants are illuminated with a phytolamp or fluorescent lamp in the morning and evening.

Plants are fertilized once every 15 days, using mineral and organic fertilizers, which alternate.

From the moment of sowing, seedlings grow for about 50-60 days. Its planting occurs in mid-May - mid-June.

1.5 weeks before transplanting into the ground, the seedlings are taken to a closed veranda or balcony for 2-3 hours for hardening. The hardening time increases daily until it reaches a full day.

Watering stops 5 days before transplanting plants to the main place, this allows the earthen ball to gain a foothold on the roots. Just before planting, the seedlings are watered and the cotyledon leaves are removed.

Plants are planted in prepared holes spilled with a hot potassium permanganate solution, 15 centimeters deep and 30 centimeters wide. The row spacing is 50 centimeters. The width of the beds and row spacing may vary depending on the varietal characteristics of the tomato.

Seedlings in peat pots are buried along with them. Seedlings from another container are planted using the transshipment method, along with soil on the roots.

The sprinkled soil around the plants is lightly pressed and watered with settled warm water.

After planting, the plants are provided with the necessary care, on which future productivity depends.

Without seedlings

Tomatoes without seedlings can be grown even in northern regions. An early variety of tomatoes planted directly in the beds can produce a harvest in a short period of time. At the same time, tomatoes develop better and faster, avoiding picking and transplanting.

In the first half of the season, the sown seedlings are covered with non-woven material, later a film is stretched over the arches.

Before installing the arcs, the beds are carefully dug up, ash and mineral fertilizers are added. To insulate the beds, wooden sides are created along the edges. The ground is lined with compost or humus that has not completely rotted, and covered with a layer of earth (20 centimeters) so as not to burn the roots of the plants.

Sowing of tomato seeds is carried out from the last ten days of April to mid-May.

The area for disinfection is watered with a hot solution of potassium permanganate. Sowing is carried out in 2 rows with a distance of 0.5 meters. The holes are formed in a checkerboard pattern, every 30 centimeters. For determinate varieties, denser planting is possible.

Up to 5 seeds are sown in one well-diluted hole with a hot solution of potassium permanganate. They are sprinkled with a thin layer of earth and watered with warm water. Each hole with seeds is covered with a jar or cut-off bottle. From above, the cans are covered with film. The film is stretched over the arcs.

The bed does not open until germination. The opening of the film is adjusted according to the weather. If the weather is warm outside, the shelter can be removed completely.

The seedlings are thinned out. Excess plants are replanted. The strongest seedling remains. The holes are mulched with compost.

After 2 weeks, the stepsons are pinched to maintain their single-stem shape. After the formation of 3-4 clusters, the growing points are removed for better ripening of the tomatoes.

Tomato bushes should be watered in dry, hot weather in the evening or morning. Such plants have a very deep root system and easily feed on groundwater. Watering is carried out once every 6 days.

Fruiting with this cultivation is delayed by 2 weeks, but lasts longer.

Trellis garter of bushes

Trellis are a special structure made of pegs driven into the ground and slats or ropes horizontally attached to them. This method is ideal for growing medium- and tall-growing, large-fruited, richly fruiting varieties of tomatoes.

Trellis dressing of tomatoes

Using trellises allows you to:

• make caring for plants easier
• reduce the risk of crop damage from fungal infections
• simplify harvesting
• extend the fruiting period

It is recommended to drive pegs 120-150 cm long not opposite each bush, but more often. Then the structure will be much stronger. Slats or tightly stretched ropes are placed every 20-25 cm.

When the tomato bushes begin to grow, you can carry out the first garter. To do this, the stem is fixed to horizontal supports using soft twine. Subsequent garters are performed as the plants grow, every 15-20 cm.

Taking care of plants

Tomatoes tolerate moderate drafts well, so the greenhouse should have windows that should be opened in the morning and closed when the sun sets. The acceptable temperature for tomato growth is 18-25 degrees; at higher temperatures, plant growth may slow down. Ventilation should be done even in cloudy weather, but the windows should be closed at night, because too low temperatures delay the ripening of pollen.

If the tomato variety is non-hybrid, then the humidity should be about 50 percent; for hybrid varieties, a higher humidity of 60-70 percent is suitable. Growing hybrids is noteworthy in that they have a fairly high immunity to disease, but if the humidity is too high, it is best to treat them with a fungicide to prevent late blight.

