One of the favorite vegetables that we grow in almost every summer cottage is a tomato. Tomatoes are often grown not just as an addition to the home table, but also for the purpose of earning money. After all, early tomatoes are always in price and are in demand by buyers.
What are the benefits of tomatoes?
This vegetable is good for both men and women. The benefit for the male population is the prevention of prostate cancer, in women, regular consumption of tomatoes reduces the likelihood of developing cervical cancer. Tomatoes also slow down the development of other cancer cells.
For diabetics (type II), it is recommended to use fresh tomatoes in the diet, as they regulate the amount of insulin in the blood.
It was noticed that the regular inclusion of tomatoes in the diet can improve the overall condition of the skin, vision. Also, the trace elements that make up this vegetable contribute to the normalization of the digestive and cardiovascular systems.
All of the above applies only to vegetables that have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers.
Growing methods
So what methods of growing tomato seedlings at home are used? Main two:
- Outdoor cultivation.
- Growing in a greenhouse.
Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, but consider these conditions for growing tomato seedlings in order.
Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse
A lot of crops are grown in the summer cottage, a more specific choice of what to plant depends on local climatic conditions. Early plantings can be beaten by night frosts, which are not uncommon even in early May in many regions of Russia. Therefore, heat-loving crops such as tomatoes are best planted in greenhouse conditions. This will guarantee that the tomatoes will not die at the seedling stage from frost, and in addition, the temperature in the greenhouse is always higher than the average outside, which is one of the most important factors for the ripening of tomatoes.
Cultivation of tomatoes in the greenhouse traditionally begins earlier than in the open field. For the middle lane, it is recommended to plant seedlings in early May. The best varieties of tomatoes for growing in a greenhouse will be early ripe.
But do not mistakenly believe that growing vegetables in a greenhouse does not need to be looked after. In fact, care should be regular, and most importantly - correct. Tomatoes should not only be watered, but also regularly sprayed and ventilated to prevent the appearance of various diseases.
For wateringFor tomatoes, it is convenient to use a plastic bucket with a volume of 12 liters, this is how much water is required during the flowering period and the appearance of fruits per 1 square meter. Watering itself begins no earlier than 12 days from the date of planting the tomatoes, and for the first time (before the flowering of tomatoes) they are given no more than 4 liters of water per square meter.
The frequency of watering is 5-6 days, the soil should not be too wet or dry. You also need to be careful about the water used for irrigation, its temperature should not be below 22 degrees. Periodically, the greenhouse is ventilated, it is recommended to shake the inflorescences before that, this is necessary for pollination of plants. The most favorable time for this is the midday heat, so the tomatoes will not overheat (thanks to the ventilation of the greenhouse), and at the same time the flowers will be pollinated. Don't forget to sprinkle water on the flower after shaking it.
Carefully monitor the temperature in the greenhouse itself, the optimal range for tomatoes is 19-22 degrees during the day, and at night 16-20 degrees. During the ripening period of tomatoes, the temperature should be a couple of degrees higher, the maximum mark is 27 degrees. These conditions for growing tomatoes must be strictly observed.
In order to better regulate the temperature in the greenhouse, provide small windows when designing it.
Choosing an outdoor spot
If you plan to grow tomatoes outdoors, you need to take a number of protective and preparatory measures. So, since autumn, the site you have chosen shouldadd compost fertilizer as well as manure. This will create a breeding ground for plants, which is a guarantee of a good harvest.
The choice of planting site should be approached carefully, in particular, growing a tomato in the ground in the same place for two years in a row is unacceptable. Also, planting tomatoes after potatoes is also not worth it, but where cabbage or beans grew, you can.
And the last condition - the site should be well lit, as tomatoes need enough light to grow.
Preparing seedlings
Growing tomato seedlings at home is a very troublesome, but interesting business. It is important to choose the right planting time, it depends on how much the seedlings will have time to grow by the time they are transferred to the open ground.
So, if you want to grow early-ripening tomatoes, then seedlings should be planted in the first half of March. But when growing late-ripening and tall varieties, seedlings are prepared in mid-February.
If you want to grow tomato seedlings faster, then take care of additional lighting. This is easy to do, just install an electric fluorescent lamp above the box or cups where the seedlings are planted.
