How to cover tomatoes in open ground. Growing tomatoes in open ground: all the secrets. When to plant tomato seedlings in open ground

When planting and growing tomatoes in open ground in the northern regions, a significant question often arises: “.” Arguments in favor of this method of care will be:

insufficient heat and sunlight;
rapid freezing of soil with crops;
unsuitability of the variety to these climatic conditions;

In the middle zone, when growing tomatoes, covering with plastic film is used as one of the care methods. The crops are simply created with conditions as close as possible to greenhouse conditions, especially if the tomato variety, as listed, is not suitable for growing in this area.

Tomatoes are also covered in open ground during periods when the temperature has dropped noticeably or the weather has changed dramatically. You can resort not to the method of sheltering in beds, but to installing an awning, for example, during the rainy season.

Tomato varieties for growing in open ground and care methods

When growing tomatoes in open ground, you need to initially select suitable and resistant varieties so that you do not have to take additional care of them. Which varieties are best for middle zone or for a colder region?

Pay attention to varieties such as “Apples in the Snow” or “Yamal”, which take root well in any soil, do not suck and produce a harvest quickly - in 95-100 days - which is important for meeting the planting and harvesting deadlines before the onset of cold weather. These varieties can also be covered so that they ripen faster, but do not forget to periodically ventilate the seedlings under plastic wrap.

They are also susceptible to the problem of late blight, so it is necessary to introduce measures to prevent its occurrence in advance. It is also worth considering that young seedlings can be saved by covering them, but tall, two-meter tomato bushes are much more difficult to hide under a canopy. Use an awning in this case.

When to harvest tomatoes if they were covered?

Under cover, tomatoes can ripen faster than without it. The approximate harvest occurs in the month of August, and its beginning and end varies depending on the variety of tomatoes. Quickly ripening varieties can begin to be collected in early August, and late varieties can be delayed until the end of August or beginning of September.

It is worth noting that early varieties of tomatoes are much less likely to succumb to problems with planting, late blight or crop loss, since the bulk of it is harvested long before they appear.

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03 Feb 2012 |

Mulching and covering agrofibre is used for growing tomatoes. It is better to use them together, but, depending on your growing conditions, you can use either only covering or only mulching. Using agrofibre when growing tomatoes:

mulching - protection from weeds (50 g/m2 black fiber); protection from frost and external factors(covering white from 17 to 60 density).

MULCHING

Constant weed control when growing any plants - this topic will always be relevant! Tomatoes can and should be mulched. This will retain moisture in the soil, protect against weeds and prevent the fruits from rotting.

Application technology: Black agrofibre is laid on the bed on either side. With a sharp knife cuts are made (the X-shaped ones are most convenient) into which the seedlings are planted.

Watering and fertilizing is done through mulch (it is not known for certain which chemical fertilizers may damage the material, but there are cases where untested low-quality fertilizers burn through fabric; we recommend buying only high-quality fertilizers). IMPORTANT!

Be sure to secure the edges, otherwise even a small breeze will blow the mulch like a sail. The easiest way is to dig the edges with earth, but you can press the edges using any available method (boards, bricks, etc.). There is no need to remove the mulch for the winter, it is not afraid of frost. If you use drip irrigation, lay the drip tape on top, then the emitters will not clog.

COVERING GREENHOUSE FRAMEWORKS

In most regions of Ukraine, tomatoes are grown under covers with plastic film, in glass or polycarbonate greenhouses. However, increasingly, these materials are being replaced with high-density covering agrofibre (30, 50 or 60), because it has a number of advantages:

longer service life - 4 seasons (2 years) holds the temperature longer (especially important during night frosts) - 12 hours instead of 3 hours for the film there is no lens effect (relevant in bright sun) the fiber allows air and moisture to pass through

Application technology: It is attached in the same way as the film: staples, nylon threads, nails, clamps, glazing beads.

COVERING PLANTS

Agrofibre of density 17, 19 or 23 can be covered without a frame. The weight of the canvas is so small that the plants simply lift it. When purchasing, keep in mind that the width of the fiber should be enough to freely cover already mature plants.

If you take the width without allowing for plant growth, you will ultimately not be able to use the fiber 100%. IN this moment agrofibre can be purchased up to 16 meters wide. Application technology: IMPORTANT!

Be sure to press the edges, but not too tightly - leave the plants the opportunity to lift the agrofibre. To do this, it is best to use bags of sand to make it easier to let go of the fiber a little when it stretches and prevents plants from growing. When choosing a covering material, you need to first weigh everything and evaluate all the pros and cons.

In our opinion, non-woven covering material is an unconditional alternative substitute for all types of polyethylene films. Good luck!!!

Growing tomatoes. How do I grow tomatoes

Our family really loves tomatoes, both fresh and canned. We believe that it is better to eat what you have grown yourself rather than bought in a store.

And children have a better appetite when they proudly bring plucked fruits to the garden, wash and eat them themselves. Therefore, despite pregnancy, I decided to plant and grow tomatoes myself. By the way, tomatoes are very healthy, they contain a lot of vitamins and microelements necessary to the human body. And recently I found out that tomatoes contain lycopene, which protects a person from cancer! So growing tomatoes is simply necessary))))) Closer to the point, or how to grow tomatoes I’ll break the whole process down into points: My relatives gave me the seeds, they collected them themselves from their own the best fruits, so I can’t say anything about tomato varieties.

I know that there are tall and short ones. To plant seedlings, I bought disposable food containers with lids, disposable beer glasses, and soil for seedlings. My beloved husband also dug up humus in a forest belt not far from our house. I mixed purchased soil with humus and poured it into containers.

I planted dry seeds there shallowly, 0.5 cm deep, and watered them. Covered with lids and placed on the windowsill. Periodically I opened it, ventilated it and sprayed it. I almost forgot, I sowed the seeds in early March.

But for different regions everything is planted differently. Shoots will appear within 10 days. It may be necessary to illuminate the seedlings with lamps, but I did not do this; I placed the seedlings on the windowsill, and daylight It was enough for her. When the seedlings grew up, they felt cramped in the container, I began to plant them: I poured the same soil mixture into beer glasses as in the containers, carefully separated the seedlings and planted them in cups, deepening them well.