After you have planted the seedlings, you should avoid watering for one and a half to two weeks. When the fruits begin to set, watering the tomatoes switches to a moderate mode: the soil should be dried, but not too dry. When the first tomatoes appear, they should be watered well, the soil should always be moist. Agricultural technology for growing tomatoes requires watering at the root, with a small stream. There is no need to spray tomatoes; moisture on the leaves leads to the development of various infections. The areas of soil between the bushes must be dry so that the roots of the tomatoes can actively breathe. When all the flower clusters have set fruit, water less frequently, otherwise there is a risk of losing the harvest.

Caring for plants when grown in open ground

To increase crop yields, you must:

• hilling
• pinching (formation of bushes)
• fertilizing
• watering
• spraying
• pollination

Hilling

To help the plant grow its root system as much as possible, as a result of which beautiful tomatoes will ripen, it is necessary to carry out hilling in a timely manner - rolling the lower part of the plants with moist, loose soil.

Hilling tomatoes

This procedure should be performed during periods when roots are growing:

• 10-11 days after planting seedlings in the ground
• 20-25 days after the first hilling

Hill up the tomatoes with a small rake. The soil is first watered, and then lightly loosened so as not to damage the root system, and sprinkled on one and the other side of the bush.

Planting a plant

Pinching involves removing side shoots so that the plant's strength is devoted to the formation of large and beautiful fruits, and not tops.

Planting a plant

Excess branches are removed from an early age of the plant. First of all, the lower shoots growing under the brushes are removed. Planting is stopped by the time the crop ripens.

The procedure is recommended to be carried out early in the morning or in the evening, but not in the heat. Shoots should not be broken off, as this may damage the plant. It is best to break off the branches and cut them with a sharp knife or pruning shears.

Additionally, it may be necessary to remove excess flower clusters in which the fruits could not form.

Fertilizing

Organic and mineral fertilizers help improve soil composition, develop the root system, increase plant immunity and help increase yield.

It is recommended to apply the first fertilizing two weeks after planting the seedlings in open ground. A solution of mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20) is most often used as fertilizer. Subsequent feeding is carried out with minerals (for example, natrophoska in a proportion of 60 grams per 10 liters of water).

Adding food

You can fertilize tomatoes no more than once every ten days. Before flowering, each bush requires approximately 1 liter of fertilizing, after flowering - 2-5 liters.

During the fruiting period, crops can be fed with the following substances:

• Zoloy . Once every two weeks until the end of fruiting, pour 3-4 tablespoons of dry ash under the bushes
• Mineral cocktail . To prepare it, dilute one two-liter jar of ash in 5 liters of boiling water and let it cool. Water is added to the cold solution so that the total volume of liquid reaches 10 liters. Then you need to add 10 grams of boric acid powder and 10 ml of iodine to the container. The mixture is allowed to brew for 24 hours. The tincture is diluted 10 times and 1 liter is added to each plant.
• Yeast . 100 grams of live yeast are mixed with 100 grams of sugar and poured with 3 liters of water. The container is placed in a warm place for fermentation to occur. The finished liquid is diluted in water at the rate of 200 ml per 10 liters. One bush needs 1 liter of solution

Growing seedlings for open beds

First you need to start growing seedlings, which in the future will be transplanted into open ground.

Planting seed

Before sowing seeds, you need to prepare a soil mixture and select containers in which the seedlings will grow. To grow young tomato seedlings, you need to use fertile soil in which nothing has been grown for several years. Such soil contains many nutrients that have a positive effect on the development of seedlings. To make the soil more fertile, fertilizers are added to it in advance. Before planting seeds, the soil is mixed with peat, ash, manure and turf.

Peat containers are suitable for growing seedlings, in which they will quickly take root and grow faster.

Before planting, all pots are filled with soil mixture. Sowing begins with creating holes in the soil for planting seed. 2-3 seeds are planted in each of the created holes.

Growing seedlings

To grow strong and healthy seedlings, you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of caring for them:

• Maintaining temperature conditions. When growing seedlings, you need to carefully monitor the temperature. Young seedlings do not tolerate low temperatures well, and therefore they should not fall below 10-15 degrees.
• Lighting. Without enough light, seedlings will grow worse. Therefore, some gardeners place containers with planted seedlings on illuminated window sills. Also, to improve lighting, fluorescent lamps are installed near the tomatoes.
• Watering. It is known that tomatoes need watering, as they do not grow well in dry soil. You will have to moisten the soil at least twice every 10 days. You should not water the seedlings more often, as high humidity may cause the seedlings to develop late blight.
• Fertilizer. Young seedlings, like any plant, need nutritional components that promote growth. Feeding is done twice a month. Litter, wood ash and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil.

