How to properly grow tall tomatoes?
Currently, the tomato (translated from Italian the word “tomato” means “golden apple”) is one of the most famous vegetable crops. And this is no coincidence. Tomatoes not only have a pleasant taste, but also contain a huge amount of vitamins. For example, one tomato contains the daily requirement of vitamin C. For this reason, a tomato is sometimes called a “country orange”, because its vitamin C content is not inferior to citrus fruits.
To grow tall tomatoes, the land for planting must be prepared in the fall.
Today there are a huge number of varieties of tomatoes. Tall tomatoes (also called indeterminate) have become very popular among vegetable growers. Tall tomatoes have unlimited growth of the main stem and grow in height from 2 to 7 m in 5-6 months.
Technology for growing tall tomatoes
Planting tall tomatoes
Tomato planting scheme.
To grow tall tomatoes, the land for planting must be prepared in the fall: it must be dug up and fertilized with manure (take 4 kg of manure per 1 m²). With the onset of spring, the soil must again be fertilized with manure in the same proportions, only 1 tablespoon of potassium chloride and 5 tablespoons of superphosphate must be added to the manure.
The technology for preparing tall tomato seedlings for planting is as follows. You need to start growing seedlings 2 - 2.5 months before the intended planting in open ground (that is, from the end of February to the first half of March).
Seeds for seedlings of tall tomatoes can be bought in specialized stores or you can choose from the most successful tomato fruits yourself if you have been growing this vegetable crop for several years.
To grow your own seeds, you need to select the healthiest and ripest tomatoes from 1-2 bunches. The fruits should be placed on the sunny side of the window. When they finally ripen and soften, each tomato needs to be cut into two parts, from the stalk to the top. Next, use a teaspoon to select the seeds along with the juice and place them in an enamel bowl or glass jar. Maintain at a temperature of 20-22 Cº for several days (2-3 days). When the juice becomes light, the seeds are washed and laid out to dry on a sheet of paper, glass or other smooth surface.
Before sowing seeds for tall tomato seedlings, you should first soak them in a special solution. To prepare it, you will need to dilute 1 teaspoon of any of the following compositions in 1 liter of water: “Agricola-vegeta” (liquid fertilizer), “Effecton” (liquid fertilizer), wood ash or nitrophoska.
Tomato planting scheme.
The seeds are soaked in cloth bags in this solution for 24 hours. The temperature of the prepared solution must be at least 25 Cº. After soaking the seeds of tall tomatoes, place them in the refrigerator (but not in the freezer) for 1-2 days. Before this, the bags of seeds are wrapped in a plastic bag. This procedure is carried out to harden the seeds. After the specified time, the seeds can be sown in the soil.
The soil for seedlings of tall tomatoes can be prepared as follows. Peat, turf soil and humus are taken in equal parts. For one bucket of this mixture you need to add 1 teaspoon of superphosphate, potassium sulfate and urea. The resulting soil mixture is heated in the oven at a temperature of 100-115 Cº for 20 minutes. To do this, pour the soil onto a baking sheet in a layer 4-5 cm thick.
Before sowing the seeds, the prepared soil (shortly before sowing it is recommended to moisten it a little, since it should not be dry) should be poured into boxes or boxes and leveled. Planting seeds of tall tomatoes is carried out as follows. Furrows about 1 cm deep are made in the soil at intervals of 5-6 cm from each other. Sowing the seeds is done at a distance of about 1.5-2 cm in the row. After this, you need to sprinkle the seeds with soil mixture. There is no need to water from above. Boxes with seeds should be placed where sunlight penetrates well and the temperature does not fall below 22-25 Cº.
Seedlings should be planted in the ground after 60-75 days (approximately at the beginning of May). To prevent diseases, it is recommended to spray tall tomato seedlings with copper oxychloride before planting (to do this, take 30 g of 90% of the drug per 10 liters of water).
Before planting seedlings, you need to make holes. To grow tall tomatoes, they should be 15x15 cm in size and approximately the depth of a spade. Tall tomatoes are usually planted in long rows in fertilized holes, one bush in each hole. It is best to plant plants in a checkerboard pattern, since this type of planting improves the development of bushes and promotes good ventilation. If the area of your plot does not allow planting tomatoes in this way, you can plant the seedlings more densely.
Feeding tall tomatoes
The area between the bushes must be covered evenly with organic material with a layer of 5 cm
During the entire period of growing tall tomatoes, experienced agronomists recommend feeding the plants three times. You need to do the first fertilizing 10-11 days after you planted the seedlings. To do this, take a solution of bird droppings or manure (at a concentration of 1 kg per 10 liters of water). If you use ready-made fertilizers, then the best proven products are “Gumisol”, “Vermistil”, “Rost-kon-Rastvorin” (you can use “Kemira-universal”) and 3 g of potassium permanganate and copper sulfate per 10 liters of solution. For each tomato bush you need to add 2 liters of prepared fertilizer.
The third feeding of tall tomatoes is carried out during the period of harvesting the first fruits. The composition of the third feeding is exactly the same as the second. The prepared solution must be applied under each tomato bush in a volume of 2.5 liters.