Agreen New generation agrofibre

You can pinch the longest root. You can dive not into glasses, but into boxes, maintaining a distance between the seedlings. I watered them about 2 times a week. My tomatoes grew longer, but I didn’t add extra light to them.

It is also necessary to harden the seedlings, open the windows and let them stand in the cold. I didn't know this, when I dropped off at open ground, the lower leaves turned white and dried out. I started planting seedlings in mid-May.

The main thing is that there is no frost at night, otherwise the seedlings will die. My husband made me beds, into which he added chicken manure and humus (my parents supplied them when they cleaned out the chicken coop!). You can add compost (rotten grass). I made holes with a hoe and spilled water on them.

The seedlings were buried down to the first leaves. I placed very elongated seedlings in a hole, this promotes root growth. They sat quite closely together so they could be further away from each other.

But this is my first garden, so I’m learning from experience! When I planted all the seedlings, I watered them well. And then I watered it every three days.

The husband periodically loosened and weeded the holes. 2) you can pour straw, hay, sawdust or dry grass into the bed to retain moisture 3) abundant watering once a week at the root 4) removing the lower leaves and side shoots (stepchildren) We decided to leave the stepsons in In our strip, they also harvest a lot of crops and the tomatoes don’t burn as much. 5) tie them to a support so that they stand upright and don’t creep along the ground 6) fight diseases and pests, if any. We only encountered black aphids, which stuck to all the tomato bushes. Once we sprayed it with phytoverm - and it was amazing! The problem for many is late blight from excess moisture.

There is a solution: build a greenhouse and plant tomatoes in it. We took an easier route - we bent arcs from reinforcement and covered them with non-woven covering material, sold in rolls.

He dissipates straight lines Sun rays, protects from fog and cold dew, but allows moisture to pass through. Well, that’s all the information on the topic for now "growing tomatoes" We talked about how to grow seedlings, plant them in open ground and how to care for seedlings.

At the moment, there are green fruits hanging on my tomato bushes that are starting to turn brown. I promise to tell you later how much we harvested! I hope my personal experience turned out to be useful for you.

If you are a beginner gardener like me, believe that everything will work out for you and it doesn’t matter whether it’s your first time or a bad experience. In principle, growing tomatoes is not such a difficult task, the main thing is that it is not a burden, but a joy. Look at VIDEO my tomatoes!P.

S. I’m finishing writing about the harvest in the fall: there were a lot of tomatoes! And they ate and bottled it up. And this is thanks to the covering material; those who didn’t cover them lost their tomatoes. Share in the comments about your experience of growing tomatoes! Subscribe to the newsletter and receive new and interesting stories about our life! Follow the buttons and tell your friends! Thank you in advance! I wish you EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING! The most common materials for covering seedlings:

Agricultural canvas. Opaque and non-woven.Polyethylene film.

First you need to cover the seedlings with a cloth. It will protect plants from sun, frost and strong winds. In severe frosts, the seedlings are covered with a film on top. To protect strawberries and wild strawberries in May frosts, they are also covered with a cloth and a film on top. In May there is a period of budding and flowering, so such an early type of berry as strawberry should be protected from freezing at night. To protect cucumbers, covering materials are also used, from the same frosts and winds. After all, seedlings are so fragile, especially in the first days of planting, when they have not yet taken root to the ground. Scheme for covering plants with film. Technology for covering strawberries, wild strawberries, cucumbers.

First, a support is placed in the form of an arc over the seedlings. You need several such arcs over the entire area that needs to be saved from the harmful factors of nature. At night, a cloth is thrown over the arcs, and a plastic film on top so that the edges hang down to the ground, and you can press them with something heavy so that air does not penetrate inside shelters. If the canvas lies directly on the bushes, it will not damage them. The height of the arches usually reaches 1 meter.

Polyethylene film is additional protection. The strawberries will be safe under the film. If the frosts are mild, but there is no wind, and the sun is not too hot, then one non-woven fabric will be enough. After the frosts have subsided and summer comes, the plastic film can be hidden until the next season; it will no longer be needed, but the fabric will still be useful, to grow strawberries, strawberries and cucumbers when the sun begins to harm the seedlings in the July heat.

Then you need to install risers over the shelter area, and a canvas on them so that it serves as a canopy for the plants. During the flowering period of cucumbers, they need to be covered with a cloth only if the temperature rises above 30.

At such a high temperature, the pollen will deteriorate and there will be no fruit. In rare cases, shelters will be needed in the fall if early frosts set in and late varieties of cucumbers have not yet been harvested. In any case, growing under the protection of the material is much more reliable than without it.

Covering material for plants

The covering material adds a lot of hassle to the owners: the material needs to be laid out in the evening and removed in the morning. And so on throughout the entire period of frost. But, despite these inconveniences, the result will be amazing - the plants will not suffer, and the yield will increase.

Planting of early crops begins in early spring, so it is necessary to stock up on covering material. Spunbond is a non-woven material for a greenhouse that has a fibrous structure and is breathable. Covering material serves to protect strawberries, cucumbers, wild strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and even potatoes, as well as many others crops

Whatever the housewife plants in her garden, she will in any case need shelter, if not necessarily, then at least just in case, in the event of emergency situations, for example, unexpected frosts or extreme heat, as well as newly identified diseases or harmful insects. Polyethylene film is the most common and cheapest material. It is produced in rolls. Roll width - 3,4,6 meters.

