Secrets of planting and caring for tomatoes

There are summer residents who prefer to grow tomato seedlings themselves. And there are those who do not bother themselves with worries and buy ready-made seedlings on the market. Regardless of which category the lover of these wonderful plants belongs to, any of them is faced with the questions of planting and caring for tomatoes.

Let's learn how to plant tomatoes and how to properly care for them to get a good harvest.

Advantages and disadvantages of planting in open ground

There are two ways to grow tomatoes:

• in a greenhouse;
• in the open field.

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of growing tomatoes in the open field:

When and how to sow seeds

Tomatoes in Russian latitudes, due to the short summer and unpredictable weather conditions, they are mainly planted in seedlings. This means that the seeds are germinated long before planting in the ground or greenhouse, and the seedlings are then transplanted. This allows you to shorten the growing season and get the coveted harvest earlier.

On average, sowing is done 55-70 days before planting seedlings in the main place. Sowing begins early, in February - March... Seeds germinate five to nine days after sowing. Before planting in the ground or greenhouse, gardeners grow them at home on the windowsill.

Seed selection

When choosing seeds for planting, pay attention to:

• resistance of the variety to atmospheric changes (for example, heat, frost, drought), especially if you plan to grow tomatoes in the open field;
• the yield of the variety - the higher it is, the better;
• fruit pulp density: consider the purpose of growing - if you want to preserve the crop, then pay attention to elastic varieties with dense pulp;
• Does the soil in your area match the tomato seed manufacturer's recommended soil for growing.

Growing and preparing seedlings

Before planting seeds for seedlings, you need to:

• process the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate;
• hold them in a growth stimulant solution.

Some growers sell seeds already processed. Pay attention to the information on the packaging.

It is best to plant tomato seeds in peat pots (later, it is convenient to transplant the tomato along with the pot to a permanent place). If not, plastic cups or any other container will do.

The seeding depth is one and a half to two centimeters. After sowing, the pots are covered with a film (create a favorable microclimate for germinating seeds) and placed in a warm place. When shoots appear, they are taken out into the light (usually placed on a windowsill).

Important! Water the small sprouts carefully, using settled water.

When the tomato has two true leaves, the plants are seated (dived) in separate containers, in which they remain to grow until planting in the main place.

Choosing a landing site and preparing it

The planting site should be well lit, because tomatoes love light. Therefore, it is better to choose areas that are not shaded by neighboring trees or structures.

Regardless of where you plan to plant tomatoes (in a greenhouse or in open ground), it is advisable to place the beds on the site from east to west. With this arrangement, the tomatoes will be provided with uniform lighting and heating throughout the day.

Attention! It is undesirable to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse together with neighboring plants that need high humidity. For example, with cucumbers. Tomatoes get sick from high humidity.

Soil preparation consists of the following steps:

Planting seedlings in the ground

Consider how to properly plant tomatoes in the soil. Each tomato grower chooses a scheme for planting tomatoes in his garden, based on the characteristics of the site (for example, the width of the ridges, the possibility of a free approach from different sides) and his preferences. Seedlings are planted either in one row or in several rows, as well as in a checkerboard pattern.

For planting, they dig holes or a trench in a prepared bed in which tomatoes are planted. The land is watered before planting.

When planting tomatoes, tomato growers maintain distances:

When to plant tomatoes outdoors? This can be different every year. It all depends on the weather conditions. It is important that the earth warms up well before planting seedlings and the average daily temperature is at least 13 degrees Celsius. There should be no threat of frost on the soil. Some tomato growers to protect the tomato plants planted in open ground, the tomatoes are initially covered with a film.

Tomato care secrets

After the tomato seedlings take root in a new place, experienced tomato growers recommend a whole range of plant care measures to get a good harvest.

Among them:

• hilling;
• watering and feeding;
• pinching;
• garter;
• disease prevention;
• removal of leaves.

Hilling

Hilling tomatoes will help strengthen the plant's root system. This should be done at the time of root growth. Watch a tomato and it will tell you when it's time for hilling.

Above the ground at the base of the trunk, root buds (pimples) or a slight purple tint at the bottom of the trunk will appear. This means that it is desirable to add a layer of earth to cover the near-surface part of the trunk. Soon, full-fledged roots are formed there, which will improve the nutrition of the plant.

