When to plant tomato seedlings in Siberia

Sowing tomatoes for seedlings done on time is the first step to getting a good harvest. Novice vegetable growers sometimes make mistakes in this matter, because the choice of the term for introducing tomato seeds into the soil depends on the climatic conditions of a particular region. For example, early planting of tomato seedlings is typical for the southern regions. And, for example, tomato seedlings in Siberia should be planted later, when warm days are established on the street. Therefore, the timing of sowing seeds will also have to be shifted.

Why is it important to observe the timing of sowing tomato seeds

When growing seedlings of tomatoes, you can not sow grains, adhering to the approximate date. Too early tomato seedlings grown in mid-February will overgrow at the time of planting in the ground. Most often, such plants get sick, take root poorly and bring a poor harvest. For early seedlings of tomatoes, there is a method of restraining growth. Usually it is based on a decrease in ambient temperature, occasionally – reduce the length of daylight hours. Tomatoes, of course, do not outgrow until they are planted in the ground, but from such seedlings one should expect a strong decrease in yield.

March tomato seedlings are considered the strongest. However, the vegetable grower himself must correctly determine the time for sowing tomatoes for seedlings according to the climate of his area. Take, for example, the south of the country. Here, many gardeners begin to sow tomatoes for seedlings from the third decade of January. But if we take Siberia, the Urals, as well as most regions of the middle zone, then here the optimal time to start sowing falls on March 15–17.

It is important to consider that planted tomato seedlings in a permanent place should receive comfortable growing conditions. The Siberian climate is harsh, and if the night temperature still falls below +5^оC, early planted tomatoes will stop growing. Plants will start to get sick, and some may even freeze.

Selecting tomato seeds and preparing them for sowing

To obtain strong and healthy tomato seedlings in Siberia, it is necessary to prepare high-quality seed material:

• The process begins with the identification of unusable grains, which significantly increases the percentage of germination. A small amount of tomato seeds can be sorted out with your hands, and all broken, thin, blackened ones can be thrown away. Sorting a large number of grains is performed using warm water collected in a glass jar. You can even add 1 tbsp to 2 liter of water. l. salt. Tomato seeds are immersed in a jar for 10 minutes, and after this time, all the pop-up pacifiers are thrown away, and the grains that have settled to the bottom are filtered through a sieve.
• Further, all selected tomato seeds are disinfected. To do this, prepare a steep solution of potassium permanganate from 1 tbsp. water and 2 g of red crystals. Tomato seeds are dipped in a saturated liquid for 5–20 minutes, after which they are washed with warm water.

  

• The next stage of soaking begins with immersing the tomato seeds for 30 minutes in hot water at a temperature of 60^оC, to awaken the fetuses. While the grains are awakening, a nutrient solution is prepared from purchased fertilizers. All kinds of growth stimulants for soaking seeds are sold in stores. You can prepare a solution yourself from settled water with the addition of aloe juice. In any of these solutions, tomato seeds are soaked for a day.
• The last stage of preparation consists of placing the tomato seeds in two days in the refrigerator for hardening.

At this stage, tomato seeds are considered prepared for germination. The grains are laid out between two layers of wet gauze or cotton fabric, spread on a saucer and put in heat until pecking.

Now often in stores you can find coated tomato seeds. This is a new way to protect grains with a special shell. In production, such tomato seeds have gone through all stages of preparation, and they can be immediately sown in the ground without soaking.

Soil for growing tomato seedlings

Many vegetable growers are accustomed to preparing their own soil for growing tomato seedlings. The basis is a mixture of equal proportions of humus, garden soil and peat. Sometimes, for disinfection, the soil is kept for a long time in the cold. In Siberian conditions, this is not difficult to do. You can bake the soil for about 30 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 100^оC. It is important to add nutrients that serve as top dressing for tomato seedlings. Based on 1 bucket of soil, 10 g of urea, potassium sulfate, and also superphosphate are added.

If you didn’t have time to stock up on land since autumn, ready-made soil can be bought at every specialized store.

Best proven:

• Coconut substrate is well suited for growing tomatoes for seedlings. Plants grow strong with a developed root system.