9 comments to the post: “When and how to plant tomatoes in open ground in the Moscow region”

1Yulia: April 29th, 2014 at 11:12 pm
Hello, Valery. The seedlings are very stretched out and will have to be planted lying down. You need to pick off a lot of leaves (almost as many as you have in the video). Tell me, will this slow down development or is this acceptable? And yet, the seedlings are blooming, the nights are cold. Can I plant it in a greenhouse on May 1-2 or wait for warmer weather? The forecast for May 9 is no better, it will even be cooler. What to do? I live in the Moscow region.
2Valery Medvedev: April 30th, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Yulia, a recumbent landing will of course slow down growth a little, but it’s not scary. And you can plant it in a greenhouse if you cover the tomatoes additionally on cold nights or somehow heat the greenhouse; in general, you will have to monitor the weather more closely.
3Julia: April 30th, 2014 at 10:38 pm
Thank you. Valery, please tell me what temperature can tomatoes withstand (frost)? I can’t find your article, I read about it somewhere. The temperature in the greenhouse (polycarbonate, we made it ourselves) is only a few degrees higher than outside. There don’t seem to be any big gaps, but I thought it would be warmer. That's what I'm worried about. It's hot during the day, of course.
4Valery Medvedev: May 1st, 2014 at 4:45 am
Tomatoes can withstand short cold snaps down to 0-+1 degrees, but a long drop even to +10 will have a bad effect
Thank you very much for the answer. We will insulate, today I sealed the cracks. I congratulate you on the occasion!
6Lydia: June 8th, 2014 at 11:29 am
Hello, Valery. We have a site in Len. region I also have little experience as a gardener, and I haven’t planted tomatoes yet. It was not possible. I'm afraid it's too late, but we need to plant... Maybe there are some recommendations from you. And another question: I want to try to cover the greenhouse (on arcs) non-woven material. Maybe it's better than film?
7Valery Medvedev: June 8th, 2014 at 10:47 pm
Hello Lydia, it’s definitely not too late to plant tomatoes, and non-fabric is better for peppers, but it definitely helps tomatoes, I can’t compare it with film, it’s different for everyone.
8Nadezhda: May 14th, 2015 at 10:18 pm
Good afternoon Valery, please tell me what to do this year with planting tomato and pepper seedlings in open ground (30-density non-woven cover). The weather is not kind these days, the north of the Tver region. According to the forecast, there may not be an average of 15 degrees by mid-June... What are you doing this year? And even cucumbers... Warm beds No, and it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to equip them. The compost does not want to “compost”, and manure cannot be obtained either. If you simply insulate the bed with last year's grass (like hay, but not too much of it either), spill Baikal EM (in what proportion does it develop and how to use it to speed up composting; there are no recommendations about this on the tube), soil on top, spill everything hot water(considering the presence of a solution of Baikal bacteria - how hot?!), on top of the arc and covering - would this option work? I repeat, what about the timing of planting seedlings this year?
9Valery Medvedev: May 15th, 2015 at 7:09 pm
Peppers should definitely not be planted before the average daily temperature is higher than 15 degrees and the soil should be warmed up. Non-woven fabric will certainly help, but with a short-term cold snap. Covering the bed with last year's grass will also give results, and the bike will hot water It cannot be diluted, only in a warm place.

Regardless of the name, manufacturers divide all non-woven covering materials into four groups:

light; white dense; black dense.

Each group is endowed with a certain set of properties and characteristics that influence the way this covering fabric is used. For example, light, low-density canvases are used to cover beds to protect seedlings from frost.

Growing seedlings lift weightless material with their tops, while remaining under reliable shelter from unfavorable climate conditions. In the fight against weeds, non-woven fabrics from the fourth group help, which have the most high density and are black in color. Thanks to its dark color, the material retains sunlight, while perfectly accumulating heat. The listed properties determine main goal application of non-woven material, which consists in mulching beds. Non-woven covering materials have unique qualities that allow them to inhibit the growth of weeds and ensure free penetration of moisture and air to the root system of plants

How to use covering material?

Mulching agrofibre is a non-woven polypropylene materials, which do not cause any harm to cultivated plants, animals, or people. At the same time, agrofibre does not give any chance to weeds, which die from the lack of light, trying to break through the dense material.

The density of mulching covering materials is 50-60 grams per square meter. Scheme for using non-woven covering material against weeds. In the holes made with a sharp peg, they plant cultivated plants. Weeds die because sunlight is not available to them. The method of application is as follows:

Black agrofibre is spread on the soil that has dried up after winter and prepared for planting to prevent weeds from growing over the entire area of the bed; seedlings are planted in cross-shaped slits made in the covering fabric with a sharp peg or cutting object.

The video shows how to use non-woven covering material using the example of growing strawberries:

Black agrofibre or two-tone material?

Amateur gardeners, as well as farmers who grow fruits and vegetables on a large scale, are freed from the need to purchase and use herbicides against weeds. They also don’t have to spend time at their summer cottages with hoes, spending a lot of physical effort and time on weeding.

There are simply no weeds. Only useful crops grow in even rows. In addition, the fruits remain clean after rains, since they do not come into contact with the ground. Strawberries grown on beds covered with agrofibre can be harvested immediately after rain.

The berries lie on a dry cloth and have a wonderful marketable condition. They can be served on the table, lightly rinsed from dust, or taken to the market for sale. Using black mulching agrofibre, you can achieve more early maturation harvest.

The period of growing crops can be reduced to two weeks by early warming up the soil under the cover. The use of mulching agrofibre eliminates a large amount of work on caring for plantings in the garden, since there is no need to weed the beds. The range of covering materials now includes interesting new product– two-color mulching agrofibre, superior in functionality to conventional black canvases. The manufacturer has improved the product by combining two thin layers of white and black.

As a result, the covering material is black on one side and white on the other. The dark side of the canvas is laid on the ground, and the light surface is on top and reflects sunlight that falls on plants and fruits from below, accelerating their growth and ripening. Important! White surface mulching two-color agrofiber prevents the root system from overheating, which affects the growth rate of crops grown on the site and the uniformity of fruit ripening. Most farmers and amateur gardeners continue to use black polyethylene film to control weeds “the old fashioned way.” However, it is more profitable to use mulching agrofibre, since this material:

perfectly passes water, so watering can be organized by overhead irrigation; allows you to freely apply water-soluble fertilizers, which, passing through the canvas, are completely absorbed by plants; mold and rot do not form under agrofibre, which allows air to pass through, which cannot be said about plastic film; does not create a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microbes that inhibit root system plants; protects the soil from drying out, so the soil upper layer the soil is not compacted, and therefore does not need to be loosened; it prevents the growth of weeds in the rows, reducing labor costs.

