When can I plant tomatoes in a greenhouse 

Tomatoes can also be grown outdoors, but then the timing of the harvest is significantly delayed. Moreover, by the time the tomatoes begin to bear fruit, they are killed by cold and late blight. The natural desire of gardeners to get an earlier tomato crop leads to the fact that they build various protective structures for plants. Greenhouses and greenhouses are relevant not only for the northern regions, where warm weather sets in much later, but also for the middle zone with its unpredictable climate.

The simplest design can be bought in a store or built independently. A small greenhouse for a tomato does not require special physical effort and financial costs, it saves space in those areas where the construction of a large greenhouse is impossible.

Tomatoes in a greenhouse can be grown from the stage of planting seedlings to harvest. The greenhouse can also be used for growing tomato seedlings. The method is suitable for central Our Country. Seedlings are strong, resistant to temperature extremes and diseases.

Benefits of growing in a greenhouse

Выращивание помидор в парнике имеет ряд положительных моментов:

• The terms for obtaining a tomato crop in a greenhouse are reduced;
• Plants are strong, hardened, disease resistant;
• Tomatoes in a greenhouse do not stretch, as happens when growing seedlings in an apartment;

  

• Tomato seedlings are ready for planting in open ground, they do not have an adaptation period, they immediately begin to grow, which again brings the harvest much closer;
• Plants are protected from the negative effects of the environment;
• The greenhouse has a low cost, it can be built on your own from improvised materials, which will further reduce costs.

Чтобы польза от парника была ощутимой, при его сооружении соблюдайте основные требования:

• The width of the structure should be no more than 1 m for the convenience of caring for plants. For large sizes, you will have to get up inside;
• The length, when using a film coating, is not more than 2 m, otherwise in windy weather the film will tear or be inflated by a sail, in rainy weather water will accumulate on the film, and it will sag, it may bend the arcs or tear;
• When used in glass or polycarbonate coating, the length can be both 4 and 5 m;
• The minimum height of the structure depends on the variety of tomato that you plan to plant. A height margin of at least 30 cm is required;

  

• Calculate the number of required arcs based on the length of the greenhouse in meters, plus 1 additional arc. So, if you are planning a structure 3 meters long, then 4 arcs will be required;
• Place a greenhouse for a tomato in the sunny part of the plot. It is convenient to place it, adjoining it to the wall of a house or barn, so it turns out to be additionally insulated and more reliable. In this case, choose the wall that is oriented to the south.

Compliance with these requirements will allow you to operate the greenhouse as efficiently as possible.

Terms of planting a tomato in a greenhouse

A greenhouse is a structure that is not heated or heated. Therefore, plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse only if the earth has warmed up. An ordinary household thermometer will help determine when to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse. Soil temperature should be at least +15 degrees. This is a prerequisite. You should not be misled by high daytime temperatures, nighttime temperatures can drop to 0 degrees in spring.

If spring is early and warm, then the dates can vary from mid-May to the end of the month. If weather conditions do not allow an earlier planting, and if a film coating is available, then the end of May is better for planting seedlings. If a polycarbonate coating is used, then mid-May is the best time for planting tomato seedlings in a greenhouse.

In a greenhouse, you can grow seedlings from seeds yourself. To do this, make a warm bed. Horse manure is best. It is laid on the bottom, covered with sand, and prepared soil is placed on top. Manure, decomposing, releases the required amount of heat. On such a bed you can sow tomato seeds. The first 2 weeks the greenhouse is not opened until shoots appear.

Video tips on how to warm the ground for early planting seedlings:

When to sow tomato seeds in a greenhouse? Do some simple calculations. It takes 50-60 days to prepare seedlings for planting in open ground. Planting tomato seedlings in unprotected ground occurs in the first decade-mid-June, therefore, sowing is done in April.

Be prepared for the fact that the weather sometimes brings unexpected surprises in the form of a sharp cold snap or return frosts. Tomatoes in a greenhouse can die. In order not to be left without a crop, you can use an additional film coating, so that an air gap remains between them. You can still cover the planted plants with modern materials: lutrasil or agrospan, but even the simplest shelter with newspapers or burlap can completely protect tomato seedlings from frost.

Feeding a tomato with Epin will protect plants from recurrent frosts. The principle of action of the drug is that it increases the accumulation of sugars in cells and the concentration of cell juice, and reduces the water content. Therefore, tomatoes do not freeze.

Be attentive to weather forecasts, protect your landings. Observe the timing of planting a tomato in a greenhouse, otherwise you can lose the future crop.