Watering tomato bushes

Watering tomato bushes

After planting, the first watering is carried out 10-14 days later. In June you can water once a week. From July, the amount of watering is increased to 2-3 times a week, depending on the weather.

You need to water the bushes at the roots in the evening. Morning and evening water procedures can harm the plant.

Disease Prevention

The best prevention of any disease is:

• Disinfection and hardening of seeds before sowing;
• Soil disinfection when sowing seeds and planting seedlings in the ground;
• Maintaining crop rotation in the garden;
• Elimination of dense plantings;
• Using temporary shelter on plants after planting;
• Timely watering and fertilizing of plants;
• Regular preventive spraying of plants against diseases and pests;
• Tying up bushes;
• Loosening the soil;
• Using mulch around plants;
• Pinching, pinching, shaping with disinfected tools and wearing gloves treated with potassium permanganate.

It is also necessary to eliminate emerging pests in a timely manner, since many of them carry diseases.

Diseases such as late blight, mosaic, brown spot, gray rot, root rot and other viral and bacterial diseases are easier to prevent by carefully removing tomato plant debris from the area and observing preventive measures.

Spraying

Spraying tomato bushes with Bordeaux mixture or onion tincture, boric acid significantly increases crop yields. The first two substances contribute to the good development of the plant, and the third stimulates the formation of new growth points and fruit set.

To prepare Bordeaux mixture, you need to take quicklime and dissolve it in water (proportions of 100 grams per 5 liters). In another container, mix 100 grams of copper sulfate with a small amount of hot water. The diluted drug is poured into a 5 liter container of water.

Spraying a tomato

After this, a solution of vitriol and slaked lime is combined in one container. The finished product has a sky blue tint.

For onion tincture, you need to grind onions and garlic (100 grams each) with a meat grinder or blender. The resulting slurry is placed in a three-liter jar and filled three-quarters with water. The liquid is infused for three days, shaking the container periodically.

In parallel with the tincture, bird droppings should be prepared. To do this, take 200 grams of fertilizer, add water and let it brew. After three days, the bird droppings are mixed with onion tincture and filtered.

Spraying is carried out every week immediately after planting the plants in the ground. Bordeaux mixture and onion tincture are constantly alternated.

Spraying with boric acid is carried out during the flowering of the second and third flower clusters. To prepare a weak solution, you need to take 10 grams of powder and dilute it in 10 liters of water.

Technology of planting tomatoes using the seedless method

The technology of growing tomatoes without seedlings in central Russia is not yet used so often, so I will try to describe in detail all its stages.

To make it clear, I will repeat once again: tomatoes are heat-loving plants and enough time passes from sowing to harvesting (their growing season is long). Therefore, the gardener’s task is to create optimal conditions for these plants as early as possible.

The first step is choosing the right landing site. The bed should be in the sunniest place, protected from the wind, and in no case in a lowland.

As soon as the snow melts, the bed should be covered with black film, pressing its edges tightly with boards or other materials. If the weather is sunny, then in about a week the soil will warm up and you can start sowing.

Of course, it’s good if the bed has been prepared in the fall, but it often happens that we don’t always think through the next season’s plantings in advance.

If the bed is not ready for planting, then it is better to cover it directly in the snow with black film so that the snow melts faster. As soon as the snow melts and the soil dries out a little, you will need to add compost or humus to it and dig it up. Under no circumstances should you add fresh manure to sowing; you should also not add ash, as young seedlings can be burned.

I have already said that it is ideal if you already have a prepared “warm bed”. Due to the fact that biochemical processes occur in it, there is a gradual decomposition of organic matter with the release of heat. Such a bed can be used for planting much earlier in the spring.