Most modern mulching materials are designed to last for several seasons. For example, mulch covering material against weeds from the AgroLux company can be on the site from a year to three or more years. When growing strawberries or wild strawberries, this is beneficial, since after a certain period of time the plantings need to be updated. At this moment, the covering material also changes, because the resource of the old canvas is completely exhausted. The service life of the covering fabric depends on the presence of a UV stabilizer in its composition, which protects the non-woven material from the destructive effects of ultraviolet radiation. Mulching the soil with black non-woven materials allows you to grow tomatoes on garden plot without much hassle or physical effort

The use of non-woven material when constructing paths

To ensure that paths laid throughout the garden always have a neat appearance, it is necessary to use mulching covering material. This fabric will prevent weeds from growing between separate elements paths.

Since non-woven fabric is capable of transmitting water, you will not find puddles on the path after rain. All moisture will be absorbed into the soil, passing through the mulching material. After excavating the soil, the bottom of the trench is leveled and compacted.

Then they spread spunbond, agrospan or other inexpensive type of covering material, covering it with crushed stone, bark, expanded clay, decorative stone or simple gravel. The trunk circles of fruit trees are decorated in a similar way. Correct design trunk circle fruit tree.

To prevent grass from breaking through from under the layer of crushed stone, it is necessary to use a mulching non-woven material. Wherever there is a possibility of unwanted grass sprouting, it is necessary to lay a black non-woven covering material. This will solve the problem of weeds once and for all. Proper use non-woven covering fabrics increase the attractiveness of the site.

Tomatoes are southern plants, but residents of northern regions also want to taste delicious vegetables from their gardens. You can grow many southern fruits in a greenhouse; it is important to know what temperature tomato seedlings can withstand, so as not to create extreme conditions for the plants. Every gardener plants edible crops to obtain a harvest, and not to experiment with the conditions under which his pets will survive or die.

Even before purchasing seeds, think about where you can create one or another planting temperature regime so that at the last moment you don’t rush around the apartment looking for a warm or cool corner. If it is not possible to create tomato seedlings comfortable conditions, decide: is it necessary to risk that all the work will be in vain, or is it better to plant seedlings purchased at the market in the greenhouse.

Seedlings on the windowsill

Tomatoes - guests from southern countries, they are very demanding on temperature conditions. To understand what tomatoes expect from us, we need to divide the entire period of growing seedlings into several stages:

Pecking seeds.
Emergence of seedlings.
Formation of developed cotyledon leaves.
The appearance of true leaves.
Preparing for planting in open ground.

When sowing seeds, it is necessary that shoots emerge from them as quickly as possible. Wrap the seeds in a damp cloth and place them in a warm place with a temperature of about +22⁰ for pecking. As soon as the grains begin to open, place them in the ground and remove the seedlings to a cool corner with a temperature of +12⁰ to +15⁰, tomato sprouts will develop faster there. Seeing green loops above the ground, gradually create warmer conditions up to +25⁰, and leave this regime until the cotyledon leaves develop.

When too young tomato seedlings begin to grow actively, you need to slow down their development a little. Again, move the cassettes to a cool place around +15⁰. At night, you can lower the temperature a couple of degrees: such conditions stimulate the formation of flower ovaries and retard the growth of unnecessary lower leaves. When real leaves appear, the daytime temperature should be raised to +20⁰. You can leave the night cool. With this regime, the seedlings will develop well and will be ready for hardening before starting life in a greenhouse or in open ground.

Half a month before you plant tomatoes on permanent place, take the plants outside during the day open veranda or a loggia, it should get used to a temperature of about +15⁰. The first time the seedlings can “walk” for no more than an hour in calm, sunny weather, then gradually increase the time the seedlings spend in the fresh air. Last days You can leave plants outside at night if minimum temperature settled at least +10⁰. If the seedlings live in a greenhouse, do not forget to open the windows in warm weather; hardening will not harm these plants either.

Development of tomatoes under cover

Don’t think that tomatoes have a very sweet life in a greenhouse. It’s good if the owners are constantly nearby and can open and close the windows and doors several times a day. On country cottage area a gardener can come 1-2 times a week, during which time the temperature during the day sometimes reaches critically high values, or at night the bushes can freeze when the window is open. Cover the plantings with non-woven material; it will slightly protect the tomatoes from temperature changes.

The most dangerous transitions from heat to cold occur under a film with a small greenhouse volume. It’s better to spend money once, make a large glassed-in building, and grow excellent tomato crops in it for several years, than to change the covering every year, and rush to the dacha to save the plantings every time there is an unfavorable weather forecast. A commercial vegetable grower can install automatic windows in the greenhouse, which themselves open or close at specified parameters. Set them to low +18⁰ and high +25⁰, and your pets will always have the optimal air temperature.

The tomato bush itself can hardly live at temperatures up to +40⁰, but as a result you will only get greens and yellow flowers. They can be picked and placed in a vase, since pollen does not ripen above +35⁰, and you still won’t get fruit. If, upon arriving at the dacha, you see that the air in the greenhouse is too warm, urgently open the windows and doors and create a draft. This procedure, supplemented by abundant watering, will help cool the plants by about 9⁰.

Tomatoes are not afraid of drafts; they even benefit when a breeze dries and refreshes the air. In strong humidity, pollen cannot detach from the stamen and fertilize the pistil. It is also necessary to open the windows in the greenhouse so that bees can enter the room and pollinate the tomatoes.

Planting in open ground

Different varieties of tomatoes can survive at different temperatures, but the general survival range of tomatoes is considered to be from 0⁰ to +43⁰. There are frost-resistant tomatoes that do not die in frosts down to -4⁰, but only in calm weather and for a very short time. If the nights are frosty, it is useless to plant them outside without shelter. What factors increase plant resistance to cold?

Zoned varieties,
low bushes with strong thick stems,
well developed root system,
adequate nutrition and
absence of diseases and pests,
hardening

If you want to grow tomatoes without seedlings by immediately sowing the seeds in open ground, do not rush to plant the seeds. It is important not only to wait for warm days and absence of frosts, you also need to keep the soil warm. A covering material or film laid out on the ground will help speed up this process. At soil temperatures below +10⁰, the seeds will not germinate or will lie in the ground for too long and will produce weak, sparse growth, which often gets sick and dies. To get vigorous shoots, you need soil heated to +16⁰.