If, as a result of fertilizing, the leaves and branches of the seedlings begin to grow quickly, but no flowers appear on them, fertilizing with fertilizers that contain nitrogen must be stopped immediately. In this case, you need to use an aqueous extract of superphosphate or an ash infusion to feed the tomatoes.
Watering tall tomatoes
Tall tomatoes should be watered only at the root; fruits and leaves should not be wetted during watering. You need to pour at least a liter of water under each bush - these vegetables love plenty of watering.
However, you should not water these plants too often. On cloudy days, tall tomatoes need to be watered 2 times a week. In hot weather, watering should be done more often.
Tall tomatoes should be watered in the first half of the day with specially settled water. It should be heated to a temperature not lower than 24-26 Cº. In this regard, it is recommended to paint the water tank black and place it in a sunny place.
In cases where water does not penetrate well into the ground due to too dense soil, it is recommended to make several vertical punctures with a pitchfork. Experienced summer residents advise, after the moisture has been absorbed into the ground, to loosen the soil, but not too deep, so as not to damage the roots.
With the arrival of autumn, before the onset of frost, the stems with ripening fruits must be freed from their bindings and placed on the ground along the bed. Plants do not require watering during this period.
Tying tall tomato bushes
Three options for gartering tomatoes using: 1. Pegs. 2. Ropes. 3. Grids.
As a rule, tall varieties of tomatoes definitely need a garter. This is done as follows. Along the edges of the beds of each row, stakes 3 m long are driven in (50 cm of them go into the ground). Next, at a height of 30 cm from the ground, a nylon cord is stretched, then tomato stems are tied to it. When the seedlings grow taller, you need to pull a new cord at the level of the new height of the bush. This procedure is repeated until the seedlings reach a height of approximately 2.2 m. Then they can be left untied and allowed to hang freely.
You can tie each seedling separately. To do this, a peg is stuck near each bush and the stem is tied with braid.
Varieties of tall tomatoes and their ripening times
The ripening period of tall tomatoes depends on which variety of tomatoes you choose, since there are early and late varieties of tall tomatoes. Let's look at the most common of them.
- “Alyonushka” is an early variety of tall tomatoes (ripening period - 85-100 days). One tomato of this variety can weigh up to 1 kg.
- “Miracle of the Earth” is an early-ripening variety of tall tomatoes. Approximately 90 days pass from germination to fruiting. One tomato can weigh from 400 to 500 g.
- "Midas" is a medium-late variety of tall tomatoes. Ripening period is 116-120 days. One tomato weighs 80-100 g.
- "De Barao" are tall tomatoes with an average ripening period of 130 days. Fruiting lasts up to 3 months and stops with the onset of frost. One tomato of this variety weighs approximately 60-70 g.
Advantages of growing tall tomato varieties
Tall tomato varieties have a number of significant advantages.
- They require less area to grow. This means not only saving land for growing them, but also saving effort and time to care for them, since fewer bushes can be planted.
- On one stem of tall tomatoes, up to 10 fruit clusters ripen simultaneously.
- Tall tomatoes produce greater yields than short-growing tomato varieties.
- These plants can bear fruit until late autumn.
- They give the summer cottage a beautiful appearance.
Of course, everyone decides for themselves what type of tomatoes to plant in their own garden. However, if you choose to grow tall tomatoes, your choice will undoubtedly be the right one!
ParnikiTeplicy.ru
What characteristics do tall varieties have?
On sale you can find a huge variety of varieties of tall tomatoes. For gardeners, when growing vegetables, factors such as the taste of the fruit and the ripening period are important.
See also
Which tomato varieties are best suited for the Moscow regionRead
For tomato juice, red and pink tomatoes are considered the best. Multi-colored varieties are ideal for fresh consumption, in salads or for home canning. It is believed that yellow and green tomatoes have a more pleasant taste than red ones.
According to the ripening period, tomatoes are:
- early (85 – 90 days);
- medium (90 – 120 days);
- late (more than 120 days).
Growing tall cherry tomatoes
For decades now, amateur vegetable growers have been planting various varieties of tall tomatoes on their plots. Cherry tomatoes are very popular among the huge variety of species of this valuable vegetable, the cultivation of which gives amazing results. When seeds are planted early for seedlings in a greenhouse, by the beginning - mid-August the young seedlings turn into trees 3 meters high, strewn with clusters of bright and fragrant fruits.
Cherry tomatoes can be grown: in a greenhouse, in open ground, on a balcony, in flower pots in an apartment.
Characteristic features of cherry tomatoes are rapid growth, the formation of powerful vines and high yield. In addition, they are distinguished by their special dietary value - in comparison with large-fruited tomatoes, the amount of useful substances (vitamins, antioxidants and sugars) they contain is 2 times greater. Miniature cherry tomatoes have a pronounced and richer taste. In some varieties you can even hear light shades of blueberries, raspberries, and melon.
As a rule, vegetable growers grow tall, early-ripening varieties.
During the growth process, clusters are formed on the bush, reaching in some cases 1 m with fruits of various colors (pink, orange, yellow, red) and shapes (drop-shaped, round, elongated).