Next, you need to think about how you will protect your crops from cold and temperature changes. There are several options here:

• Some leave the film until the shoots begin to appear, but this method is not suitable for those gardeners who come to the site only on weekends.
• Some people cover their crops with cut-off plastic water bottles. In this case, you will need to remove the caps from the bottles. And above the bottles themselves it’s a good idea to place arcs with a covering material (spunbond, agril, etc.).
• According to reviews from experienced gardeners, the best way is to install arcs on which you will need to stretch the film. And after sowing, cover the bed itself with covering material. Covering material will help retain moisture, conserve heat, and protect seedlings from burns from direct sunlight. In the future, when constant warm weather sets in and the seedlings grow, the film from the arcs can be replaced with spunbond.

Another important point: young seedlings can be destroyed by mole crickets. If you have such a pest, then you need to take care of your crops: dig jars without a bottom (from canned food, dairy products) into the ground and sow in them.

Tomato "Explosion"

Tomato "Juggler"

Tomato “Apples in the snow”.

Pollination

The tomato is a self-pollinating plant that produces a lot of high-quality pollen. But if you want to reap large harvests, then the crop should be helped by attracting helper insects (bees and bumblebees).

Pollination process

To do this, you just need to sow bright annual honey plants between the tomato bushes: mustard, rapeseed, coriander or basil. These crops will not only attract bees to the garden beds, but also improve the taste of the fruit and loosen the soil.

Sometimes a tomato fails to self-pollinate. The reasons for this may be:

• the night temperature dropped sharply and is no higher than +13 degrees (as a result, the anther was deformed)
• daytime temperatures stay at +30-35 degrees and above for a long time (in such conditions, flowers wither and pollen grains die)
• unfavorable pistil structure in some large-fruited varieties

Artificial pollination of tomatoes

In such cases, it is necessary to help the plant to pollinate. You can lightly tap the flowering brush or tilt the bud with the protruding pistil and shake it. The ideal time for artificial pollination is considered to be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is recommended to repeat the procedure after four days. Immediately after pollination, the plant must be watered or sprayed.

Watering

In the process of growing tomatoes, watering plays an important role. The future harvest largely depends on this. Excess moisture, as well as its lack, leads to deformation and cracking of fruits. Watering of plants is carried out at intervals of once every 3 days. Water should be poured carefully under the plants, trying to avoid getting on the leaves.

When growing a lot of seedlings, some vegetable growers are trying to reduce watering time by using special automated irrigation systems. But much more often, a regular hose connected to a water supply is used to water plants.

Automated structures for soil irrigation can be used in a greenhouse and when growing tomatoes in open-air beds. Such installations can be made with your own hands or purchased at a specialized store.

The simplest but most effective is the drip irrigation system. It is easy to make; the manufacturing process will not cause any difficulties for any gardener.

In addition, there are many other, more complex, but no less effective structures designed to moisten the soil.

Features of growing in greenhouses

Tomatoes in a greenhouse

Although greenhouse conditions differ from open ground, the growing processes are quite similar.

Tomato seedlings are planted in a greenhouse in the first half of May. The beds are prepared 7-10 days before planting. The soil requirements are the same as for growing in open ground. Watering, pinching, spraying, and fertilizing are carried out with the same regularity.

Greenhouse tomatoes are tied up when the bushes are already strong. For this, trellises are most often used.

Important points to consider when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse:

• The greenhouse should be ventilated from time to time by opening the side and top windows.
• In sunny weather, tomatoes need to be artificially pollinated.
• When the stem thickens and green mass grows, watering and fertilizing must be stopped for 7-10 days, and the bushes should be fertilized with superphosphate (3 tablespoons per 10 liters of water). This will help slow down the growth of the plant and continue fruit formation.
• If the tomatoes are tied only on the lower cluster, you should quickly harvest the crop from it and water the plant. Then the fruits will begin to form on the second and subsequent branches

The pride of a true summer resident

Tomato is an unpretentious, but very responsive plant. All of the above actions help to significantly increase crop yields and obtain a large number of aromatic fruits. But the main thing is not to overdo it in care. Everything is good in moderation!

Seed selection

The success of growing tomatoes depends on how well the variety is chosen. Preference is given to early and mid-ripening species.

Table 1. Comparative characteristics of low-growing and tall tomato varieties.

Experienced gardeners advise growing tall bushes, as they save space and produce a larger harvest. Thus, up to 10 fruit clusters are formed on one stem. In addition, on low-growing varieties, the fruits ripen at the same time, while tall ones can bear fruit until autumn.

Tall varieties of tomatoes are more profitable

You can learn more about early varieties of tomatoes for growing in open ground by reading a specialized article on our portal.

Prices for tomato seeds

tomato seeds