Seeds can be used both your own and purchased. But no matter what seeds are used, they should be properly prepared. For this purpose, it is better to use a proven method: they are disinfected in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, then they are kept for another day indamp cloth soaked in water with Epin's solution. After that, the seeds are ready for planting.
Specialized soil for tomatoes is poured into containers for planting (you can also plant it in a simple one, but the germination of seeds will be less), then seeds are placed at a distance of 3 cm from one to another. They are slightly pressed into the soil, but not deepened.
Favorable temperature for growing tomato seedlings at home is 22-24 degrees. At a lower level, they will grow worse, and with a lack of light, they will become elongated and thin.
Daylight hours for tomato seedlings should be 16 hours, and the lighting should be diffused. Direct sunlight is harmful to plants!
Water seedlings and picking
Until the moment when the first leaves appear, the soil near the plants is only slightly moistened. In the future, watering is carried out under the root as the soil dries.
Growing tomato seedlings at home involves picking them. To do this, 2-3 days before the proposed picking, the plants are heavily watered so that they are saturated with moisture.
Picking is carried out if there are 2-3 strong leaves on the plant. The plant is removed from the soil, and the tip of the root is cut off - this will stimulate the growth of branched roots.
The plant is transplanted into a large container to the level of the cotyledon leaves and lightly watered.
Remember that only settled water at room temperature can be used for irrigation, and in no case boiled.
Timeground landings
Before planting outdoors, make sure your home grown tomatoes are ready for it. Several signs testify to this:
- seedling height should be at least 30cm;
- flower brushes become visible on plants;
- plants have 7-9 leaves.
The time of plant transfer to the soil depends on the climatic conditions in the region. For the middle lane, this is the end of May and the first half of June. If you intend to use frost protection film, you can plant a couple of weeks earlier.
For the northern regions, the timing of planting seedlings in the ground is shifted 2-3 weeks ahead. Proper cultivation of tomatoes at home allows you to achieve a good harvest in Siberia, this is done by planting seedlings on time and transferring them to the ground when the risk of night frosts has already passed.
Tomato care and watering
As with greenhouse cultivation, outdoor tomatoes need timely and sufficient watering. Both the growth and productivity of plants and their resistance to various diseases depend on this.
The optimal rate for watering is considered to be 10 liters per 1 square meter of area. The water should not be ice cold, taken directly from the well. It is better to collect water in advance so that it can settle.
Irrigation itself is carried out in the evening, when the sun goes down. Do not water tomatoes in the heat of the day, as this will only harm them.
Regularly inspect tomatoes forthe presence of diseases and pests, if necessary, carry out preventive treatment.
Stepping tomatoes
Without pinching tomatoes, it is impossible to achieve a large harvest. There is an opinion among some gardeners that the process is useless, and a more branched plant has more strength. Most of them do not seek to do this because of laziness. Allegedly, a large amount of work is already being done: tomatoes are weeded, fed, watered. Unfortunately they are wrong.
In order for the process of pinching to affect the yield, it is necessary to approach it competently. This method has the greatest influence on indeterminate varieties, which, in turn, are distinguished by their tallness. Many gardeners prefer these varieties. This is understandable, they are less whimsical, grow faster in seedlings and prefer early planting in the greenhouse. In addition, they are easier to stepson. Pinching can also be carried out in greenhouses made of cellular polycarbonate or any other material.
To make it clearer, let's clarify that the stepson is a side shoot that takes a large amount of nutrition from the plant. And the process of pinching is to remove these processes.
The stepson is easily recognized. It is usually located at the base of the leaves of the main stem. They grow fast enough. Do not bring the tomatoes to the complete overgrowth of the main shoot. Excessive vegetation reduces fruiting. In addition, moisture accumulates in unnecessary leaves, which will subsequently give impetus to the developmentphytophthora.
First, decide on the number of stems you are going to leave. The best is the single stem option. To form one stem, remove all stepchildren and twins so that the main stem does not fork. In the case of leaving the stem and one stepson, choose the most suitable process in your opinion. It is better to leave the one that grew at the beginning under the first flower shoot. These stepchildren are stronger than the rest.
Spend staging at least once every 10 days.
