When to sow tomatoes for seedlings? How to grow tomatoes?

You need to start sowing tomatoes for seedlings from March to the end of April, and in February, it’s time to prepare for sowing.

Tomato sprouts are very sensitive to sudden changes in weather conditions. Therefore, we grow tomato seedlings indoors in order to plant healthy young plants in the ground that will be resistant to various weather conditions. Healthy seedlings are less susceptible to diseases and more resistant to garden pests and weeds, as well as weather conditions, than young shoots sown in open ground. In addition, seedlings allow you to get earlier harvests.

How to sow tomatoes for seedlings? How to care for tomato seedlings? How to plant tomato seedlings in open ground? You will find answers to these questions in the article “Sowing seeds for seedlings”.

If you plant seedlings in open ground, and not in a greenhouse, the seeds should be sown a little later – in mid-March. In general, 50 days should pass from the time of sowing seeds to planting, so depending on this period and the weather forecast (soil readiness), you can plan the exact date. Or use our calendar. It is important to know that overgrown seedlings will also be weak, so sowing tomato seeds too early is not good.

Soil for tomatoes

The soil must be nutritious, so the area where the tomatoes will grow is prepared in advance – in the fall. Compost (humus), crushed eggshells and wood ash should be added to the soil. Tomatoes love a high content of organic matter in the soil, nitrogen, potassium, unlike most vegetables.

Seedlings should be planted in warm soil (16 degrees Celsius). In order not to damage the root system of tomatoes, before planting seedlings, you need to install a support to which the tomatoes will be tied.

Planting tomato seedlings

We plant tomato seedlings to a depth – to the first leaves ( very elongated seedlings – to the second and third leaves, carefully laying the stem in the planting hole) – this contributes to the increased growth of the root system of the plant.

Pinching and shaping tomatoes (tomatoes)

The correct formation of a tomato bush is one of the most important points in its cultivation. In addition to pinching tomatoes (pinching side shoots), it is recommended to remove the lower leaves on tomato shoots for each new ovary. So only 3-4 upper leaves remain on the tomato plant, which are quite enough for photosynthesis and nutrition. Such formation of a tomato bush, firstly, provides better access of light and air to the plant and to the fruit, reduces the risk of fungal diseases and, secondly, allows you to get a more abundant and early harvest.

In hot, sunny regions, it is not recommended to prune tomatoes so much, as the leaves protect the tomato fruits from overheating and burns.

If you need to propagate tomatoes at the beginning of the season, use tomato stepchildren as cuttings.

Light brightness and air temperature for tomatoes

For the normal development of tomatoes, an average daily temperature of +17 to +28 ° C is required. Direct sunlight is important for the formation of flowers during the flowering period, and at the stage of development and ripening of fruits, heat becomes more important for the tomato than direct sunlight.

Air humidity for tomatoes

Dry and fresh air around tomatoes is one of the main conditions for their cultivation and disease resistance. Be sure to ventilate the greenhouse with tomatoes on hot days, install fans if necessary.

Watering tomatoes (tomatoes)

Tomatoes love plentiful, but not very frequent watering at the root. Such watering helps the plant form a deep and branched root system. But excessive watering leads to a watery taste of tomatoes, cracking and dropping of fruits, and tomatoes become more vulnerable to fungal diseases. Insufficient or uneven watering (when the soil dries out) – to cracking of tomatoes and top rot. When watering, it is important to avoid getting water on the trunk, leaves and fruits – this contributes to the development of fungi.

Fertilizer for tomatoes

To harvest a rich harvest, tomatoes need to be provided with all the necessary trace elements; From the period of picking seedlings to the beginning of flowering, tomatoes need fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer. After the formation of the first fruits, the main attention should be paid to potassium-based feeding. After the formation of the first fruits, start fertilizing the tomatoes with a special fertilizer for tomatoes (based on potassium). Wood ash has an alkaline reaction and contains 5% potassium.

Pollination of tomatoes (tomatoes)

Tomatoes do not need artificial pollination. Tomatoes are a self-pollinating crop, it produces a large amount of high-quality pollen that can pollinate its own and neighboring flowers. However, to guarantee self-pollination and obtain more fruits, you can shake each plant every 2-3 days during the entire flowering period.

To improve the taste of the tomato, plant annual honey plants (basil and marigolds) between them. What are the best neighbors in the garden for tomatoes, read the article “Compatibility of garden crops” and “Alternation of garden crops”.

Pests and diseases of tomatoes

Tomato diseases are a big problem when grown outdoors. The most common and dangerous diseases of tomatoes are: fungal infections, late blight, top rot, brown spot and tobacco mosaic.

Most tomato diseases are provoked by rain, insufficient heat and sun. The combination of cold and rain can be absolutely detrimental to tomatoes.

For the prevention of diseases, when growing tomatoes, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
Use disease-resistant seeds.
Grow tomatoes in a greenhouse or greenhouse, not outdoors.
Observe the alternation of vegetable crops, annually change the soil where you grow tomatoes.
Uproot and destroy tomatoes affected by diseases and pests.
Never plant tomatoes next to potatoes.
Weed the soil regularly between the tomato plants.
Pinching, shaping and pruning tomatoes should be done in dry weather so that the plants are dry.