Greenhouse preparation

Growing tomatoes successfully in a greenhouse depends on how you prepare the soil. It is better to do it yourself to be sure of the result. Garden land is not enough for a tomato, it will only be the basis of greenhouse soil.

The soil taken from the garden must be enriched. There are several options for soil compositions for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse:

• Garden land, peat, humus, taken in equal parts. If the mixture is measured in buckets, then add wood ash (0,5 l) and superphosphate (2 tablespoons) to each bucket;
• Sod land, cleared of weed roots, peat, river sand, chalk (50 g). Pour the mixture well with a solution of ready-made mineral fertilizers.

The main requirement for the soil for tomatoes is that it should be light, nutritious, with normal acidity, well pass air and moisture.

Tomatoes grow well on soil after such crops:

• Cabbage;
• Cucumbers;
• Zucchini, patissons, pumpkins
• Greens and radishes;
• Carrot;
• Turnip;
• siderates.

Land is not suitable for tomatoes after:

• A tomato;
• Early potatoes;
• Pertsev;
• Eggplant.

If the greenhouse has been in the same place for several years, then the soil must be changed. Because phytophthora pathogens and various pests accumulate in it. In addition, the soil is very depleted, any cultivated plant absorbs a large amount of microelements from the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to return them there.

Replacing the soil is a rather laborious process. Experienced gardeners suggest using FAS sulfur checker for soil disinfection. When fumigating a greenhouse with a checker, pathogens and pests are destroyed. This measure is very effective.

After the procedure, the soil should be enriched with trace elements. Compost from horse manure with the addition of vermicompost (2 kg of mixture per bucket of soil) has proven itself well when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse.

The soil preparation instructions are simple and will help you grow tomatoes in a greenhouse to the harvest stage or grow tomato seedlings.

Preparing seedlings for planting in a greenhouse

No less relevant is the question of how to prepare tomato seedlings so that they endure the relocation to a new place of residence well. The conditions of the apartment and the greenhouse are very different from each other. And temperature conditions, and the degree of illumination, and even what spectrum of sunlight the plants receive.

• If tomato seedlings are planted in advance in separate containers, this will protect the root system from damage. Plants will spend less time adapting. Because under adverse conditions, tomato seedlings spend up to 2 weeks to recover. And only after that it begins to grow;
• Be sure to harden off plants before planting in a greenhouse. To do this, they begin to act with cold air in 2-3 weeks, slightly opening the windows, first for 1-2 hours, then gradually increasing the time. At the next stage of hardening, the seedlings are transferred to a balcony or loggia during the daytime, and when the night temperatures become positive, they are left overnight. Whoever has the opportunity, then containers with tomato seedlings are taken out to greenhouses, but not yet planted;

  

• The preparatory measures include feeding tomato seedlings before planting in a greenhouse. Do this for a week to support the plants. The simplest top dressing with a solution of wood ash or potassium chloride;
• Before planting a tomato in a greenhouse, watering is gradually reduced, and in a week, in general, it is stopped. Spray flowering plants with a solution of boric acid (1 tsp per 1 liter of water). The procedure will save flowers and buds from falling off.

Healthy tomato seedlings have a strong stem, short internodes, and a well-developed root. The color of the leaves is rich green, there should be at least 6-10 of them, buds may be present.

Planting seedlings in a greenhouse

When planting tomato seedlings in a greenhouse, consider the following:

• You should not thicken the plantings, the plants will receive less sunlight, there will be a threat of the development of diseases that are very fond of high humidity in dense plantings. In addition, with a dense planting of tomato seedlings, it is very difficult to care for it;
• The distance between plants should be at least 40 cm. Holes are prepared for planting, 20-30 cm deep. Each well is shed with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection and additionally fertilized with humus, compost and ash. Wells are prepared in advance;

  

• Immediately before planting, the holes are poured with plenty of water to form mud, and tomatoes are planted in it in a greenhouse. There is no need to deepen the plant. The root neck can be buried no more than 3 cm if the tomato seedlings have not outgrown;

  

• For overgrown seedlings, the hole is made deeper, and the plant is deeper. But this is being done gradually. Overgrown tomatoes are placed in a hole along with an earthen clod, they are at first like in a hole, gradually pour the earthen mixture, every three days by no more than 3 cm. This method allows the tomato seedlings to grow the root system gradually. Tomatoes do not switch exclusively to the formation of additional roots, the plant develops and forms flower stalks. After planting a tomato in a greenhouse, you do not need to water them immediately. At the initial stage, moisture is sufficient.
• The soil around the plants is compacted and mulched. In the aisles, the soil can be loosened to reduce moisture. If everything is done correctly, then the tomato seedlings in the greenhouse quickly take root;
• Further care at first comes down to loosening, the first 2 weeks the tomatoes in the greenhouse do not need watering. Then watering resumes. Water infrequently, but plentifully;

  

• After three weeks, you can carry out the first top dressing of a tomato: potassium sulfate (30 g), superphosphate (50 g), ammonium nitrate (15 g) are diluted in a bucket of water. For 1 plant use 1 liter of solution. The second top dressing is three weeks after the first, and the final one is about a month from the end of the growing season.