Advice. If you want to grow tomatoes without shelter in areas with cool, short summers, choose short, early-ripening varieties that develop a strong root system.

The heat requirements for seedlings growing from seeds directly in the garden are the same as for seedlings at home or in a greenhouse. Until the daytime temperature is about +23⁰, and the night temperature is not lower than +15⁰, the seedlings need to be protected from cold air. Don't forget that all the requirements for warm air and soil also apply to water. The plant is basking in the sun, its roots are tenderly embraced by the loose warm earth, and suddenly the whole idyll is disrupted by an icy shower from a watering can. Such stress has a detrimental effect on all tomato systems. Do not mock your pets, keep the container with water in the sun, and when the liquid heats up above +20⁰, water it.

Seedlings grown on a windowsill and properly hardened can be planted in open ground if the minimum temperature at night is not lower than +10⁰. Don’t panic when you see +6⁰ on the thermometer; this is not lethal cold for tomatoes, but such coolness is undesirable for good plant development. Carefully monitor the forecast and cover your plantings in time.

Conclusion. Tomato seedlings are a fairly hardy plant; temperatures that are destructive for them are below 0⁰ and above +43⁰. There is no need to subject plants to such extreme experiments; they can withstand critical values very for a short time. Much depends on the variety and condition of the seedlings. If strong, hardened tomatoes of varieties zoned for northern areas survive a slight frost, then delicate exotic tomatoes, accustomed to warmth, will die every single one.

At each stage of development, seedlings need their own optimal air temperature. The seeds should germinate in a cool place, then the seedlings should be moved to a warmer place, and when the first true leaves appear, the air temperature should be reduced again. Before planting in a greenhouse or open ground, it is advisable to harden the tomatoes so that sudden frosts do not destroy them.

Try not to deviate from the recommendations for optimal temperature growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, on a windowsill and on outdoors. If you keep them in heat or cold all the time, the seedlings may survive, but they will weaken and begin to get sick. If incorrect thermal mode the leaves will develop too rapidly to the detriment of the ovaries. When certain values are exceeded, the pollen does not fertilize the pistil, and the flowers die without producing fruit. Tomatoes will please you with a good harvest only if they themselves have a good life.

Tomato has long been recognized as a favorite vegetable among gardeners; it is grown in different weather conditions. The key to a good harvest both in open ground and in a greenhouse is seedlings, which not everyone likes to grow. The easiest way is to plant purchased bushes, but many different nuances may lie in wait here. After all, you won’t always be able to buy high-quality seedlings that will fully meet the desired criteria. It is best to grow tomatoes for seedlings yourself, then you will know exactly what fertilizers have been added and which ones should be added.

These days there are many different ways and techniques to plant vegetables. The tomato is not deprived of attention either. He was especially loved and most experiments were carried out on him. It is grown in a bucket, in paper, and even under film.

Popular methods of planting and growing tomatoes

Most growing methods are based on saving space; not everyone has a wide windowsill for growing seedlings, or on the reluctance to bother with seeds and picking seedlings. It was from these motives that experiments with seeds and ready-made seedlings began:

Galina Kizima method

Perhaps the most famous non-standard method of growing tomato seedlings in a city apartment is Galina Kizima’s method. The basis is the minimum possible use of soil and complete saving of space when germinating tomato seeds. The so-called “swaddling” is quite effective; other vegetables can be grown using this method.

Seed germination can occur without soil; the process also works well on toilet paper.

To do this, spread several layers of regular paper on polyethylene. toilet paper and moisten it with a spray bottle. Pre-soaked tomato seeds are laid out on it, the distance between each seed should be at least 1 cm, and an indent of 2 cm is made from the edge. Afterwards, the grains are covered with several layers of paper and also moistened.

Next, the resulting ribbons with seeds are rolled into tight rolls and mixed into some container and sent to a bright and warm place. After the shoots appear and the plants get a little stronger, they will need to be “transplanted” into separate diapers.

For this purpose, pieces of polyethylene are used. square size with a side of 20 cm. Soil is poured into the center of the square, a seedling is placed in it so that all the leaves are above the polyethylene. Afterwards they tuck bottom edge, and then the sides so that you get a tight roll. Before this, I water the soil abundantly, and then do not wet it for 10-14 days.

Seedlings grown using this method do not require picking; the stems are strong with a large number of leaves, but the rhizome develops poorly. After the third pair of true leaves appears, the tomato seedlings are planted in a greenhouse.

Plants are replanted using the transshipment method, and the hole should be the size of an earthen ball around the rhizome. Further cultivation is carried out completely without moisture.

Before planting, it is worth tearing off a few lower leaves and placing the seedlings with their tops facing strictly north. Before this, place a glass in each prepared hole wood ash and a pinch of potassium permanganate, everything is filled with a bucket (!) of water, and only when the water is absorbed do they begin to plant the plants.

How to grow tomatoes under covering material in a greenhouse or soil

Tomatoes under covering material

Tomato seedlings can also be grown without seedlings under covering material or film. As soon as the ground warms up a little, prepare the bed. They loosen the soil, add fertilizer and moisten it. Prepared and processed seeds are sown in shallow furrows, maximum 1 cm. The grains are sprinkled with a layer of soil, watered with warm water and covered. Agrofibre or polyethylene can be used as a covering material. In this way, a greenhouse effect is created, in which soaked grains sprout much earlier.

The seeds are sown at a sufficient distance from each other, since replanting is not carried out with this method.

The method of growing under covering material is designed to save time; it is used more in the southern regions and the middle zone.

Bucket growing method

Growing tomatoes in buckets, according to reviews from gardeners, gives significantly larger yields. Experiments in this regard have been carried out repeatedly, which have confirmed this fact. The method is suitable for greenhouse cultivation, on open space tomatoes do not bear fruit as abundantly.

It is no longer possible to determine exactly who started this method of cultivation. They began to use it due to the lack of space for grown seedlings. A mixture of soil from the site and compost is taken into a bucket, a tomato sprout is planted, and watered abundantly. Throughout the entire period of growth until fruiting, as it dries, the soil is periodically watered; during the period of ovary formation, watering is increased. The method allows you to significantly extend the fruiting period of any variety, while vegetables can be grown not only in a greenhouse, but also on balconies and loggias.

