24.11.2017 24 598

When to sow tomatoes for seedlings - ideal timing for all regions

When to sow tomatoes for seedlings, taking into account the necessary dates and favorable days of 2018, every gardener should know, because the right time will allow you to pick and transplant seedlings into open ground right on time in order to harvest a rich and tasty harvest this season ...

When to sow tomatoes for seedlings - the best time

A rich harvest of tomatoes in the coming season is the dream of summer residents, and today they are already thinking about suitable dates when to sow tomatoes for seedlings, and also plan a calendar for diving and moving growing vegetables to open beds and greenhouses, taking into account the cycles of the moon. Before checking with calendars and forecasts, it is worth remembering the standard crop planting dates, which depend on the variety:

1. Late varieties they begin to grow in February, in warm climatic zones - at the end of January. Plants in winter will need additional illumination, but the costs will be justified - the crop will be obtained before the onset of cold weather;
2. Mid-season varieties begin to cultivate from the end of February to mid-March;
3. Early varieties planted at the end of March, and very early - from late April to mid-May. In areas with a mild climate, the crop is grown in a seedless way, planting the seeds in the soil from mid-April, weather permitting.

The described indicators are not a panacea, and gardeners independently choose periods for growing vegetables, taking into account their own needs. For example, summer residents prefer to plant early tomatoes earlier to get a harvest in early June - 60-day-old young plants are planted in tunnels and film shelters when the weather is warm and there are no repeated frosts.

sowing tomato seeds for seedlings - in the photo

As for the exact sowing numbers according to the lunar garden calendar, the coming year is replete with successful periods for this - starting from the first days of the new year, gardeners are given several periods of time in which vegetable crops will grow with more energy:

• In January January 6, 10 and 30 are considered favorable for starting nightshade cultivation - on these dates the lunar cycle favors the growth of plants that form fruits above the ground;
• In February suitable days are few and come in the second half of the month - you can start sowing on even numbers from February 14 to February 18, and also from February 24 to February 26 inclusive;
• In March- the most popular month for sowing, the interval between March 3 and 7 is called favorable, and the additional period comes at the end of the month, from March 20 to March 26;
• In April astrologers recommend sowing a vegetable at the beginning of the month - from 8 to 12, the period from April 26 to April 28 is also suitable for this.

Starting from the beginning of May, it is allowed to sow the crop directly into the ground - experts call the 9th, 15th, 24th and 26th days of the month favorable dates in 2018 for this. On other days, it is advisable to refrain from manipulating the vegetable crop, since it is believed that when planted in unfavorable periods, tomatoes often get sick and give a minimum yield.

Good days for picking a tomato

When growing a crop, in addition to choosing numbers, when to sow tomatoes for seedlings, summer residents are also important. They are recommended to be transplanted after the formation of 2 true leaves, and the purpose of the intermediate transplant is the formation of a more powerful root system. To achieve maximum growth of this part of the plant, after removing the central root from the soil, pinch it to a third of its length, then the young shoots of tomatoes are immersed in fresh soil to the cotyledon leaves. When such a scheme is implemented, the roots are formed on the stalk, the nutrition of the ground organs of the vegetable increases, and a large number of flowers and fruits are formed.

Picking a tomato - in the photo

It is necessary several times, especially if indeterminate varieties are grown (with unlimited growth), and re-transplantation is carried out after the appearance of 6-8 true leaves on the stems. In this case, the need for pinching the roots disappears, but the plants need to be deepened to half the height of the stem, and in order not to provoke putrefactive processes, the leaves are removed from the bottom. If the plants are stretched out, you can bend the stems into a spiral, lay them along the wall of a cup or pot, and only then sprinkle them with nutrient soil.

It is recommended to plan the transplantation of tomatoes into more free containers on the waning moon, and in 2018 the suitable lunar cycles for this operation occur at the following times:

• Favorable days for planting a tomato in March 2018 in fresh soil come on March 20-21, from March 24 to 26, March 29 and 30;
• In April, you need to dive tomatoes from the 2nd to the 8th;
• In the last month of spring, it is advisable to dive from May 18 to May 28 inclusive.

The days of the full moon are considered extremely unfavorable dates for diving grown tomatoes - it is undesirable to touch the plants on March 31, in the first week of April and May 29. If you dive them on these dates, there is a possibility of rotting of the root system.

Favorable days for planting tomatoes in the ground

The right time for planting tomatoes on beds and greenhouses in 2018 does not differ from other years - according to the rules of agricultural technology, you need to do this when the temperature during the day does not drop below +15 ° C, and frosts will not be observed at night, therefore, in the middle lane and the Moscow region - this is the end of May and the beginning of June, in more northern regions it is recommended to plant a grown crop in the ground in early and mid-June, and in the southern regions (Kuban, Crimea), planting tomatoes can be done from late April and all May.