The number of fruits on one lash can range from 16 to 20 pieces.
Agricultural technology for growing tall varieties of tomatoes
Growing cherry tomato seedlings: 1 - soil preparation, 2 - sowing tomato seeds, 3 - watering, 4 - picking seedlings.
The most important rule for a good harvest of cherry tomatoes is to make the right choice of variety, since tomatoes of this type can be grown not only in a greenhouse and on open ground, but also indoors on a windowsill or balcony. When choosing planting material, the agricultural technology of each variety is of no small importance. To grow cherry tomatoes in a summer cottage, it is better to give preference to tall varieties, and at home - to short varieties, which are marked on the packaging with a special o.
In general, the agricultural technology for growing cherry tomatoes is the same as planting and caring for large-fruited varieties. To get a harvest earlier, it is better to sow seeds in a greenhouse, and plant hardened seedlings in open ground.
First of all, you need to prepare the soil for planting. Obtaining friendly shoots in a greenhouse largely depends on the earthen mixture into which the seeds will be planted. To do this, humus soil, sawdust and peat are mixed in equal proportions. Next, granular complex fertilizer is applied, after which the entire composition is treated with a manganese solution.
It is advisable to choose a container with a height of at least 15-20 cm, since during the growth process the seedlings form a long and well-developed root system. The optimal temperature in the greenhouse for producing seedlings should be at least +18º C, and the duration of daylight should be at least 16 hours.
Sequence of picking tomato seedlings.
To obtain seedlings and plant them in open ground in mid-to-late May, the seeds must be sown in early April. In warm and well-moistened soil, grooves up to 10 mm are made, where the seeds are transferred. The crops are sprinkled with earth on top, and the boxes are covered with film.
A dense crust should not be allowed to form on the soil, as it prevents seed germination. Therefore, the soil in the boxes is not watered until the first shoots appear. As soon as the seeds have sprouted, the film is removed and the soil is well moistened. Heavily dense crops are thinned out. The strongest seedlings are left in the greenhouse for further cultivation. Subsequent care of tomato seedlings consists of timely weeding, loosening the soil, and fertilizing with liquid fertilizers.
Planting and caring for seedlings
You can plant seedlings in open ground if there is one well-formed leaf on the stem. This is somewhere on the 60-75th day after the appearance of the first shoots. Young plants are planted in holes measuring 15x15 to the depth of a spade bayonet. It is advisable to place tomato bushes in a checkerboard pattern. In this case, it becomes possible to create good ventilation in the rows. When planting a seedling, the main root is slightly shortened.
Scheme for planting tomatoes in the ground.
Cherry tomatoes are a heat-loving crop. Therefore, for good growth and development of the plant, the optimal temperature regime should be +22º - +25ºС during the daytime, and at night - not lower than +15º - 17ºС. A decrease in temperature to +10ºС and an increase above +33ºС can slow down plant growth and fruit set. In this case, the pollen does not ripen and becomes sterile, so the ovaries begin to dry out and fall off.
Tomatoes of this type are very sensitive to frost. You can plant seedlings in open ground only if you are absolutely sure that there are no negative temperatures on the soil. Even well-hardened seedlings can die at 0-1ºC, and adult plants - at -1º-2ºC.
To avoid the occurrence of various diseases, seedlings of tall tomatoes after planting are sprayed with copper oxychloride (30 g per 10 liters of water).
Watering, fertilizing, tying up
To grow cherry tomatoes and reap a good harvest, the plants need to be watered moderately. The tomato is a drought-resistant plant and is able to effectively extract moisture from the soil itself. Therefore, you should not irrigate the plants too often. For cloudy days, it will be enough to water it 2 times a week, and in hot weather, as the soil dries out. In autumn, watering stops completely.
Irrigation of tall tomatoes is carried out in the morning with settled and heated water to a temperature of 24º-26ºС. Experienced vegetable growers advise painting the tank black, placing it in the sun and watering from it. If a dense crust forms on the ground, water may be poorly absorbed. To give moisture access to the roots, carefully make several vertical punctures in the hole with a pitchfork. And after watering, the beds are loosened.
Garter of tomato plants on a movable trellis.
The soil in the beds can remain moist for a very long time if you mulch after the first or second fertilizing. To do this, you can use sawdust, pine needles or straw, which are evenly distributed between the bushes in a layer of 5 cm.
In the process of growing tomatoes, special attention is paid to feeding. This event must be held three times. The first fertilizing is carried out 10 days after planting the seeds in the soil with a solution of bird droppings or manure (1 kg per 10 liters of water). In this case, you can use ready-made mineral additives such as “Gumisol”, “Rost-concentrate”, etc.
After the second cluster blooms and an ovary with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm appears on it, you can carry out a second feeding. The mineral mixture should include: 1 kg of bird droppings or manure, 1 tbsp. l. “Solution” and 3 g of copper sulfate and potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water. Each tomato bush should receive at least 2 liters of fertilizer.