Tomatoes in buckets

There is an officially registered method; it uses initially prepared buckets with soil mixture. It is worth noting that according to the recommendations, it is better to dig the container 25-30 cm into the ground.

When growing tomatoes this way, it is important to carry out comprehensive feeding of the trunks three times. Fertilizers in liquid form should be poured directly under the root; it is important to ensure that moisture does not get on the stem and leaves of the plant.

The described methods are recognized as the most common and effective for growing tomatoes in various weather conditions. Their effectiveness has been confirmed by both novice gardeners and specialists in this field.

You can plant and grow tomatoes and other vegetables under any conditions. This can be done even when there is a catastrophic lack of space. personal plot or it is completely absent. To do this, you just need to follow all the instructions and advice exactly.

Many gardeners, when planting and caring for tomatoes, encounter various problems that arise as a result of incorrect actions. We will focus on the most common mistakes made by vegetable growers.

1. Ill-considered purchase of seeds. If you grow tomatoes in large quantities, it is better to choose hybrids. Firstly, they suffer less from various diseases. Secondly, their yield is 30% higher than that of varietal tomatoes. However, you should not completely abandon the varieties: many of them have excellent taste and original shape.2. It is wrong to plant varieties for open ground in a greenhouse and, conversely, greenhouse hybrids in open ground. The result: low determinate varieties are not able to master the volume of the greenhouse and produce a significantly smaller yield compared to the greenhouse variety. Greenhouse hybrids in open ground will also not be able to realize their potential. Reason: short growing season, sudden changes temperatures, poor pollination due to high humidity air.3. An inexperienced vegetable grower will buy the thickest plastic film for a greenhouse, considering it the most reliable. It is better to use unstabilized hydrophilic polyethylene film. Its advantageous difference is that flat-drop condensate forms on the surface. In other words, the resulting droplets roll down without forming a droplet. In addition, antistatic additives repel dust, maintaining the transparency of the film for a long time. At night, it loses less heat, which is facilitated by a layer of moisture on the inside. All this has a beneficial effect on the harvest.4. Do you think if there is more light and heat - seedlings are better? Not entirely true. Tomato seedlings grow best with 15-16 hours of illumination and a night temperature of 8-10 ° C.5. Sellers often offer tomato seedlings with inflorescences, proving that the buyer will receive an early harvest. This is wrong. When replanting on overripe seedlings, you will need to remove the inflorescences and build up the root system. Moreover, plants should be watered abundantly immediately before planting. If this is done a day or two earlier, the stems will become succulent and brittle, which will increase their fragility. Water is poured into the prepared hole and the tomatoes are literally planted in the dirt so that they take root better. If you water them from above, a crust forms and the plants die.6. Gardeners often mistakenly water tomatoes daily, like cucumbers. In fact, they require rare but abundant watering - once every 7-10 days. In this case, water should not get on the leaves. Air humidity in the greenhouse increases, which promotes the development of late blight on tomatoes.7. Late with stepsoning. Stepchildren need to be removed when the shoot height is 3-4 cm - no more. Another misconception is that you need to leave the stumps. At the place where they remain, pathogenic microorganisms immediately appear. It is more correct to pluck out the stepsons at the very base. 8. Incorrect formation of plants. Vegetable growers sometimes feel sorry for removing strong side shoots or pinching the top. The result is a spreading bush without fruit.9. Formation of powerful shoots and large leaves to the detriment of fruiting. This happens more often if manure has been applied to the tomatoes, so it’s better to avoid it. It is important that plants receive magnesium on time. Its deficiency is easy to notice by the darkened leaf tissue between the veins. In this case it is worth carrying out foliar feeding magnesium sulfate (0.5%).10. When protecting plants from pests and diseases, prevention should not be neglected; you should not wait for symptoms of infection and damage. In the greenhouses first preventive treatment should be carried out during the seedling period.11. You should not store hybrid seeds for further cultivation - nothing good will come of them.

Starting a greenhouse is a troublesome task.

It is especially difficult when your husband is not around and you have to do everything yourself. Of course, I don’t have enough strength to build a “house” for tomatoes. And I decided to grow tomatoes under light cover. Here's what I did.

Digging a trench

First, I dug a groove as deep as a shovel bayonet and about 60 cm wide (two shovel bayonets). To preserve heat, the bottom and sides of this trench were lined with straw (although if there is none, it is quite possible to use old newspapers folded several times).

I watered the seedlings generously so that they could be easily removed from plastic cups - I grow them in 0.5 liter beer containers. Taking out the tomato bushes one by one, I placed half of them along with a lump of earth along one side of the groove, about 40 cm apart. The second half is on the other side, but so that the plants are between those placed earlier, i.e. in a checkerboard pattern.

Then she filled the trench with earth mixed with humus, ash (a glass per bucket of soil) and superphosphate (a handful per bucket).

Laying down the board

On top of the ground between the plants I placed a board along the entire length of the groove. If the trench is long and the boards are short, then you can take several, tightly joining them together.

This board performs several functions at once. Firstly, it protects the soil from drying out, secondly, it does not allow weeds to grow between the rows, and thirdly, when watering, it protects the soil from erosion and the formation of a soil crust. By the way, immediately after planting, the seedlings must be watered, and the water should spread over the board.

Building a greenhouse for tomatoes

After this, you need to build something like a greenhouse. At the ends of the ditch in the middle, place two logs or drive in stakes - all this should be the same height, approximately to the waist. We need to place a pole on these supports the entire length of our bed and secure it with nails. If there is no suitable length, you can tie two poles with aluminum wire.

On this pole I put a non-woven covering material - lutrasil, which can be left untouched until the first watering. The shelter can be completely removed when the weather is clear and sunny. When the bushes grow to the pole, I tie them to it with linen twine. Usually this is enough, since I mainly grow determinate plants - low-growing varieties tomatoes. But if the plants are taller, the problem can be solved simply: you need to drive the stakes higher and raise the pole.