There is a three-stem shaping method. It consists in leaving the first and immediately following stepchildren. If you want to choose this type of pinching, when planting plants, leave the maximum distance between them, as they turn out to be more branched. A close location will shade other tomatoes.
I would also like to note that pinching accelerates not only the growth rate, but also brings the fruit ripening time closer. Do not wait for frosts and fogs that can provoke the development of phytophthora. Stepson tomatoes in time so that they have time to ripen.
Disease prevention
Growing tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables always has one thing in common - the need to protect plants from various diseases and pests.
For tomatoes, late blight is the main danger, it is from it that young plants most often die. And it is better to work ahead of time than to try to cure diseased plants later.
For processing plantsyou can use both proven folk remedies and manufactured special preparations. The latter, of course, are noticeably more effective, but do not forget that plants absorb some of them into themselves and transfer them to ripened tomatoes. But consider both methods, and which one to use is up to you.
Among the most effective fungicides are:
- "Ridomil Gold". The solution is prepared on the basis that 10 grams of the drug will be needed for 4 liters of water. During the season, 4 treatments are carried out, the plants are sprayed with the resulting solution in dry weather. The first treatment is carried out in the first growing season, subsequent - with breaks of 10-14 days.
- "Thanos". This drug is considered to be one of the most effective against late blight. One of its characteristics is increased resistance to washout, which allows less frequent treatment with this fungicide. The solution is prepared at the rate of 12 grams per 10 liters, the treatment is carried out in the first growing season, then repeated after 8-12 days.
- "Acrobat MC". At the first sign of illness, you can use this drug. It is prepared in this way: 20 grams of the product are dissolved in 5 liters of water, mixed thoroughly. After processing the plants, take a break for two weeks.
- "Revus". Also an effective remedy. Apply three times: the first time as a prophylaxis, then two more times with weekly breaks. For preparation, take a solution of 5 ml of the drug for every 5 liters of water.
There are many other reliable remedies that will help get rid of late blight. The dosage and method of use are always indicated on the package.
Folk methods of processing tomatoes
Methods of growing tomatoes, as well as methods of processing them, may be different, but they have the same goal - to get a good harvest and prevent the development of diseases. By doing this with the help of folk remedies, you will not only save the crop, but it will also be environmentally friendly. But we all want to eat delicious and he althy food.
For preventive purposes, we recommend using the following composition: take 1 liter of whey per 10 liters of water, also add 25 drops of iodine. Stir and spray the leaves with this mixture from the moment they are planted, this solution is also suitable for watering.
Ash solution has been used for a long time. They take half a bucket of ash, fill it with water and leave it for three days. Then the resulting mixture is diluted 1 to 3 with water and sprayed. During the season, the procedure is repeated three times: the first 2-4 days after growing the tomato in the ground, the second before flowering and the last time when the ovaries are formed.
Garlic is also considered an effective remedy. Take 1.5 cups of chopped garlic per 1 bucket of water, leave for a day and add 2 grams of potassium permanganate before processing. The procedure is carried out during the period when the ovaries appear on the plants.
A good preventive effect is given by the proximity of tomatoes with garlic, basil, onion and savory. In such a planting, the risk of pests and fungal diseases is significantly reduced.
Utilization of fertilizers
As for the use of mineral and other fertilizers, they significantly improve the yield of tomatoes. But at the same time, one should not forget that any chemical trace element passes into plants and accumulates in them. Therefore, grown tomatoes will contain chemical elements in high concentration, and they will not differ in any way from those that you see on store shelves.
But if you want to grow tomatoes on an industrial scale, then you can't do without fertilizers.
The preparation of the soil begins in the fall, first they dig it up and add 400 grams of superphosphate and potassium chloride for every 10 square meters. The application depth is 30 cm.
If you didn’t have time to do this in the fall, then you can fertilize in the spring - use nitrophoska at the rate of 600 grams per 10 meters.
From folk methods, fertilizer with compost and ash has proven itself well (1.5 tablespoons of ash per 1 bucket of compost, fertilizer is applied into the furrows and into the planting pits themselves).
There are other methods of growing tomatoes at home, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The above methods of cultivation are the most optimal in terms of labor costs and potential yield.
