When to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse and soil in the suburbs

Tomatoes are one of the most sought after crops in garden plots. Planting these plants in the Moscow region has its own characteristics. The timing of the event depends on weather conditions and the method of planting: in open ground, a greenhouse or a greenhouse.

Regardless of the method chosen, it is required to provide the necessary conditions for the tomatoes. Then the plants will be able to develop and bring the maximum yield.

How to choose a place for tomatoes

Tomatoes prefer an abundance of warmth and sunny color. This must be taken into account when choosing a bed. Tomatoes do not tolerate wind loads, and frosts can kill the plant.

Tomatoes do well in places where cabbage, onions, carrots or legumes used to grow. If potatoes or eggplants grew in the garden last year, then another site should be selected. Repeat planting tomatoes in their original place is allowed only after three years.

Preparing the soil for planting

Tomatoes are planted in light soil. If the soil is heavy, then it must first be fertilized. Humus and special fertilizers for tomatoes are suitable as top dressing. Manure should be carefully added to the soil. Its excess causes active leaf growth, which negatively affects fruiting.

It is best to prepare the soil for tomatoes in the fall. The soil needs to be dug up, and then fertilized. Immediately before planting, it is enough to loosen it and level it.

The soil for tomatoes is prepared from earth, humus and compost, which are taken in equal proportions. Superphosphate or ash can be added to the resulting mixture. The soil should remain loose and warm.

In spring, the soil is dug up several times. At this stage, minerals and humus are added again. Fertilizer is poured into the holes before planting. With proper soil preparation, the plant takes root faster.

In greenhouses, the soil quickly loses its properties. After harvesting, its layer is removed to a depth of 0,4 m. Then a layer of broken branches and sawdust is formed. After that, a layer of peat is laid, after which fertile soil is poured.

Preparation of seedlings

Preparation of seedlings should begin 2 months before planting. Tomato seeds begin to germinate in mid-February – early March.

To ensure seed germination, the ambient temperature should be 12°C at night and 20°C during the day. Additionally, artificial lighting is provided with a fluorescent lamp.

For planting, plants are selected that have sprouted during the week in large numbers. Every 10 days, seedlings are fed with humus. For irrigation, melted or boiled water is used, which is sprayed from a spray bottle.

Greenhouse landing

After preparing the soil in the greenhouse, after a week and a half, you can start planting tomatoes. In the greenhouse, beds of the following sizes are formed:

• between low plants – from 40 cm;
• between medium – up to 25 cm;
• between high – up to 50 cm;
• between rows – up to 0,5 m.

The distance between the rows is determined taking into account the size of the greenhouse. It is better to leave free space between the tomatoes so that their leaves do not interfere with each other during the growth process.

A favorable microclimate should form in the greenhouse. Tomatoes prefer air temperatures in the range of 20-25°C. The soil should reach a temperature of 14°C.

The order of planting tomatoes is as follows:

1. For 5 days, the soil is treated with a boric solution.
2. For 2 days, the leaves of plants located at the roots are cut off.
3. Holes are prepared with dimensions of about 15 cm (for low-growing varieties) or 30 cm (for tall plants).
4. Tomatoes are taken out of the containers along with a clod of earth and transplanted into the holes.
5. The plant is covered with earth before the leaves begin to grow.
6. The soil under the tomatoes is compacted and mulched with peat or humus.

Landing in a greenhouse

Unlike a greenhouse, a greenhouse has a simpler design. It provides heat due to the decomposition of organic fertilizer (compost or manure). In the process of decay, the soil in the greenhouse is heated and the required temperature is provided.

The term for planting tomatoes in a greenhouse depends on the temperature of the soil. Additionally, the duration of the organic decomposition process is taken into account. To do this, the air temperature should be set at 10-15 ° C.

Much depends on the season: how early spring came and the air had time to warm up. This usually happens by the beginning of May.

The process of planting tomatoes in a greenhouse includes a certain sequence of steps:

1. A week before the start of work, the soil is being prepared.
2. Holes are made up to 30 cm in size.
3. Tomatoes are planted in holes with the preservation of the root system.
4. The earth around the plants is compacted.
5. Each seedling is watered.

Tomatoes are planted in a greenhouse with the following distances:

• height – up to 40 cm;
• width – up to 90 cm;
• the distance between the walls of the greenhouse and the bed is 40 cm;
• distance between rows – 60 cm.

Usually a greenhouse contains one or two rows of tomatoes. A special film or woven material is used as a covering material. After establishing a stable temperature, there is no need for additional shelter of tomatoes.

Landing in open ground

Tomatoes can be planted in open areas in the Moscow region when the soil temperature reaches at least 14 ° C. Usually the soil warms up in the second half of May, but these dates may change depending on the season.

A cloudy day is chosen for work. Under hot sunlight, the plant will be more difficult to take root. If clouds are not expected, then the planted tomatoes must be additionally protected from the sun.

The order of planting tomatoes in open ground is as follows:

1. Holes are made in the soil to a depth of 12 cm.
2. Compost, humus, mineral fertilizers are introduced into the resulting recesses.
3. The landing site is watered abundantly.
4. The seedlings are taken out of the container, keeping a clod of earth on the roots, and placed in the holes.
5. Tomatoes are sprinkled with earth to the leaves.

If the seedling has a height of up to 0,4 m, then the plant is placed directly. If the tomatoes are overgrown, then they are laid at an angle of 45 °. This will allow the plant to form additional roots and provide an influx of nutrients.

The distance between the holes depends on the variety of tomatoes:

• between undersized plants leave 35 cm;
• 50 cm is required between medium and high tomatoes.

Landing is carried out in rows or in a checkerboard pattern. There are no restrictions here.

To protect tomatoes from frost, you can cover them with a film or covering material at night. This is done immediately after planting, when the plant is not yet strong. In the future, the need for additional shelter disappears.

Caring for tomatoes after planting

When tomatoes are planted, they need to be properly cared for. Immediately after placing the plants in the soil, they are watered. Loosening, top dressing, removal of stepchildren and garter are performed as the tomatoes grow. Be sure to ensure timely watering of plants.

Loosening and hilling

Due to loosening, air exchange in the soil is carried out and moisture absorption improves. The procedure is carried out to a depth of several centimeters so as not to damage the roots of the tomato.

Hilling is carried out during flowering and fruiting. As a result, additional roots appear, providing an influx of nutrients. Hay or peat can be laid on the surface of the soil, which will protect the tomatoes from overheating in the heat.

Removal of stepchildren and garter

Lateral shoots or stepchildren that form on the trunk of a tomato take life-giving forces from it.

Therefore, they must be removed periodically. For this, it is not recommended to use an improvised tool, it is enough to break the extra shoots.

Low-growing varieties of tomatoes do not require a garter. For taller plants, a support is made in the form of a special net or pegs. Tomatoes are tied under the first ovary so as not to damage it.

Watering and top dressing

Tomatoes are watered immediately after planting. Then there is a break for 7 days. This rule is violated if the weather is hot.

Tomatoes need to be watered under the root with warm water. It is best to leave watering in the evening. At the same time, moisture is not allowed to get on the leaves of tomatoes. The procedure is often carried out in conjunction with top dressing. To do this, organic or mineral fertilizer (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) is diluted in water.

Conclusion

Tomatoes require special conditions, which must be considered when planting. In what month to carry out landing work, largely depends on weather conditions. First of all, tomatoes are planted in a greenhouse and a greenhouse. Planting plants in open ground is allowed only with sufficient warming of the air. Further growth of tomatoes depends on their proper watering, pruning and top dressing.