Watering

Tomatoes considered a drought tolerant crop. But since in Russia they are grown mainly by seedlings, in which the root system of plants is not as fully developed (as with a seedless planting method), the roots do not penetrate so deeply into the soil. As a result, the tomato cannot get the missing moisture from the depths of the earth by itself. This means that he needs additional watering.

In the first two weeks after planting the seedlings, watering should not be excessive... The plant should take root and develop its root system in a new location. If at this time the tomatoes are "poured", they will poorly develop their roots and most of them will remain in the surface layer of the soil.

Subsequently, tomatoes need to be watered on average 1-2 times a week. But it is better to focus on the weather and the condition of the plants. Experienced gardeners water the tomatoes when the tips of the leaves of the plants begin to drop slightly. This is a signal that the water pressure inside the plant has decreased, and the tomato asks to water it.

Garter

To tie up a tomato means to give it additional support, to fix it. If the garter is not done, the tomato bush will either break under its own weight or lie on the ground as it grows.

Benefits of tying:

• the tomato bush remains fruitful and does not break;
• sunlight and air flows better between tied tomatoes;
• plants that do not lie on the surface of the soil are less likely to get sick;
• fruits that are poured and ripen on the ground are more likely to eat pests and rot.
• when the tomato bushes are tied, it is easier to care for them (water, fertilize, process, etc.).

In the open field, tomatoes are tied to pegs stuck in the ground next to the plant. In the greenhouse - vertically to the supports located under the ceiling.

Stealing

Competent and experienced tomato growers believe that tomatoes must be pinned without fail. They call it the process of removing additional stem processes that are formed in the axils between the trunk and leaves of a tomato... The plants are examined and the stepsons pluck out with their fingers.

Attention! If stepchildren are removed in time, this will save the plant's strength for growth and increase the quality of the crop.

Top dressing

Top dressing of tomatoes increases productivity. It has been empirically proven that when feeding tomatoes, you can collect 20% more fruits than without it.

Three phases of tomato development in which top dressing is done:

1. The appearance of buds.
2. Bloom.
3. Fruit ripening.

There are two types of dressings:

• root (fertilizer is applied to the ground under the tomato root);
• foliar (with a solution of fertilizer in liquid form, the aerial part of the tomato is sprayed).

To increase the yield, tomato bushes are sprayed with a boric acid solution (half a teaspoon per 10 liters of water).

Root feeding with yeast starter gives a good effect. For this, 100 g of fresh baker's yeast is fermented at room temperature with half a glass of sugar and two and a half liters of water. After the end of fermentation, the mixture is diluted at the rate of a glass of mash per bucket of water. Solution consumption - one liter per bush.

Removing leaves

It will be necessary to remove the leaves when the plants grow strongly and their leaves begin to come into contact with each other or with the ground. Why pruning leaves is recommended:

• so that there is no transmission of diseases or pests between neighboring tomatoes;
• so that diseases do not develop on leaves in contact with the ground;
• to improve air circulation;
• to better penetrate the sun's rays between the tomatoes;
• so that the strength of the plant and all the nutrition goes into the fruits, and not into the leaves.

Important! Until the fruits have set in the tomato brush, you cannot remove the leaves above the brush.

Leaves are pruned in dry weather. Do not water the plants immediately after pruning. This is done so that the wounds have time to dry out and do not become a source of infection.

Protection against diseases and pests

The main way to combat diseases and pests is prevention. And it consists primarily in the correct tillage before planting tomatoes. Before planting plants, the soil must be disinfected with boiling water or a solution of copper sulfate. Also, for prophylactic purposes, before planting seedlings, some gardeners advise adding a tablet of a special drug "Glyocladin" to the hole.

If pests appear on the growing bushes, for example, spider mites or caterpillars, spraying with infusions of garlic or wormwood (200 g per liter of water) will help.

What to plant after tomatoes

In order for the harvests in the garden to always be good, it is important to alternate crops in the beds (observe the rules of crop rotation). In the same place, tomatoes can be planted no earlier than after three to four years.

In the place where the tomatoes grew, according to the rules of crop rotation, you can plant:

• legumes (peas, beans and etc.);
• cucumbers, zucchini;
• all types of cabbage;
• parsley, celery, lettuce, radish;
• carrots, beets.

Conclusion

You can grow tomatoes on your site both in the open field and in a greenhouse. The key to a good tomato harvest will be proper plant care. You should not neglect either pre-sowing soil treatment or seed disinfection. This is the basis for growing healthy plants.

If you follow the entire care method - feeding, watering, pinching and tying up - tomatoes will delight you with excellent harvests.