The third feeding of cherry tomatoes is carried out during the first harvest. The composition of the third feeding is the same as the second. The volume of the mineral mixture to be applied to each bush in this case is slightly larger - about 2.5 liters. If, after applying fertilizers, the growth of seedlings accelerates, but there is a lack of flowers, then nutrient mixtures with nitrogen are replaced with an aqueous extract of superphosphate or an ash infusion. All fertilizing is combined with watering.
Caring for cherry tomatoes includes a mandatory garter. To do this, stakes 3 m long are driven into the edges of the beds to a depth of 50 cm. At a distance of 30 cm from the ground, a cord is stretched between the stakes, to which the plant is tied. With further growth of the bush, a new cord is installed at the required height. This process continues until the height of the plant reaches 2.2 m. Then the tomato can no longer be tied up and allowed to hang freely.
https://youtu.be/3hkjVGuKwMA
Harvesting begins from the moment the first fruits ripen. Then it is carried out several times a week until the end of the growing season. During the picking process, it is better to leave fruits that are not quite ripe on the bush, as they will not have a rich and pleasant taste.
VseoTeplicah.ru
Description of tall varieties
The best varieties of tall tomatoes for open ground were described above, allowing you to get a bountiful harvest. In the table we consider the remaining varieties of tall vegetable crops.
Name | Ripening period | Fruit color | Productivity | Fetal weight | Purpose |
Alexia | Early (70 – 75 days) | Red | 5 kg/m2 | 250 g | Pickling, tomato paste, juice |
Scarlet Mustang | Late (115 – 120 days) | Red-raspberry | 5 kg/m2 | 100 – 250 g | Salads, home canning |
Watermelon | Medium (105 – 110 days) | Dark red | 3 – 5 kg/m2 | 100 – 150 g | Salads, fresh consumption |
Auria or Female whim | Medium (100 – 110 days) | Red | 11 kg/m2 | 160 g | Any |
Bobcat | Late (120 – 130 days) | Red | 2 – 4.5 kg/m2 | 100 – 230 g | Any |
Verlioka | Early (95 – 100 days) | Red | 10 – 20 kg/m2 | 60 – 120 g | Any |
Cherry | Medium (90 – 100 days) | Red, pink, yellow or black | 13 – 15 kg/m2 | 10 – 20 g | Any |
Magic cascade | Early (89 – 95 days) | Bright red | 15 kg/m2 | 25 g | Any |
Black pear | Medium (110-115 days) | Brown-burgundy | 5 kg/m2 | 100 g | Any |
De Barao | Late (120-130 days) | Orange, red, pink, black | 5-7 kg/m2 | 50-120 g | Any |
Dessert | Medium (95 – 100 days | Red | 4 kg/m2 | 20 g | Any |
Zloty cheap | Late (120 – 130 days) | Yellow | 2 – 4.5 kg/m2 | 10 g | Any |
Commissioner | Medium (115 – 120 days) | Red | 5 – 10 kg/m2 | 120 g | Home canning |
Madeira | Early (85 – 90 days) | Red | 2 – 4.5 kg/m2 | 20-25 g | Any |
Tarasenko 2 | Medium (110 – 120 days) | Red | 5 – 7 kg/m2 | 60 g | Any |
Punto | Early (80 – 85 days) | Red | 5 – 10 kg/m2 | 20 g | Any |
Pink Titan | Medium (115 – 120 days) | Pink | 6 kg/m2 | 100-200 g | Tomato paste, juice |
Ural multiple | Medium (110 – 115 days) | Red | 11 kg/m2 | 60 g | Pickling |
Wonder of the world | Medium (100 – 110 days) | Yellow | 12 – 36 kg/m2 | 50 – 110 g | Home canning |
See also
Characteristics and description of the tomato variety Pink Honey and its yield Read
How to properly form tomatoes in open ground
The process of growing tomatoes in open ground is quite painstaking and complex. It begins with planting seedlings in the soil. Only after this does the cultivation and care of the plant begin. The key to success in obtaining a harvest is considered to be the correct formation of tomatoes in open ground.
Formation time
It is correct to start forming tomato bushes at the beginning of June, since from a young age nightshade plants form lateral shoots in the axils of the leaves. It is best to remove them so that the plant does not waste nutrients on unnecessary shoot formation.
The first pinching is carried out two weeks after planting the tomatoes. Further, in order to prevent the axillary shoots from overgrowing, the pinching procedure is carried out at intervals of 10-12 days. To plant tomatoes, as a rule, choose a sunny place that is protected from cold winds. Quite damp areas should be avoided. It is also worth considering that nightshades are very demanding on the composition of the soil.
Planting seedlings in open ground occurs when the threat of frost is eliminated. When planting seedlings, some of the leaves are removed so that they take root better.
Not only well-fertilized open ground, but also successful formation of the bush will allow you to get the desired result that will meet your expectations. This process must be carried out in order to rid the plant of excess green mass and direct its strength to fruiting. The formation of the plant is carried out depending on the climatic conditions of the region.
Formation of tomatoes
If you do not control the growth of nightshades, they can form a jungle in your garden bed, because each stem grows in height, and stepsons form in the axil of each leaf. In turn, each stepson forms a new stem with flowers. And if you think that this way you will have a lot of tomatoes, then you are mistaken.