What days according to the lunar calendar is it worth landing:

• In May, the period between the 18th and 28th is considered the most favorable;
• In June, shoots can be planted in the ground on June 1 and 2, and then on June 6 and 7.

The period when planting tomato seedlings in 2018 with seeds in open ground or under film shelters is optimal, in the middle lane and the Moscow region, begins at the end of the first decade of May. It is possible to repeat the embedding of seeds in the soil in the middle of the month, but later planting in these areas is not advisable. In Siberia and the Urals, tomato seeds are sown in beds and greenhouses in the third decade of the last spring month, and in the southern regions it can be sown in the first decade of April.

When determining the timing of when to sow tomatoes for seedlings, dive them or plant them on the street, it is advisable to look closely at the current weather - if the date fits perfectly according to the lunar calendar, and the climate surprises in the form of snow or frost, it is better to wait with planting, probably on the calendar there are several more favorable periods, and if there are none, you can start sowing or transplanting on neutral dates.

When to plant tomatoes for seedlings in 2018. It is difficult to imagine a garden of a modern summer resident without tomatoes. Tomatoes have become a favorite vegetable of our compatriots. Salads are prepared from them, put in soup, stews are made, preserved for the winter, etc.
To get a good harvest that is enough for the whole family, you need to know when to plant tomatoes. Weakened plants planted too early, which did not receive proper care on cold cloudy days, will bloom later, and the harvest will have to wait. When do you need to plant tomatoes to get a rich harvest? We'll talk about this.

How to calculate the date of planting seeds

It is impossible to plant seeds too early, but it is not recommended to be late, especially if you want to enjoy your tomatoes in the middle of summer. Timing when planting tomatoes is important. When should you plant tomatoes for seedlings? To understand this, when to sow seeds, you need to make some simple calculations.

1. Date of planting seedlings in the ground. Calculate the approximate date when you will plant seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse. It is worth knowing in advance the forecasts for spring, whether it will be early or late. Where you plant your plants matters. In a heated greenhouse, planting is done earlier, as well as in a greenhouse, than when planting in open ground.
2. seedling age. As mentioned above, seedlings can spend not much time in the house. It depends on the variety: early tomatoes - 40-50 days; mid-season varieties - 55 -60 days; late-ripening tomatoes - 70 days.
3. Subtract this number of days from the previously determined date. Time for shoots. Tomato seedlings do not appear immediately, it takes 5-6 days. These days must also be subtracted from the resulting date. This will give you an estimated pick up time.

Let's use an example to show how to do the calculations. You have a film greenhouse where you expect to plant seedlings on May 10th. When to plant seeds of early ripening varieties? We subtract 50 days, we get March 24, minus 5 days for the seeds to hatch.

Thus, early varieties are planted around the 19th of March.

Now let's calculate the planting time for mid-ripening tomatoes. We take the same date May 10 and subtract 60 days. March 14, minus 5 days - March 9. As we can see, there is nothing complicated in this.

On a note! For tall tomatoes, sowing for seedlings begins from February 20 to March 10. For early and mid-season varieties, sowing time starts from March 10 to March 22. For ultra early varieties and cherry tomato, there are also individual terms - the beginning of April. But late-ripening varieties of tomatoes must be planted for seedlings in the third decade of February.

When to plant tomatoes for seedlings in 2018 according to the lunar calendar

To trust or not to the lunar calendar, everyone decides for himself. In the year of sowing, you can familiarize yourself with the recommendations for a particular year, where the exact planting dates are written.

The cultivation of seedlings begins with determining the correct sowing dates. When to sow tomatoes for seedlings in 2018? The lunar sowing calendar will tell you about this:

• January: 6, 10 and 30
• February: 14, 16, 18, 24, 26-28;
• March: 3, 4, 10, 12, 20, 25, 30, 31;
• April: 8, 12, 13, 22, 26-28;

Unfavorable days for planting tomatoes in 2018

• February 2, 3, 9, 10, 15
• 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16 March 2018
• 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16 April
• May 2, 3, 7, 8, 15

When to plant tomato seedlings in open ground? In May, favorable days for this: 9, 15, 19, 24, 25; in June: 2, 7, 11 and 16.

Do not sow tomatoes for seedlings on a new moon or a full moon, because during these lunar phases, plant juices are collected either in the upper part, or, conversely, in the roots and tubers, which interferes with normal development.

If you sow the seeds during the growing moon, that is, after the new moon, the growth activity of the ground part increases, and in plants sown on the waning moon, after the full moon, the root system develops intensively.

It follows from this that cereals should be planted in the phase of the growing moon, and root crops - in the phase of the waning. As for tomatoes, the culture is demanding, so it is very important that the sowing of tomatoes for seedlings is carried out on days that are favorable for this.

The timing of sowing tomatoes for seedlings also depends on the growing region and tomato variety. You can refer to the following recommendations.