  

• Fans of the traditional growing method prefer ready-made soil for EXO tomatoes. If the store does not have soil specifically for tomatoes, it is allowed to use universal soil.

  

• Peat tablets are considered the best and most convenient for growing tomato seedlings. In addition to the fact that plants develop well in them, briquettes save the gardener from unnecessary work associated with picking tomato seedlings. 40-2 tomato seeds are planted in each tablet with a diameter of 4 mm. After germination, one strong seedling is left, and the rest are plucked. When it’s time to transplant, the tomato seedling, along with the tablet, is simply immersed in the soil of a half-liter container.

  

Each grower uses the type of soil that is easier to work with and cheaper.

We determine the time of sowing tomatoes for seedlings

So, it is customary to sow tomatoes for seedlings in Siberia in mid-March. However, this period is not a standard, since the location of the planting of adult plants affects the determination of this date. Despite the harsh climate, tomatoes in Siberia are grown in a greenhouse, hotbeds and gardens. For each method of cultivation, the time for planting tomatoes is different, and, therefore, the time for sowing seeds also varies.

Ready for planting in a permanent place under a film or in a greenhouse is tomato seedlings of about fifty days of age, counting from the moment of germination. To this period of time it is necessary to add from 5 to 7 days for the germination of grains. Having made approximate calculations of the age of tomato seedlings of different ripening periods, the following results are obtained:

• the age of early varieties of tomatoes at the time of planting is 45–55 days:
• the age of mid-season varieties at the time of planting is 55–60 days;
• the age of late and tall tomatoes at the time of planting is about 70 days.

Planting overgrown seedlings of tomatoes threatens with late flowering, as well as the absence of an ovary on the first brushes.

The sowing date of tomato seeds is determined by the future place of growth:

• for indoor cultivation of tomatoes, it is better to start sowing seeds for seedlings after February 15 until mid-March;
• if it is planned to plant seedlings under a film in a garden, it is optimal to start sowing tomato seeds from the first days of March until March 20;
• when growing tomatoes in the garden without any shelters, it is optimal to start sowing seeds for seedlings from March 15 and finish in the first days of April.

Simply put, seedlings of tomato seedlings for greenhouse seedlings begin 1,5-2 months before planting, and tomatoes for open cultivation – 2-2,5 months before transplantation.

Sowing tomato seeds in the ground

If peat tablets are not used, tomato seeds are sown in common boxes or in separate cups. The principle of sowing is the same. If cups are used, it is advisable to put them in an empty box for ease of transportation.

So, it is necessary to make holes in the soil with a depth of 1,5 cm. If sowing is carried out in common boxes, the grooves are cut with a distance between rows of 5–7 cm, where the grains are laid out in 2 cm increments. One grain is placed here. All grooves with seeds are covered with loose soil. It is impossible to flood the soil with water. It is enough to slightly moisten the groove before sowing the tomato grain, and then moisten the entire soil from the sprayer when the grooves with the seeds are covered.

Before the appearance of young sprouts of tomatoes on the surface of the soil, it is necessary to create a favorable microclimate. The boxes are covered with glass or transparent film, and placed in a warm, lit place.

Arrangement of lighting

Tomato seedlings are very fond of light. Daylight hours are not enough for plants, especially in February. It is optimal for tomato seedlings to receive light for 16 hours. The first 3 days of hatched bores, in general, it is desirable to organize round-the-clock lighting. Simple incandescent lamps are not recommended. They emit a lot of heat, plus they are not able to emit the entire color spectrum required by plants. LED or fluorescent light sources, or a combination of both, are better suited.

Care for sprouted tomato seedlings

After the appearance of sprouts, the film cover is removed from the boxes, but kept at the same temperature for at least 7 days to adapt the plants. Further, seedlings reduce room temperature to +17^оC during the week. Tomato seedlings will get stronger, and will continue to grow during the day at a temperature of +19^оC, and at night the degrees must be reduced to +15^оC. You can regulate the temperature inside the room by opening the window, the main thing is that there is no draft. This temperature regime is maintained for about 1 month until two full-fledged leaves appear.