The formation of bushes can depend on many reasons, but the determining reason is the type of growth of a particular species. Therefore, all nightshades are divided into varieties: determinate, indeterminate and superdeterminate.
In tall varieties it is allowed to leave one to three stems. It would seem that forming tomato bushes is not difficult, but still this procedure requires certain knowledge and skills, and you need to devote time to it if you want to achieve results. It is worth noting that low-growing varieties do not particularly need pinching. There is a certain scheme that allows you to form a plant depending on the variety.
You should know that for tall tomatoes, as a rule, you need to leave one stem, on which there will be approximately seven to eight flower clusters. The stepson that is left under the first flower cluster will develop well. Forming bushes requires removing the lower leaves. This must be done until there is a distance of 30 cm between the leaves and the soil. This removal of leaves will help prevent the plant from getting fungal infections and ensure air circulation.
After you have formed seven to eight clusters, you need to pinch the top, thus limiting the growth of the plant. The top should be pinched so that there are two leaves above each brush. This will ensure a flow of nutrients to the fruits.
Determinate varieties
A distinctive feature of determinate varieties of nightshades is that their first inflorescence is located quite low.
After planting such nightshade varieties in open ground, a flower cluster is formed after 5-7 leaves. The inflorescences themselves are located after 1-2 leaves.
Determinate varieties of tomatoes differ from other varieties in that they stop growing after the formation of 4-5 clusters. But, taking into account the biological characteristics, inflorescences may continue to form on the main shoot. There is a certain method of formation, namely, it is necessary to transfer the growth point to a side shoot, and this will significantly increase the fruiting period. It is recommended to combine the first stepson with tying the plants to supports in order to have time to remove all unnecessary stepsons before the first cluster blooms. It is best to remove stepchildren by hand until their length exceeds 4-5 cm.
Such tomatoes are advantageous for growing in open ground, since they can grow not only in the south, but also in the eastern regions.
Indeterminate varieties
Indeterminate varieties are characterized by unlimited growth of the main stem, and, as a rule, they form only one shoot. To achieve high yields, side shoots are removed. Their first brush should be high enough, namely above the 10-12th leaf. Typically, the growth of stepchildren begins after the appearance of the first flower cluster. It is recommended to leave one flower brush on this stepson and then pinch it, but do not forget that you need to leave a couple of leaves above the brush. Pruning is carried out based on the growth activity of the plant, but at least once a week.
Superdeterminate varieties
This group of nightshades is characterized by weak growth, namely no more than 60 cm, and early ripening. The very first inflorescence appears after 6-7 leaves, all subsequent ones appear after each subsequent leaf. After the appearance of the third or fourth inflorescence, shoot growth is usually limited.
Superdeterminate varieties can be formed in several ways:
- In one stem. In this case, all lateral stepsons are removed 30-35 days before the last harvest
- In two stems. In this case, the second stem can be obtained from the stepson, which is located in the axil under the first inflorescence.
- Three stems. If the second stem is formed from under the first inflorescence, then, accordingly, the third is from the stepson of the leaf under the second inflorescence.
In conclusion, it is worth paying attention to the fact that all work related to breaking out and pinching leaves is recommended to be carried out in warm and sunny weather, since the wound from pinching quickly dries out, and this reduces the likelihood that an infection will get there.
Video "Forming tomatoes"
This video contains instructions on how to form tomatoes in open ground. After watching the recording, you will learn how to properly plant tomatoes and how to remove leaves.
plodovie.ru
What varieties of tomatoes are the most productive?
The best varieties of tomatoes for open ground are considered to be those that are capable of producing high yields. Among the tall tomatoes there are some productive representatives. Let's look at the most popular:
- Miracle of the World tomatoes resemble lemons in appearance: tomatoes are yellow in color and round in shape. The weight of the fruit can vary from 50 to 110 kg. The lower bunches can produce up to 45 tomatoes, and the upper ones - up to 25. As a rule, this variety is used for homemade preparations.
- Tarasenko 2 has a reddish tint. One cluster produces up to 35 fruits. The weight of one tomato is about 60 g.
- De Barao Yellow is a late variety. Its fruits are orange in color and each weighs about 60 g.
- De Barao Royal pink resembles pepper in appearance. One bush can produce about 5 kg of tomatoes, and the weight of the fruit is 300 g.
Growing tomatoes in open ground
Growing tomatoes in open ground includes sowing seeds for seedlings, growing seedlings, planting seedlings in the ground, caring for adult plants and harvesting.
In this article we will tell novice gardeners in detail how to grow tomatoes in open ground.
The approximate time for planting your tomato variety is indicated on the bag of seeds, and the most favorable dates for this can be found by looking at the lunar calendar for gardeners.
In any case, tomato seedlings are planted in the ground at the age of 55-60 days. Estimate approximately when the last return frost is in your region, subtract 60 days, add 5-7 days for germination and get the approximate time for sowing seeds for seedlings. Usually this is the end of February - beginning of March.
The soil for growing seedlings can be purchased, already prepared, or you can prepare it yourself. To do this, mix 1 part each of turf soil, peat and humus.