Terms of planting seedlings in the Moscow region, in the Urals and in Siberia

When to sow tomatoes in the suburbs

• early tomatoes for open ground - early April;
• early tomatoes for planting in the ground under film shelters - the second half of March;
• tall tomatoes for greenhouses - the end of March;
• undersized tomatoes for greenhouses - early-mid April;
• large tomatoes - early March.

These dates are for home conditions, when seedlings are grown on the windowsill. There is even such advice - it is dark and hot in our apartments, even on the windows, and tomato seedlings will “toil” for a long time if they are sown too early. Therefore, it is better to be a little late than to rush.

When to sow tomatoes in the Urals, Siberia and the Volga region

The average growth period of tomato seedlings is within 2 months, therefore, in accordance with the climatic conditions of each region, it is possible to determine the required time for sowing seeds.

In the Urals, Siberia and in the northern regions, spring comes later, so the time when planting tomatoes for seedlings shifts to early April.

This period is not the most favorable for planting a tomato. However, do not despair. Choose the most favorable days according to the zodiac circle. These are April 1st, 2nd, and 12th.

Based on the climatic conditions of the Volga region, the timing of sowing tomatoes: late varieties - at the end of February - in the first decade of March, and early and medium species - at the end of March - in the first decade of April.

What containers to use for planting tomato seedlings

There are several common types of seedling containers for sowing tomatoes. Each of them has a number of pros and cons, and therefore any gardener gives preference based on their capabilities.

• Wooden (plastic) boxes have been used for growing seedlings for a long time.

Differ in ease of use. Sowing seeds is carried out with their further picking in the same containers. Do not require special devices for further transportation. Contribute to cost savings, as they can be done independently. Of the minuses: a box filled with earth is very heavy, and when transplanting tomatoes to a permanent place, there is a high probability of significant damage to the roots.

• Plastic cassettes are cells of the same size fastened together.

If necessary, you can buy different lengths and widths. Often, a pallet for them must be purchased separately or come up with your own options for collecting excess water. Their advantage is that they are light, separated with scissors, easy to use, have ready-made drainage holes, seedlings can be easily removed from the cassette cell. Their disadvantages are: they are short-lived, inconvenient during transportation, when removing one seedling, there is a possibility of damaging the neighboring specimen.

• Peat cups.

This type of containers is very popular among gardeners, as it is made of environmentally friendly materials. But experts recommend using peat cups already when picking tomatoes. Their advantages: durable, safe, do not require plant transplantation, as they dissolve perfectly in the soil, serve as additional nutrition for plants. Their disadvantages: not always available for sale, require additional costs, moisture evaporates quickly, which leads to additional watering.

• Peat tablets are compressed balanced peat placed in a special mesh.

Before sowing, soak in water for 10 minutes to swell. Their advantages: easy to use, promote the development of a strong root system, dissolve in the soil when planted in a permanent place. Their disadvantages: they have a high cost, an additional pallet is needed, they dry out quickly.

• Plastic cups are considered the most common types of containers for sowing tomatoes for seedlings.

You can use two types of containers: 100 and 200 ml for sowing seeds and 500 ml for their further picking.

Their advantages: ease of use, the seedling is easily removed during transplantation, reusable, low cost.

Their disadvantages: you need to make drainage holes yourself, you will need an additional pallet, you need additional devices during transportation.

In addition to the main types, many gardeners use improvised containers: yogurt cups, dairy cartons, plastic pickle buckets and others.

The choice of seeds for sowing seedlings

No less important than the time when to plant tomato seeds for seedlings is the choice of tomato seeds. They need to be thought about in advance.

Seeds are purchased exclusively from proven agricultural companies that keep the brand and offer consumers high-quality planting material with high germination rates, hardened and adapted to the region.

It is not worth stocking up for future use and making large stocks, but only acquiring the required amount according to the planned planting site plus the cost of greenhouses.

To get tomatoes that are excellent in taste at the end of the season, the first thing to take care of is the right choice of variety and the purchase of seeds for planting. Because, in order to get the desired result for the tomato harvest, the gardeners themselves prefer to plant the seedlings, and do not purchase them ready-made on the market.

Growing tomatoes is not particularly difficult for gardeners. The main thing provide the necessary conditions and then in the end there will be a good harvest of this vegetable.

General rules:

• Seed selection;
• Sowing seeds;
• Growing seedlings;
• Landing in open ground;

How to plant from seed

You can grow seedlings in various ways:

1. Planting seeds in prepared containers- this is a method in which they are first put in one box, and after diving they are seated in separate containers;
2. Wrapping seeds in diapers- it is also called the Moscow method and they do it this way - they put a cellophane tape, a piece of toilet paper on it, moisten it with warm water, lay out the seeds in increments of 1 cm and 1.5 cm from the top edge, another layer of paper on top, moisten and add some cellophane tape. After all the manipulations, we roll everything up and put it in a container where water is poured so that the diapers touch it;
3. Planting seeds in open ground under the film- seeds are planted in warmed-up soil and covered with greenhouse film from return frosts;

It is important to choose the appropriate option so that cultivation does not become a laborious task.