Caring for tomatoes grown in this way is no different from usual. From time to time it is necessary to break out the shoots, and in the second half of summer, pinch the tops of the plants so that the fruits swell faster. My top dressing is also traditional - an infusion of herbs with the addition of ash (a couple of glasses per barrel).

Iodine for tomatoes

It turns out that iodine stimulates the formation of ovaries in tomatoes, which naturally increases the yield.

I discovered this by accident, having treated half of the bushes for late blight (there simply wasn’t enough iodine for the second). I used this solution - 1 drop of iodine tincture per 3 liters of water. In those plants that I sprayed, the flower clusters developed faster and had a greater number of ovaries.

Now I process all the bushes and get excellent harvests. I also water the tomatoes at the root with iodine water (3 drops per bucket), using 1 liter per bush.

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Almost every gardener grows tomatoes. Growing the crop can be difficult due to the plant’s capriciousness to temperature and humidity. To obtain a large quantity of high-quality harvest, you can use tomato cover.

Shelter for tomatoes

Why cover tomatoes in open ground?

Reasons why you can cover plants in open ground are:

rapid soil freezing;
unsuitable climatic conditions;
insufficient heat for a particular variety;
the need to protect the plant from the sun.

When covering tomatoes in open ground, the plant receives required amount warm and protected from the sun. Plants need to be covered during periods when the air temperature drops and the weather worsens. You can also cover the plantings during periods of frequent rain.

What kind of shelter should there be?

The main criterion is temperature. The shelter should provide warmth for the vegetables. The soil should warm up well in the spring.

The structure should not interfere with cultivating the soil around the plants. It is best to cultivate seedlings in a greenhouse. To avoid too high temperature, the structure must have ventilation.

It is best to cover tomatoes using a frame made in the form of metal arcs stuck into the ground. Such a greenhouse can be either permanent or temporary.

Soil requirement

Before you start planting and covering tomatoes, you need to carry out preparatory steps. The first step is to select the soil. It should be quite loose and moist.

To prepare the soil for planting tomatoes, you can use peat or humus. They can be used as organic fertilizers. The land can also be treated with wood ash.

When to start planting tomatoes under cover

You can plant seedlings immediately under the covering material. In this case, it is better to start planting at the end of May, when the soil has warmed up sufficiently. The plants should already have several leaves, and the roots should be sufficiently developed. If the covering material is polycarbonate, then it is better to plant in mid-May.

It is better to plant seedlings in the afternoon or early evening. A warm, cloudy day will be ideal for landing. This will allow the plant to quickly settle into a new location.

Choosing a greenhouse

The main differences are the material from which the shelter is made. Covering material comes in the form of polyethylene film, glass or polycarbonate. The frame is made of wood or metal.

Frame

Select suitable material for frame

The choice of materials depends on the purpose and time of use of the cover. Advantages of a wooden frame:

availability of material;
practicality;
ease of manufacture.

The wooden shelter must be treated with varnish or paint. This is done to ensure that the material does not deteriorate due to moisture. It is better to use such a greenhouse only during warm periods. With this operation it will last 4-5 years.

Advantages metal frame over wooden:

ability to withstand heavy loads;
does not absorb water;
does not change its shape due to weather conditions;
longer service lines.

Such a frame also needs to be coated with paint or varnish to protect the material from rust. A shelter made from such material can be used for more than 10 years.

Coating

The most popular material is film. This is due to its low cost and ease of use. The film is easy to put on the frame, it is moisture resistant and protects plants well. There is a reinforced film that can be used in any climatic conditions

Another popular material is glass. You need to choose a thick and strong coating, at least 4 mm thick. You should not take glass that is too fragile because it is unreliable.

The disadvantages of this material are:
poor protection from direct sunlight;
impossibility of installation on a metal frame;
risk of destruction in the cold season.

A modern material that can be used to cover plants is polycarbonate. It is strong and durable. It is most effective to use a cellular type of coverage.

The honeycomb structure of the material allows direct sunlight to be evenly distributed over the surface, which has a beneficial effect on the development of plants. Polycarbonate retains heat very well inside and protects plantings well from the penetration of cold air.

The popularity of the material is due to its ease of installation and its reliability. The material does not absorb moisture and does not change its shape from exposure to temperature. It can be used in any climatic conditions at any time of the year.

When to Harvest

If the plants grew under cover, then in most cases they ripen much faster. Most often, the fruits are already ripe in August and early September.

The exact period may depend on the type of vegetable. There are fast-ripening types of tomatoes that can be harvested at the very beginning of August. The development of the plant is greatly influenced by climate.

Conclusions

Covering tomatoes will allow you to get a much larger harvest. The fruits will be more juicy and tasty.

You can build a shelter yourself. Materials are available and not expensive. If it is not possible to cover tomatoes in the open ground with a homemade greenhouse, then ready-made structures are sold in stores.

Every year, gardeners throughout most of Russia are faced with negative consequences return frosts. They keep gardeners in suspense for a long time; the risk of their return remains until June 10. According to observations in last years return frosts began to appear more often. Heat-loving plants are afraid of even a slight cold snap, and frosts can completely destroy them.

Tomatoes stop growing at a temperature of +15°C; at +10°C, all vegetation processes in plants stop. The critical temperature for hardened tomato seedlings is −5°C. When exposed to frost at −3°C, seedlings can still be revived.

Important! For seedlings that are not hardened or have not had time to take root, even a slight and short-term drop in temperature is dangerous.

Impact negative temperatures is a shock to heat-loving plants. This affects their growth and development. The delay in development in such crops after freezing reaches 15 days.

Seedlings with violations of agricultural cultivation techniques are most susceptible to adverse weather conditions.

How to protect seedlings

Key points to pay attention to in order to increase the resistance of tomatoes to adverse weather conditions:

Soil preparation: good digging, the soil should be loose;
Compliance with planting deadlines. They vary depending on the growing method and the specific region;
Particular attention should be paid to the choice of varieties. You need to select zoned varieties, that is, adapted to the conditions of a particular region;
Seedlings must undergo hardening before planting. Hardened seedlings tolerate frosts more easily and recover faster;
Do not plant seedlings in cold soil. To plant plants, the soil temperature should be 15°C or slightly lower. In unheated soil, planted seedlings do not take root well and may even die;
Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (superphosphate, potassium nitrate) increase resistance to cold and have a positive effect on survival rate.
Fertilizers help increase the concentration of cell sap, increase the level of sugar accumulation, reduce the free water content, and, accordingly, increase resistance to frost. You need to feed the plants at least 10 hours, and preferably a day before the expected frost.