To 1 bucket of this soil mixture, add a liter jar of river sand (or preferably vermiculite) and a tablespoon of ash and superphosphate.
Now we pour the prepared soil into the boxes, compact it a little and sow the tomato seeds. Sprinkle more soil on top, about 0.5-1 cm. If the sowing depth is shallower, sprouts may appear with the seed coat on them. (In this case, do not tear it off, but drop it with water and a little later the seed will come off easily). After sowing, the soil must be watered with a sprayer.
To speed up the emergence of seedlings, the plantings can be covered with film. As soon as shoots appear, the film must be removed.
The boxes with seedlings should be in a very well-lit place. If the seedlings begin to stretch out, it means they do not have enough light. In this case, attach additional lighting above the plantings; 1 40 W fluorescent lamp is sufficient per 1 square meter. If it is not possible to hang a lamp, you can compensate for the lack of lighting by adding potassium fertilizers.
When the plants have two true leaves, the seedlings need to be planted, that is, carefully remove the plants from the common box and plant each one in a separate cup - the roots need more space to grow. First, pour in an incomplete cup of soil; it is better to add it later as the plant grows, so that additional lateral roots form on the stem.
A couple of weeks before planting seedlings in open ground, they begin to harden them. If possible, move it to a cooler, but not cold, place. Reduce watering.
Moon calendar
For Central Russia, as for other regions, when growing vegetables, planting time is important. In addition to climate characteristics, knowledge of the lunar phases helps to sow seeds correctly. Experienced vegetable growers, by changing them, select the planting date and plan other work to care for the plants. There are four phases of the movement of the celestial body:
- the new moon is not suitable for planting, but collecting seeds is allowed at this time;
- on the waxing Moon, seeds are sown, planted and seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place;
- the full moon is suitable for harvesting, weeding, fertilizing and treating bushes from pests;
- On the waning Moon, bushes are traditionally formed or seedlings are picked.
Advice!
For greenhouse cultivation, the appropriate time for sowing tomato seeds is mid-March. Such plants develop well and produce a rich harvest. If you plan to grow in open ground, successful planting days in the middle zone are chosen in mid-April. At this time, the soil is already well warmed up. Planting at an earlier date provokes rotting and death of the seeds.
To select favorable days for tomatoes in 2022, use a table compiled taking into account the lunar phases. It also reflects the time when it is undesirable to work with tomato bushes.
Month | Favorable days | Unfavorable days |
January | 14, 17, 18, 20 | 2, 10, 12, 13, 25 |
February | 6-8, 11, 12, 14 | 9, 21-23 |
March | 7, 8, 15, 16 | 9, 10, 19, 20, 24 |
April | 6, 7, 11, 12, 17, 18 | 8, 15, 21-23 |
May | 2, 3, 9, 15-17 | 7, 8, 14, 18, 22, 29 |
When replanting grown seedlings, one must not forget about weather conditions. Tomatoes cannot be transferred to open ground until the air temperature reaches +15°C. This value is critical for flowering and ovary formation. If the temperature drops to +10°C, the plants stop growing. Therefore, seedlings are not transplanted into unprotected beds until the weather is finally warm.
Planting tomatoes in open ground
Seedlings are planted in the ground in May-June, depending on what region you live in. In any case, the risk of return frosts should be minimal, or be prepared to cover the tomatoes with covering material.
When planting seedlings in the ground, the plant is carefully removed from the cup and placed in a prepared hole, which it is advisable to first spill with warm water. The plant is lowered into the hole up to the cotyledon leaves and sprinkled around with earth, compacting it a little.
The scheme for planting tomatoes in open ground depends on the planted variety: early ripening tomatoes are usually planted according to a 30x40 cm pattern, late ones - 50x50 cm, and on the method of bush formation.
Nuances of care
Watering:
Hill up tall tomatoes several times, raking up the soil after watering. After a few weeks, the plants will be on the ridge; no matter how much moisture is poured into the furrow between the rows, the stems will remain dry, i.e. the risk of an outbreak of fungal infections is minimized.
The water supply continues in the same or slightly increased quantities during the period of fruit ripening, because The growth of tomato-indents continues, new flower clusters are formed, and fruits are set.
Plantings must be mulched with grass. This will not only help conserve moisture and hinder the growth of weeds. The measure protects the soil from overheating: tomatoes tied to trellises or supports provide very little shade. At the same time, an obstacle is created for the rise of late blight pathogens from the soil to the plants.
For better fruit set, spraying with boric acid is used. The solution is prepared according to a standard recipe.
Feeding schedule
1 - 10-12 days after planting in the garden. Add organic matter (mullein or bird droppings according to standard recommendations) and superphosphate. It is possible to use water-soluble complex fertilizers simultaneously with watering.
2 - with the beginning of fruit set of the second cluster. Add 1 tbsp to 10 liters of organic infusion. complete fertilizer for tomatoes. 2 liters of the mixture are poured under each bush.
3 - after the first harvest. Use the nutrient mixture of the second feeding, increasing the consumption to 2.5 liters.
Garter
Bush formation
Tall tomatoes in open ground and greenhouses must be tied up. Choose any convenient method: supports for each bush; garden net stretched over stakes; trellises of different types.