How to plant seedlings

To understand how best to plant a tomato, you can give an example based on the Tretyakov F1 hybrid. The plant is determinate and suitable for growing in greenhouses. From the first shoots to the ripe fruit passes 3.5 months, which means that seeds can be planted until April 1.

It is best to plant each individual seed in a peat tablet to less damage the roots. Further care for seedlings will not differ from generally accepted rules.

Hybrids do not transfer their genetic data through seeds.

When and how to sow a tomato

Sowing a tomato for seedlings is carried out, starting from the third decade of February to April 1. The technology of sowing seeds can be found by reading this article.

At home, tomatoes can be grown on a windowsill, a glazed balcony, on a table, if it is equipped with a backlight so that the seedlings do not stretch out.

The gardener himself decides which method to choose for planting tomato seeds for seedlings. But first of all, you need to purchase good seeds and they are usually purchased at specialized garden centers from trusted manufacturers. This gives confidence in obtaining the desired crop.

Selection of seed material

If tomatoes are planted on the site for the first time, then you should choose the variety that will correspond to the taste preferences of the gardener and be cultivated in a particular region.

Therefore, there are certain rules that should be followed when choosing tomato seeds:

1. First of all, this fruit ripening time. Since in the northern region, where a long and warm summer, the gardener can afford later varieties.
2. It is also worth considering the height of the bushes, since if the planting of tomatoes will be carried out in a greenhouse, there, due to space savings, it is worth paying attention to tall productive varieties. If the tomato planting area is large, then it is best to plant varieties with a height of 50-100 cm, since it is not profitable to put supports for tall tomatoes on large areas.
3. Tomato growing region - here you can see that some varieties zoned for a specific region, which means that it is in this region that it is possible to get a consistently large harvest of this variety.
4. If the packaging says that this type of tomato can only grow in a greenhouse, then it should not be planted in open ground, since the tomato most likely will not survive there.
5. The size of fully ripened fruits is important, since large tomatoes can only be used for cutting salads, and with a diameter of 5-6 cm and the correct shape, it is good to use for conservation.

Small tomatoes are good for canning, large ones for salads.

When choosing a variety for yourself, read the data written on the package, this will help you decide how much the tomatoes correspond to the region and the taste preferences of the gardener.

Seedling utensils

There are a lot of different specialized growing utensils on the market now. But it is worth considering that at first the seeds are planted in a seed box with a height of about 12 cm, and then, during a dive, the seedlings are planted in separate containers. not less than 200 gr.

Therefore, under the seating boxes you can adapt:

• Milk and juice boxes;
• Trimmed 5 l. plastic bottles;
• Wooden boxes.

For the container into which the dived sprouts are transplanted, disposable cups with a volume of 200 and 500 gr.

It is necessary that the dishes have holes for draining excess water.

Required soil composition

After choosing the pots, it is worth choosing the right soil where you can plant the seeds. First of all, he must be nutritious and loose. Therefore, you can purchase soil in the appropriate store.

And you can make it yourself, taking everything in equal proportions:

1. Peat.
2. Garden land.
3. Sand.

Any land purchased or compiled by oneself must be disinfected. Suitable for this freezing or roasting- the main thing is that various microorganisms die.

Seed preparation at home

To find out if the seeds are suitable for sowing in the ground, viability must be determined. This is known in two ways:

• A saline solution is made and the seeds that have surfaced can be safely thrown out into it, the rest are suitable for cultivation.
• seeds germinate on a damp cloth, and as soon as the spout of the sprout pecks, it is planted in a cup with soil.

Seeds purchased from well-known companies have already been tested for germination and treated with growth stimulants, so they should not be soaked.

How to sow seeds in the ground

The prepared soil is poured into containers and moistened with the help of bottom irrigation. After the excess water leaves on the surface of the soil, small trenches are made with a depth less than 5 mm, it is convenient to do this with a ruler, so the rows are even. Seeds are placed in trenches in increments of 2.5 cm and sprinkled with earth. Leave 4 cm between trenches.

After sowing the seeds, you need to cover the containers with glass or put them in a plastic bag. This will protect the soil from drying out and create greenhouse conditions with the help of which friendly tomato shoots will appear.

Dive

Tomato dives are done when the seedling is two real leaf blades. To do this, the soil is well soaked and carefully removed one seedling at a time and transplanted into a separate container according to the root system. It is most convenient to do this at home or in an apartment.

Being engaged in a dive, seedlings must be planted quickly and accurately without breaking away from the process, so as not to destroy the seedlings.