Plants standing at the window must reach for the light. The boxes must be rotated periodically to avoid elongated uneven stems.

Organization of watering seedlings of tomatoes

Watering of young plants is carried out with warm settled water in small doses directly under the root. For the entire time of germination before picking, tomato seedlings are watered three times. The first watering is carried out 10 days after sowing. By this time, the film had already been removed from the boxes, and the sprouts had all appeared on the surface of the soil. The second time the seedlings are watered after 7 days, and the last third time – 2 days before the pick.

Seedlings should not be overfilled with water. High dampness will prevent oxygen from reaching the roots and rot will begin to form. The soil under the plant should be loose, slightly moist. Frequent watering will be needed after picking, when the plant has 5 full leaves. During this period, the frequency of watering can reach every two days.

Top dressing of tomato seedlings

Usually tomatoes are fed with organic fertilizers. Experienced vegetable growers can dilute solutions of the desired consistency themselves. For beginner gardeners, it is preferable to use store-bought preparations. So, the first top dressing can be carried out with the drug “Agricola-Forward”. A teaspoon of dry matter is diluted in 1 liter of water, and the plants are watered. The time of the first feeding is determined by the appearance of one full-fledged leaf.

The second dressing is applied when three full-fledged leaves grow on a tomato. To do this, use the drug “Effekton”. The solution is prepared from 1 liter of water and 1 tbsp. l. dry fertilizer. The next top dressing is carried out 14 days after picking. The solution is prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l. nitroammophoski. Half a glass of liquid is poured under one plant.

The penultimate top dressing is done 14 days after transplanting the seedlings into large pots. The solution is prepared with 10 liters of water plus 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate. The last top dressing is applied shortly before planting. Under each plant, pour 1 cup of a solution prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska.

Picking seedlings of tomatoes

Picking a tomato usually falls 10–15 days after germination. Many vegetable growers immediately transplant seedlings into separate large cups. As practice shows, for the first pick it is advisable to take small half-liter containers. The glasses are filled with soil, watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, at a temperature of about 23^оC. All seedlings that have 3 full-fledged leaves are carefully pry with a spatula and placed in a separate cup. Slightly elongated sprouts are buried to the level of cotyledon leaves.

Immediately after picking, the sun’s rays should not fall on the plants. It is necessary to ensure indoor air temperature during the day +21^оC, and at night +17^оC. As they grow, after 3 or 4 weeks, the tomatoes are transplanted into large containers, where they grow until planted in the ground.

Hardening of tomatoes

Before planting tomatoes in their permanent place, they must be hardened off, otherwise the plants simply will not take root. This is done 2 weeks before the transplant. The temperature inside the room is gradually reduced from 19 to 15^оC. A week before planting, tomato seedlings are taken out into the street. The first day is enough 2 hours. Further, the time is increased, and the last day, the seedlings are left to spend the night on the street.

Planting tomatoes in a permanent place

Before planting tomatoes, it is necessary to determine the optimal place for them to grow. It is clear that the greenhouse space is limited, and the choice of beds here is small. But the garden has shaded and sunny areas. The culture will feel good in a sunlit garden bed, closed from blowing cold winds. It is better if root crops, onions, cabbage or beans grew in this place last year.

Holes are dug in the garden for seedlings. The distance between them depends on the varieties. For undersized tomatoes, it is enough to maintain a step of 40 cm, and for tall tomatoes, the distance is increased to 50 cm. At the same time, the row spacing is 70 cm. The depth of the hole is selected according to the volume of the glass with the plant. Usually 30 cm is enough. The tomato is carefully removed from the glass along with a lump of soil, lowered into the hole, and then sprinkled with earth. If the seedling falls, you can stick a peg near it and tie the plant to it. After planting the tomato, the hole is watered with warm water.

The video shows tomatoes in Siberia:

Growing tomatoes in Siberia is no different from other regions. Just because of the harsh climate, they adhere to other terms of sowing and planting in the ground, and the rest of the agricultural technology remains unchanged.