The height of the supporting structures is usually 2 m so that tomatoes can be reached without additional equipment. The tops are allowed to hang freely or pinched (in short summer conditions or in a greenhouse, where it is necessary to limit the growth of tomatoes).
Formation
In open ground beds, tall varieties of tomatoes are formed into 2 stems. For varieties that produce small fruits, leave 3. Tall cherry tomatoes are often not planted at all, especially in the south, allowing them to grow at their own pleasure.
Caring for tomatoes in open ground
Caring for tomatoes includes timely watering, weeding, fertilizing, gartering, pinching and, if necessary, disease control.
Watering tomatoes should be done on average once a week, but this very much depends on the weather, this is the difference between growing tomatoes in a greenhouse and in open ground - it is impossible to control watering.
When the seedlings take root, it is best to mulch the soil with straw, this will make it much easier to keep the soil moist, and almost no weeds will grow. A crust does not form under the straw and therefore no loosening is required. It's a lazy way to grow tomatoes.
Medium-growing and low-growing varieties
Low-growing and medium-growing tomatoes are most often used for growing in greenhouses, in which various types of synthetic films are used as covering material.
When planning a greenhouse setup using synthetic films, the height of the main stem of medium-sized tomato varieties can reach up to one meter. Seedlings are planted in places of constant growth after reaching an age of 55 days, maximum, minimum 50 days. Plants reach fruiting phase after an average of 100 days. A large harvest of such varieties is achieved due to the fact that many, up to 8, clusters with a large number of fruits are formed on the bush.
The first flower cluster is formed starting from the fifth leaf, in the worst case after the seventh leaf.
Tomatoes of medium-sized varieties bear fruit earlier, and the harvest is yielded in unison. You only need to tie them once. The plants are more compact and do not create a “jungle” in the greenhouse. With proper care, you can get up to a bucket of fruit from one bush.
Tomato garter in open ground
The most common option for tying tomato bushes in open ground is tying them to stakes stuck next to the bushes. So you can tie up low-growing varieties, but what about tall ones? We offer you other ways to garter tomatoes. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
The material for tying tomatoes should not cut into the trunk of the plant or damage it in any way.
Now, as for planting tomatoes in the open ground... A lot depends on the region - if you have a warm climate, in which the fruits even on the shoots have time to ripen before the cold weather, then of course you don’t have to plant the bushes. If the summer is short, it is better to carry out pinching, that is, breaking off the side shoots growing from the axils of the leaves or at least pinching up to the first flower cluster. Read more about this in the article on how to properly plant tomatoes.
tomatland.ru
If you sow seeds for seedlings in cassettes, do not forget to attach price tags with the number of the tomato variety. If you don’t do this, then there is a high probability that you will completely forget what kind of variety you are growing.
If you sow tomato seeds in peat tablets, it is better to take large tablets. Soak these peat tablets in water until they swell (they interestingly increase in volume and height). And put the seed in a small hole in these tablets. The main thing is to replant the plant in the pot as soon as the roots of the tomato seedlings appear on the outside of the peat tablet.
To transplant seedlings into a pot when 2-3 true leaves have formed on it, follow the following method. Place a thin layer of soil at the bottom of the pot. Place the seedlings with a lump of earth on this soil. And add soil to the sides of the seedlings’ clod of soil. You should have enough height space left in the pot. And as the seedlings grow, you will add soil to the top of the pot. This should be done so that when watering, the root system of the tomato does not rot and a “black leg” does not form.
When you place pots/cups with seedlings on the windowsill, it is important not to place these plants close to each other. Otherwise, there will be a race to heights and the seedlings will not be of high quality.
Growing tomatoes in the ground
To plant tomato seedlings, make a hole in the soil. We water the seedlings themselves well, take them out of the container with a lump of earth and plant them in the holes. We water it. We don’t mulch at first so that the earth warms up well.
If, before transplanting the seedlings into the ground, flowers have already appeared on it, then it is better to tear them off. After all, you want a bountiful harvest, and not just 1-2 random tomatoes.
If you have to plant elongated seedlings, then make a large hole, and in it a smaller hole and plant the seedlings in it. And you only fill the smaller hole with soil. And as it grows, you add more soil until it is level.
Water the seedlings once when transplanting. Then do not water for 2-3 weeks. By doing this, you are preparing a strong plant whose roots find water deep in the soil, rather than being located near the surface of the earth.
As the plant grows, when the fruits begin to fill, the leaves touching the ground are removed. This prevents late blight infection. This removal of leaves is carried out before the first bunch of tomatoes. Thanks to this care, moisture does not stagnate and there is constant air access. This removal of leaves is done gradually, and not at once.
Tomato pinching
When growing tall tomatoes, it is necessary to plant them. Otherwise everything will go to waste. Stepchildren clean up when they are very young. Then it goes away painlessly. We leave a small post so that the new stepson does not climb in the same place.
Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse in spring
Tomatoes grown in a greenhouse require shaping. Tomatoes form either one or two stems. How to form? The first stem goes under the first flower cluster; the stepson is not removed. And bring it out as a second stem. But then you need to leave more space between plants (40 cm).