Care

Further care will consist of watering, which should be regular but prevent waterlogging of the soil. Also, the seedlings should stand on a warm and sunny windowsill so that there is no excessive stretching of the sprouts. She is turned once a week in different directions to the light source so that she does not grow one-sided.

There is no need to carry out fertilizers, since the soil does not age in 1.5 months. Before planting in open ground or a greenhouse, seedlings are gradually accustomed to open air - hardening is carried out.

Good seedlings have a peppy appearance, green foliage, have 6 leaf blades and a height does not exceed 15-20 cm.

Growing mistakes

The main mistakes of novice gardeners when growing seedlings:

1. Incorrectly selected seeds.
2. bad earth in grow boxes.
3. Incorrect temperature and bad light.
4. Overfeeding seedlings with fertilizers in poor lighting.

Shelf life

Without soil, seedlings are not stored for a long time no more than two hours, provided that they are wrapped in a wet cloth and do not lie in the sun.

planting dates for tomatoes

Since tomato seedlings are ready for planting at the main place of cultivation after 2 months, the seedlings are sown 60 days plus five days for seed germination.

Sowing in the ground

If this is the Krasnodar Territory of Russia, then seedlings begin to be planted in open ground early May, and in the greenhouse you can 2 weeks earlier.

Based on these terms, we count back 65 days and get the date:

• For open ground - planting seeds for seedlings begins on February 25 and not earlier because it is difficult for overgrown seedlings to take root in a new place;
• For greenhouses, they begin to sow seeds for seedlings on February 20.

You need to sow on time to get healthy seedlings.

Seeds for seedlings are sown before April 1, because if you plant tomato bushes later, they will grow only for decorative purposes, the tomatoes will tie on them, but they will not have time to ripen. Especially this term concerns the northern regions of Russia.

When can seeds of large-fruited varieties be planted?

First of all, tomatoes and tomatoes are the same plant name. Large-fruited tomatoes are grown quite often by planting them in a greenhouse. To grow seedlings of such tomatoes, they start sowing seeds already in the third decade of February.

Harm from early landing

Early planted seeds are, as a result, too elongated tomato seedlings, not only with flowers, but also with fruit ovaries. Such seedlings, after landing on the main place, are sick for a long time and take off both flowers and fruits.

It is necessary to plant seeds at a certain time in order to get healthy seedlings. Adhering to all the rules for growing seedlings, you will get a good harvest of a tomato of the desired variety.

In winter, many owners of household plots and cottages begin to stock up on planting material for various vegetables and ask themselves the question - when to plant seeds of peppers, eggplant, cucumbers and tomatoes for seedlings? We talked about the timing and rules for planting peppers in a separate article, which can be read by clicking on this one. Here you can learn how to properly and when to sow tomato seeds in 2019 in order to grow and get a good harvest as a result.

Tomatoes are a very popular product that only very lazy or busy summer residents do not grow in their garden. Since the heat-loving culture grows for a rather long time, it is grown in seedlings. Approximately sixty days should pass from the emergence of seedlings to landing on the garden. The timing of planting tomato seeds depends on this:

• greenhouse varieties sow should be in late February - early March;
• outdoor tomatoes planted no earlier than the end of February, since overgrown plants take root worse.

Also, the timing of planting tomatoes depends on the weather conditions of the region. If in areas with a warm climate, tomatoes are planted in a permanent place already in April and May, then seeds can be sown for seedlings in February. In Siberia and the Urals, there are frosts at the end of May, so it is recommended to sow seeds in March or even April.

Do not forget that different varieties have different development periods, so when buying seeds, you need to pay attention to this:

• varieties of large tomatoes usually late-ripening, so they should be planted after February 20th or early March;
• undersized varieties for greenhouses– from the beginning to the middle of April;
• tall indoor plants(greenhouses, greenhouses) - at the end of March;
• early tomatoes, which will be planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse - in the second half of March;
• early varieties for open ground- in the beginning of April.

When to plant tomatoes for seedlings in 2019?

Like other plants that produce a land crop, they plant tomatoes with the growing moon.

Favorable days for planting tomatoes for seedlings in 2019 will be:

• January - 15,16,18;
• February - from 6 to 8, 11, 13 and 16;
• March - 10, 11, 12, 14, 15.16. 19, 20;
• April - 8, 11. 18;
• May - 9th, 15th, 17th, 18th;
• June: 5, 11.12, 13, 15.

In the northern regions, Siberia and the Urals, where tomatoes are planted mainly in April, there are practically no favorable days for this, so it is recommended to choose a day in the zodiac circle with a growing moon and plant tomatoes from April 7 to April 17.

Growing tomato seedlings at home

To get healthy and strong seedlings in spring, before sowing seeds, you need to prepare:

1. Seedling containers in the form of boxes, plastic containers, peat tablets, disposable cups or cassettes with a pallet.
2. Suitable soil mix.
3. Seeds that may need to be processed before sowing.

