A large number of different factors influence the receipt of a high-quality and large harvest of any vegetable crop: climatic conditions and weather in the growing areas, acid-base balance and soil composition, timely and high-quality implementation of agrotechnical care procedures. As well as the timing of sowing seeds and transplanting plants into vegetable beds. When to plant tomatoes for seedlings - you will learn about this from the review of our article.
Tomatoes are among the leaders among garden crops. It is customary for gardeners to grow these vegetables using seedlings. Healthy and strong seedlings are the key to obtaining high yields of tomatoes. It is important to approach the process of sowing tomato seeds responsibly and take into account all the nuances.
How to calculate the time for sowing tomatoes?
The start of sowing depends on the growing region, agronomic timing, and favorable days for the Moon to pass its phases. Thanks to the lunar calendar, you can find out the best dates. Agronomist specialists give their recommendations on sowing seeds in each region of our country. You can also calculate your own planting dates yourself.
When planting tomato seeds on seedlings, important factors are taken into account:
- climate features of the growing region;
- place for transplanting bushes: greenhouse structure or open bed. Transplantation into a greenhouse is carried out 10-20 days earlier;
- time of growing seedlings, their biological age at the time of transplanting to the garden bed.
It is important to know the optimal sowing time! When to plant seeds for tomato seedlings? If sowing takes place too early, the seedlings may outgrow and their adaptation will be more difficult, which will affect the ripening time and quality of the harvest.
If you are late with planting, then in a short summer you may not wait for most of the harvest, because the fruits will not have time to ripen.
In the middle regions, tomatoes are transplanted into open ground in the 1st decade of June, when there is no risk that frost will return. Tomatoes are planted in greenhouses and hotbeds under film in the first ten days of May. In the southern regions, plants are transplanted 15-20 days earlier than the specified dates.
Taking into account the duration of ripening (from seedling emergence to technical maturity), tomato varieties are divided into:
- ultra-early - 75-90 days;
- early - 85-95 days;
- mid-early - 95-105 days;
- mid-season - 100-110 days;
- late - 110-140 days.
Taking into account the time from the moment of technical maturity of the variety to the time of planting tomato seedlings in the ground, their age should be:
- for early and ultra-early varieties 40-50 days;
- for mid-season bushes 50-65 days;
- for seedlings of late varieties 60-75 days.
When calculating the days when you need to plant tomatoes for seedlings, do not forget to add 5-10 days that are needed for the seeds to germinate. According to calculations, it turns out that for middle regions the optimal dates for planting tomato seeds are March 1-15.
You can calculate when to plant seeds using simple mathematics, taking into account:
- processing of seed material, its germination (0-3 days);
- time of appearance of seedlings (4-10 days);
- restoration of plants after the 1st picking (5-8 days);
- plant age (average 50-60 days).
We get: 59-81 days, i.e., on average, the time to grow seedlings is from 2 months.
Optimal agronomic timing of sowing tomato seeds
The key rule is that you need to sow tomatoes for seedlings 2 months before the time of transplanting into the ground. First, you need to sow those tomatoes that you plan to further grow in greenhouse structures (greenhouse, greenhouse, structure under film).
Table 1.1 – Dates for planting tomato seeds for greenhouses
| Region | Sowing date for seedlings | Time to plant bushes in the greenhouse | Time to plant seedlings under film cover |
| Siberia and Far East | March 20 – 30 | May 20 - 31 | 1 – 15 June |
| Ural | March 20 – 30 | 10 – 22 May | May 20 – June 10 |
| Moscow region, Center and North-West | 10 – 20 March | 10 – 20 May | May 20 – June 10 |
| Volga region. Belarus | 1 – 10 March | 1 – 15 May | 10 – 31 May |
| North Caucasus, Kuban | January 20 - 31 | March 20 – April 10 | 1 – 10 April |
When to plant tomato seedlings for open ground? Seedlings are transplanted into open beds 2 weeks later than into greenhouses. Therefore, sowing is carried out with a time interval of 15 days after sowing tomatoes for greenhouse structures.
Table 1.2 – Dates for planting tomato seeds for open ground
| Region | Seed sowing dates | Dates for transplanting seedlings into beds |
| Siberia and Far East | 1 – 10 April | 10 – 20 June |
| Ural | 1 – 10 April | 1 – 10 June |
| Center and North-West | March 20 - 31 | 1 – 10 June |
| Volga region, Belarus | 10 – 20 March | May 20 – June 10 |
| Kuban, North Caucasus | 1 - 10 February | April 15 – 30 |
On a package of tomato seeds, the description indicates the varieties: indeterminate and determinate. The main difference is in the size of an adult bush.
Determinate varieties that produce early harvests stop growing after the formation of 3-5 flower clusters. All the fruits that started on the shoot have time to ripen.
Indeterminate tomatoes grow up to 1.5-2 m in height, requiring fixation to a support and weekly pinching. They are more productive, but the ripening of the fruits is uneven and later. Seeds of such varieties are sown 15 days earlier than determinate varieties. Suitable for those gardeners who need ripened fruits during August-October.
Indeterminate and determinate varieties: when should you plant tomatoes?
Table 1.3 – Time for sowing tomatoes Western Siberia, middle regions
| Culture | Sowing dates | Transfer dates | Plant age | Harvest dates |
| Determinate tomatoes | March 20 – April 10 | Greenhouses: May 1 - May 15 Open ground: May 25 - June 10 | 35 – 40 days | Greenhouses: from July 20 Open ground: from August 15 |
| Indeterminate tomatoes | March 20 – April 10 | Greenhouses: May 1 - May 15 Open ground: May 25 - June 10 | 60 days | Greenhouses: from July 20 Open ground: from August 15 |
When to plant tomatoes in 2022?
We select the most favorable days for sowing tomato seeds for seedlings in January, February, March and April 2022 according to the Lunar calendar. In order to correctly calculate when to start planting tomato seedlings, you need to know when you will plant tomatoes in open ground.
In the middle zone, tomatoes are planted in beds in early June, when the threat of return frosts has already passed. Tomatoes are planted in greenhouses and film greenhouses in early May. In more southern regions, seedlings are planted 2-3 weeks earlier.
- seedlings of early ripening tomato varieties are ready for planting in the ground after 60-65 days
- mid-season varieties are planted in beds 65-75 days after germination
Don't forget to add another 5-10 days for seed germination. As a result, it turns out that for the middle zone the optimal time for sowing seeds will be the first half of March.