At high temperatures, fruits will not set. To fix this, the greenhouse needs a window located on top of the greenhouse. It is also necessary to shake the plants themselves for pollination, followed by spraying.
Problems when growing tomatoes in open ground and in a greenhouse.
Late blight of tomatoes is a fungal disease. Typically, tomato plants are damaged during humid summers in August. If the soil is mulched with a layer of grass, then the fungus from the soil cannot get on the leaves and the plants remain healthy.
Fruits do not set - low temperature, cloudy rainy weather, temperature above 30 degrees, lack of light, abundant nitrogen nutrition.
If you have large deformed tomatoes, then this is a consequence of flowers growing together under stressful situations (high temperature, lack of nutrition).
Cracking of fruits is a sharp change from a dry period to a wet one.
The formation of blossom end rot on tomatoes is a lack of moisture during fruit formation and a lack of calcium. To solve this problem, water and add ash tincture to the watering. Spraying is carried out not at the top of the leaf, but at the bottom. And you won’t have blossom end rot of tomatoes.
Falling of flowers and ovaries - lack of moisture during the formation of buds and ovaries, overgrown seedlings in a small volume of soil, deepening of tomatoes when planting in the ground.
We aim for 3 kg per bush in open ground and 8 – 10 kg in a greenhouse.
Growing tomatoes of indeterminate varieties - grow without growth restrictions. They have the peculiarity of forming a brush through 3 sheets. Tall determinate varieties of tomatoes (120-150 cm) - form clusters through one or two leaves.
You might be interested in reading:
urozhaynyj-ogorod.ru
Why tie up tomatoes?
There are several reasons not to neglect the garter:
- When the plant begins to set fruit, it may not be able to withstand the sudden increase in load on the trunk and break.
- Between tied tomatoes, air circulates better and sunlight penetrates.
- Tomatoes that do not lie on the ground get sick less.
- On the surface of the ground, tomatoes are more often eaten by slugs.
Important! Tethered bushes are easier to water and process.
Planting seedlings in the garden
The soil for tomatoes is prepared in advance. The best predecessors for them in the garden are considered to be cabbage and cucumbers, to which high doses of fertilizers were applied. Tomatoes grow well after peas, beans, zucchini, corn, and after green manure (rye, winter wheat). The predecessors of tomatoes cannot be nightshade crops (peppers, eggplants, potatoes, physalis). It is not recommended to plant tomatoes next to potatoes, so as not to promote mutual infection with fungal and viral diseases.
If areas are allocated for tomatoes where onions and root crops were previously grown, organic matter (compost, humus - up to a bucket) is added for autumn digging, 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate, tbsp. spoon of potassium sulfate per sq. m.
Fertilizers applied for autumn digging will be used by plants in the late period. In the meantime, while the plants’ root systems are not sufficiently developed, they will “consume” the fertilizers added to the planting holes during the first feeding. It is more rational to apply fertilizers directly into each hole when planting: 0.5 liters of humus or compost, a teaspoon of urea and potassium sulfate, 2 teaspoons of superphosphate.
Seedlings are planted in open ground every 50-55 cm in a row. Rows are spaced 70 cm apart from rows. Seedlings are first planted in a furrow so that for the first time, while the plants are taking root, it is easier to provide them with moisture. After several hillings, which are carried out after watering, the grown plants are no longer in the furrow, but on the ridge. In this position, their stems, even after heavy watering along the furrows, always remain dry. This is very important for the prevention of fungal diseases.
Formation of tall tomatoes into two stems:
Optimal timing for planting seedlings
Gardeners determine the optimal time for sowing seeds, focusing on the phases of the moon and climatic conditions in the growing region.
According to the lunar calendar
When determining the sowing time of tomatoes, many farmers prefer to use an old but proven method - the lunar calendar. The phases of the celestial satellite affect the growth activity of plants.
The main rule for sowing tomatoes for seedlings according to the calendar is that the procedure cannot be carried out when the new moon is approaching. The forbidden period covers 3 days before this phase and the same amount after its completion. Tomato seedlings can be planted only when the Moon is in its growth phase.
Depending on the weather and growing method
The time of planting in the ground is determined taking into account the climatic characteristics of the region. The frost period must end. Experienced gardeners remember when the weather arrived last year. It is advisable to add 8–10 days to last year’s deadline, since weather conditions are unpredictable.
Taking into account the landing region
Climatic conditions in different regions of the country vary significantly. If you can plant tomatoes early in the southern regions, then in the north you will have to wait.
In the southern regions
In the south of the country, where the climate is mild all year round, the warm period begins in March. You can move early tomato seedlings to a permanent plot in late March and early April. Therefore, the seeds are sown in February.
For the Moscow region and the middle zone
The temperate continental climate covers a large area; temperature indicators here are characterized by diversity and instability. But on average, the warm period begins in mid-May. Therefore, early tomato varieties are sown from late February to mid-March.
In Siberia and the Urals
In harsh northern conditions, the summer season opens late, frosts are observed until the end of May. Therefore, sowing of early tomatoes begins in the second half of March or early April.