Soil preparation

For a tomato, you should choose a soil consisting of soddy soil, humus (1: 1) and a small amount of peat or sawdust. Today, many specialized stores sell soil mixes for planting tomatoes, so you don’t have to prepare the substrate yourself. But if possible, then the soil can be prepared independently from the above components or from garden soil, sand and black soil (1: 1: 1), to which a little vermiculite is added. Ready soil for tomatoes should have a pH of 5.5 to 6.0.

Any soil mixture can contain fungal spores and pest larvae, so it should be decontaminated before use. To do this, everyone uses their own way. Here is some of them:

• shed a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate;
• place in the microwave and heat at full power for two minutes;
• pour on a baking sheet and heat at a temperature of 200 degrees for 15 minutes in the oven;
• put the soil in a well-packed bag into a container with hot water (+60 ... + 70 degrees), cover with a lid and leave until the water has completely cooled.

The treated soil should be moistened and kept in a warm room for two weeks. During this time, bacteria useful for the growth and development of plants will multiply in it.

seed processing

Today, in stores, in most cases, already processed planting material is sold. Market-bought or self-collected seeds should be treated in one of the following ways before sowing:

1. For 20 minutes, place in a 15 solution of potassium permanganate, previously wrapped in gauze.
2. Hold for one or two hours in Fitosporin solution (1 drop of the drug per 100 ml of water).
3. Soak for a day in a soda solution (1 gram of soda per 200 ml of water).
4. For a day or two, soak in a solution of aloe juice with water squeezed out of leaves or purchased at a pharmacy. Aloe juice and water are taken in equal amounts and mixed. If juice is used that is squeezed from a homemade flower, then it should be kept in the refrigerator for 5 days beforehand. Plants obtained from seeds treated in this way will be distinguished by high quality fruits, good yields and resistance to various diseases.

Planting a tomato for seedlings - photo

If boxes or containers were chosen for sowing seeds, then they are filled with moist soil, in which small holes are made with a pencil or stick at a distance of about 3-4 cm from each other. A seed is placed in each hole, which is then sprinkled with soil and moistened with warm water from a spray bottle.

Seedling containers are covered from above with cling film, a transparent plastic bag or glass and placed in a warm place with an air temperature of +25 to +30 degrees.

So that the soil does not start to mold, it must be ventilated every day, lifting the film for this. As the soil dries, it is moistened with a spray bottle.

seedling care

The term of emergence of seedlings depends on the variety of tomatoes, the quality of the seeds and the conditions for keeping the crops. The first seedlings may appear in 3-4 days. So that they do not stretch out, seedling containers are placed in a bright place. The film can be removed after all shoots appear. The air temperature for young plants during the day should be within +20 degrees, and at night from +16 to +18 degrees. It is necessary to ensure that the seedlings do not stand in a draft.

Caring for tomato seedlings consists in performing the following procedures:

1. Watering. Seedlings should be moistened regularly, but carefully, only after the soil has dried. Seedlings growing in constantly heavily damp soil can easily rot and die. For irrigation use warm settled water.
2. Backlight. If the tomato bushes do not have enough light, they will begin to stretch. Therefore, if necessary, they should be provided with a twelve-hour daylight hours, using an additional light source for this.
3. top dressing. Well-growing and developing plants with a thick trunk can not be fed. If poor land was used for planting tomatoes, and they do not grow well, then you can feed the plants with Kornerost or Agricola. Fertilizers should be applied when the seedlings have 1-2 true leaves. Before use, a teaspoon of top dressing is diluted in one liter of water.
4. picking. Tomatoes are not afraid of transplanting, and new roots quickly develop on their trunks buried in the soil, so many gardeners dive seedlings once or even twice. The first pick is carried out when the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves. To do this, you need to prepare a separate cup with moist soil for tomatoes, dig a bush with a fork or spatula, pinch the main root to a third of the earth and move it to a new container. Plants are buried to the cotyledons, sprinkled with soil mixture and watered. After picking, tomatoes should be provided with an air temperature 2-3 degrees higher than they grew before. When they take root in a new container, the temperature is lowered again.

After picking, seedling care remains the same as before. Bushes must be watered in a timely manner and provide them with good lighting without direct sunlight. Since the transplant will be carried out in a new soil, there is no point in fertilizing.

When to plant tomato seedlings?

When the threat of frost passes and warm weather sets in, tomato seedlings can be planted in open ground.

In the Krasnodar Territory and other warm regions, they are planted in early May. In Siberia, the Urals and the North, tomato seedlings are planted in open ground no earlier than the end of May - the beginning of June. Under the film, greenhouse varieties should be planted two weeks earlier.

10-14 days before planting, the plants are hardened, for which they are taken out on a plot or an open balcony on warm days.