Simple actions will keep healthy seedlings and shorten the adaptation period. Video tips for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse:

Materials for making a greenhouse

A greenhouse differs from a greenhouse, primarily in size and shape. The greenhouse is lower, more compact, so it is easier to create the conditions necessary for seedlings in it.

The construction of a greenhouse requires much more space, financial investments, its construction is beyond the power of one person. And the greenhouse, due to its simplicity and size, will be mastered by everyone, even the weaker sex.

The base can be a metal structure or a wooden one. Coverage can also be chosen at your discretion:

• Polyethylene film is a versatile material, popular among gardeners, has a low cost, is easy to stretch and fold, suitable for any frame. There are modern types of film: multilayer and reinforced, which will last more than one season;

  

• Glass transmits sunlight well. Cons: it can only be mounted on a wooden base, it is technically very difficult to mount on a metal base, glass is a fragile material, it is easy to damage if mishandled;
• Polycarbonate is a modern universal material with a wide range of positive characteristics. Therefore, its popularity is gaining momentum every year. Thanks to its honeycomb structure, it diffuses direct sunlight. The material is durable, does not deform, and is attached to both a wooden and a metal base. Installation of polycarbonate is not difficult.

Выбор покрытия зависит от ваших финансовых возможностей и от того насколько долго вы планируете пользоваться парником.

Do-it-yourself tomato greenhouse

The simplest structures for a tomato can be made independently:

• The simplest greenhouse from arcs known to every gardener. Arcs made of polypropylene are stuck into the ground, a plastic film is pulled over it, which is securely fixed on the sides, pressing with bricks. To give strength, the structure can be strengthened with horizontal narrow bars. The best distance between the arcs is 50 cm. Video instruction for making a greenhouse: 
  Greenhouse easy and cheap

• Another simple greenhouse made of wooden gratings. Quickly assembled at no extra cost;

  

• Stationary builtia have greater durability and practicality. They are more convenient to use. A box is made from the boards, on which the frame is attached. Covering material is stretched over the frame. The advantage of a stationary greenhouse for a tomato is that you can make the height as you wish or based on the tomato variety;
• Greenhouses with a metal frame durable, they can be made collapsible, but their cost is quite high. Polycarbonate cover can be used;

  

• Greenhouse from window frames can be made solid. Now many people have old window frames in stock due to their replacement with plastic glazing. A zealous owner will not lose anything. You will need: window frames, brick for the foundation, bars and fasteners. Brick for the foundation is expensive to use, but it will last a long time, is stable and can withstand the weight of window frames. The length of the foundation will depend on the number of frames available. Don’t make the greenhouse too long. This will cause inconvenience during operation. A beam is strengthened over the brick foundation, on which boards of the required size are attached in 1 or 2 rows. The topmost side board is cut at an angle along the entire length. Window frames will be attached to the boards. The base can, of course, be made entirely of wood if the greenhouse is not going to be used for too long.

  It is better to make a greenhouse from old frames single-pitched, and a folding roof.

Manufacturers offer ready-made greenhouses:

• Butterfly greenhouse It has raised sides for good ventilation and maximum sunlight and warmth in fine weather. When open, it really resembles an insect with raised wings;

  

• Greenhouse-bread box очень удобен своим механизмом открывания по типу емкости для хранения хлеба, которую используют на кухнях. Очень легкий, можно свободно перемещать по участку, имеет минимум стыков, что не дает проникать холодному воздуху внутрь;

  

• Belgian greenhouse has a flat pitched roof, very simple design, which maximizes its reliability. A convenient lifting mechanism also adds points to it. Suitable for growing tall varieties of tomatoes.

  

Our craftsman gardeners easily build such greenhouses for tomatoes on their own according to factory designs.

Conclusion

A greenhouse is the simplest garden structure to protect a tomato from cold weather, from pests and diseases. With its proper operation and organization of plantings, you will receive not only an early harvest of tomatoes, but also protect plants from damage by late blight. The greenhouse device will not require significant financial costs, effort and time from you, it is easy to assemble and disassemble, move to a new location. Tomatoes are easy to care for and easy to regulate the temperature inside.