Warm seedlings are the key to harvest

Gardeners try to protect heat-loving crops from the negative effects of frost and plant seedlings after the threat of their return has passed. But often weather forecasts fail and it is necessary to save already planted seedlings. Tomato seedlings are damaged at air temperatures below 0°C. Plants are stressed.

Important! At an air temperature of −7°C, irreversible processes occur, and it is no longer possible to revive the bushes.

How to protect tomatoes in a greenhouse from frost? If frosts down to −4...-7°C are expected, measures must be taken to protect plants in unheated greenhouses and greenhouses. It is necessary to take care of additional shelter for the seedlings. If there is a significant cold snap, no containers of water in the greenhouse will help. Frosty air easily penetrates into the greenhouse through cracks in the foundation, walls and roof. The air in the greenhouse warms up well during the day, and by morning the air temperature in the greenhouse becomes close to the air temperature outside. The peak of frost usually occurs in the pre-dawn time, around 5 am.

When it freezes, the greenhouse loses all its advantages. Today's popular polycarbonate greenhouses are no exception. Despite all the advantages, polycarbonate does not have the ability to protect plants from frost. Frosts are also dangerous for tomatoes in a greenhouse. Therefore, it is advisable to take care of additional insulation in advance.

How to save tomatoes from frost in a greenhouse

If possible, heaters designed for greenhouses, smoke bombs or simple devices for heating air are installed in the greenhouse, for example, various containers with smoldering coals or heated bricks, barrels with warm water. (Some gardeners use boilers to heat water in barrels.) It is effective to use candles during frosts. It is recommended to use thick wax structures secured in metal bases.

Complete covering of seedlings

How to insulate tomatoes in a greenhouse

Many gardeners consider temporary structures made from covering materials to be the best way to protect against return frosts. A small greenhouse is being built in the greenhouse. Typically, arcs are installed temporarily, over which covering material is thrown.

Advice. It is better to use materials that “breathe” (spandbond, lutrasil, agrospan) to cover plants. When using them, you don’t have to worry that the seedlings will “burn” in the heat, or die in frosts.

For even more reliable protection You can spray the covering material with water at night. Under such cover the plants will remain alive. If it's cold outside, the greenhouse is left closed. If the soil near the roots of the plants is dry, be sure to water the tomatoes. Temporary structures are completely removed when warm weather sets in.

To save yourself from frost, you can use other methods.

How else to protect tomatoes from frost?

When the air temperature drops uncritically, caps made of newspaper, roofing felt, or cardboard will help.

In cases where the plants are tall enough and it is impossible to cover them, the greenhouse itself has to be insulated. For this purpose, additional shelter is created. For better protection from the cold, an additional air layer must be created between the greenhouse and the covering material.

Advice! To insulate a greenhouse, available materials are suitable: old carpets, blankets, rugs, rags.

Containers of water and placing large stones in the greenhouse will help prevent minor temperature changes. During the day, especially in sunny weather, they become very hot, and at night they release the accumulated heat.

Insulation with bags

If tomatoes are grown in open ground without shelter, a necessary condition Transplanting seedlings to a permanent place requires stable warm weather without the threat of return frosts. The optimal daytime temperature is 20-22°C, night temperature is not lower than 15°C, and the minimum ground temperature is -10°C, or better - 15°C.

To protect tomatoes from frost in open ground, the following methods are used:

smoking,
glaze,
sprinkling.

To create smoke, use special smoke bombs or light fires and throw in straw, sawdust, small brushwood, and fallen leaves. The smoke screen softens negative impact negative temperatures on plants. Smoke has low thermal conductivity and allows you to retain the heat of the earth longer and thus increases the temperature by 2 degrees.

Important! The smoke should spread throughout the entire area in need of protection. It is important to provide plantings with a thick layer of smoke just before sunrise, when temperatures reach their minimum.

This method can be effective only with a slight cold snap. This method also has its disadvantages. In strong winds it turns out to be ineffective. The neighbors are also not happy with the specific smell.

Sprinkling is done using a special sprayer, which is attached to the irrigation hose and creates the effect of rain. In this case, small droplets of water linger on the surface of the plants. When the temperature drops to 0°C, moisture begins to evaporate and steam is formed, which protects the plants with life-saving warmth, as if repelling more cold air. This helps young plants survive bad weather without pain.

Irrigation is carried out several hours before the onset of frost. This method can protect plants even if the temperature drops to −5°C. Sprinkling can only be used when there is no wind. Enthusiasts use the sprinkling method directly in the pre-dawn hours. In this case, the presence of wind does not matter much.

Watering plants in the usual way also effective when lowering the temperature, but not more than −1..-2 degrees. Watering is very important. In dry soil, seedlings are more likely to suffer when temperatures drop.

Fact! Water has increased thermal conductivity compared to soil and allows heat from the lower layers to heat the upper ones.

In addition, when watering with warm water, a temporary heat buffer is created.

How to cover seedlings in open ground?

For open ground, it is important to use the same covering materials: spunbond, lutrasil, agrospan, film. They can be draped over stakes, frames or metal arcs, as well as other devices. It is necessary to press the covering material along the edges, for example, with ordinary bricks or sprinkle with earth, so as not to be blown away by the wind.

Note. Short plants can be protected cardboard boxes, cut plastic bottles, buckets and other improvised items. Glass can also help retain heat and save tomatoes from frost: glass frames are used to temporarily cover plantings. For short plants, you can use glass jars.

Knowing what to cover seedlings in open ground with, you can protect the seedlings from freezing. If, despite all efforts, the plants are damaged, it is necessary to carry out resuscitation measures. In this case you need to use special means for plants that help them “relieve stress” from low temperatures. The drug Epin-Extra can help with this. Affected leaves should also be removed. Stepchildren will sprout from the roots very quickly and it is quite possible to get the harvest with a slight delay. Affected plants must be watered abundantly.