Planting tomatoes is recommended after beets, carrots, green onions, cabbage, turnips, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, cabbage, green manure. You can not plant tomatoes in the beds where tomatoes, peas, physalis, eggplant, peppers, potatoes grew last year.

Proper planting, care and crop rotation will guarantee a good harvest of tasty and healthy tomatoes that can be eaten fresh and pickled for the winter. And you can find out when and how to plant and grow and if you follow the highlighted links.

Tomatoes are one of the favorite crops of all summer residents, so with the onset of the new season, each of them begins to plan to sow tomato seeds for seedlings. After all, it is very important to initially plant correctly, and then grow strong seedlings, which, after planting in open ground or a greenhouse, can quickly gain strength and begin to bear fruit.

How to plant tomatoes for seedlings: the rules for sowing seeds

To get strong and healthy seedlings of tomatoes, you need to follow a number of simple recommendations.

The sowing procedure must be carried out according to all the rules, and before:

• determine planting dates
• prepare a suitable soil, disinfect it;
• choose a suitable container (for initial sowing, for picking);
• process and germinate seeds;
• sow at the desired depth and put in a warm place.

When to sow seeds: optimal sowing time

Note! The site already has a detailed article about, including favorable days for landing in 2019, according to the lunar calendar.

How to prepare seeds for planting seedlings

Advice! Read more on pre-sowing preparation and processing of tomato seeds You can .

As a rule, the main activities for the preparation and processing of tomato seeds before sowing include the following:

• disinfect (pickle) in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes (an old-fashioned and not very effective method), and then rinse under water; or use a more modern and effective drug;

Also, tomato seeds can be pickled in chlorhexidine, brilliant green, garlic infusion and aloe juice.

• spend soaking in growth stimulator type "Epin", "Zircon" (according to instructions).

Alternatively, you can soak the seeds in an infusion of wood ash (1 tbsp per 500 ml of water, let stand 2 days), in which you need to soak the seeds wrapped in a gauze bag for 4-5 hours.

• sprout in a rag or on cotton pads.

Note! You also need to germinate correctly: if you just immerse the seeds in water, then there will be no effect, because oxygen is required to awaken them. Therefore, the seeds must be soaked in a damp cloth (precisely in a cloth or cotton pads, since they can grow roots into gauze) so that they have access to both moisture and air. For example, putting them (seeds in cotton pads) on a saucer or in a jar, and covering them with a plastic bag (food wrap) on top so that it is moist inside. Then put in a warm place where the temperature is above +22 degrees, but not above +30, optimally - + 24-28 degrees.

Video: preparing tomato seeds for sowing - pre-sowing treatment

Of course, it does not hurt to watch the following videos, which debunk many myths about seed treatment methods, especially about the use of potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide.

Video: preparing tomato seeds for planting - disinfection and seed dressing

Note! If you have purchased coated, granulated, glazed purchased seeds, then they do not need any pre-sowing preparation. Manufacturers have already completed the processing of these seeds and covered them with a special organo-mineral coating. They need to be sown immediately, and dry.

What substrate to plant

In order to activate all the vitality of tomatoes, it is necessary to choose a suitable substrate.

The soil mixture itself should be loose, light and nutritious, and its acidity should be close to neutral (6-6.5 pH).

In garden stores, you can purchase ready-made special soil for tomato seedlings (it is also suitable for growing peppers and eggplants), in which all the necessary components are already balanced.

But if desired, the substrate for tomato seedlings can be prepared at home according to one of the following recipes:

Recipe #1:

• sod land - 1 part;
• riding peat - 1 part;
• humus or compost - 2 parts;
• sphagnum moss or river coarse sand - 1 part.

By the way! As a baking powder(i.e. instead of sand or moss) can also be used perlite.

Or here is another recipe:

• peat - 3 parts;
• compost - 5 parts;
• sawdust (necessarily rotted) or sand - 1 part;

• wood ash - 1 cup per bucket of soil mixture.

Another option:

• sod land - 2 parts;
• humus or compost - 3 parts;
• sand - 1 part;
• wood ash - 1 cup per bucket of soil mixture.

And one more recipe:

• sod land - 1 part;
• humus or compost - 1 part;
• leaf ground (baking powder, that is, you can use sand, perlite or moss) - 1 part;
• wood ash - 1 cup per bucket of soil mixture.

Important! A week before sowing tomato seeds, soil disinfection should be carried out.

For this, soil is needed roast in the oven(a couple of hours at a temperature of about 70 degrees), and also shed with a solution potassium permanganate deep pink. Or use a more powerful drug.

Video: land for tomato seedlings

Planting containers

There are several common types of seedling containers for sowing tomatoes. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, and therefore any gardener selects exactly those that he likes best, as well as based on his capabilities.

The main thing is that there are drainage holes in the landing tank to drain excess water. Or it is worth pouring a drainage layer on the bottom of the tank (for example, from expanded clay).

In addition to the main types, many gardeners use improvised containers: yogurt cups, cardboard boxes for dairy products, plastic buckets for pickles or jams (jams), and others.

Video: seedling containers: pros and cons

Landing pattern

For proper cultivation of seedlings, a certain distance between the seeds should be observed, since the seedlings will need some space during the growth process.

Important! With dense seedlings, tomato seedlings will begin to stretch, and the risk of developing fungal diseases will also increase.

When sowing in a common container, tomato seeds are recommended to be laid out in shallow (1 cm) grooves with a mandatory distance of 1-2 cm. And between the rows (grooves) themselves, it is required to leave a distance of 3-4 cm.

Naturally, the less often tomato seeds are planted, the longer the seedlings will be able to remain in the seedling container. However, you still have to dive them, so it makes no sense to make too large distances between the seeds.

Naturally, with a single planting in individual containers, you need to sow 1 seed in each, although for more certainty, especially if you do not germinate seeds, it is better to sow 2 seeds in order to leave the strongest plant in the future.

Actually, with this method of sowing, you can grow it without picking, you just need to immediately take 0.5 liter containers.

Seeding algorithm

Only by observing all the stages of planting, you can count on the desired result (strong seedlings of tomatoes), which means that the strict implementation of the recommendations will help to avoid annoying mistakes that will jeopardize the future harvest.

Step-by-step instructions for planting tomato seeds for seedlings:

• Fill the seedling containers with a disinfected substrate to 2/3 of the volume.
• Plentifully spill the soil (with warm water) and allow moisture to soak in, and the soil to settle.
• Make grooves 1 cm deep with a distance of 3-4 cm between them.
• Spread the seeds of tomatoes with a distance of 1-2 cm.
• Sprinkle with earth and moisten the surface with a spray bottle.
• Cover the containers with glass or film (bag) to create a greenhouse effect (so that it is warm and humid inside).
• Put in a dark and warm place at a temperature of + 22-28 degrees until friendly shoots appear.

Video: sowing tomato seeds for seedlings

Care for tomato seedlings after sowing: basic rules

Further development of seedlings depends entirely on proper care.

In order for the seedlings to grow strong, it is worth taking into account the basic conditions for its maintenance and the rules of care.

Temperature and light conditions

After the appearance of the first sprouts and the removal of the shelter, it is necessary to reduce the temperature of the seedlings to + 14-18 degrees during the day and + 10-14 at night for 5-7 days.

Such a measure will reduce the active growth of green mass (seedlings will not stretch) and will allow the roots to develop.

In the future, for the normal growth of tomato seedlings, it will be necessary to create a temperature difference - during the day - + 22-26 degrees, at night - + 14-18 degrees.

Temperature fluctuations contribute to the hardening of plants.

For the full growth and development of tomato seedlings, 11-12 hour daylight hours are required.

The most suitable place for placing seedlings will be the southern windowsill. East or west is also suitable, and even better if it is southeast or southwest.

If you only have a northern window sill or you often have cloudy weather, then you will definitely need illuminate seedlings with special phytolamps.

Watering

Watering tomato seedlings should be carried out as the substrate dries, avoiding overflows and drying of the roots. Moisten should be carefully, especially the soil, avoiding moisture on the foliage. At the same time, it is necessary to water abundantly so that the entire earthen lump has time to soak. Water should be warm or at least room temperature, pre-settled.

Note! Waterlogging of the soil, combined with insufficient illumination and elevated temperature, leads to a strong stretching of plant stems.

Video: caring for tomato seedlings from germination to picking

picking

Tomato seedlings (unlike peppers and eggplants) tolerate picking well.

Seedling care after picking

Further care for tomato seedlings is similar: you need to continue to maintain temperature and light conditions, as well as water on time and start feeding if necessary.

top dressing

If you properly prepare the soil, then the seedlings can not be fed at all, especially before picking. But if poor soil was originally used, then top dressing is recommended even before picking. Moreover, if the appearance of the seedlings clearly hints that the plant lacks some macro- or microelements. In this case, top dressing is simply necessary.

Hardening seedlings before planting in a permanent place in the ground

10-14 days before planting tomato seedlings in a permanent place, hardening of seedlings should be started.

This is necessary so that the seedlings have adapted to more severe outdoor conditions, because before that they grew up in a comfortable home environment.

It is quite simple to do this: you need to gradually start taking the seedlings to the greenhouse or to the balcony (loggia), where the temperature is lower (both daytime and nighttime), first for 1-2 hours during the day, and at the end for the whole day.

Video: tomato seedlings - from picking to planting

Problems and diseases of tomato seedlings

Growing tomato seedlings is painstaking work, the result of which can be jeopardized by banal mistakes in caring for young seedlings. There are a number of problems and diseases of seedlings that can nullify all the efforts of the gardener:

• manifested by a dried stem at the base of the seedling; develops at high humidity, thickened crops against the background of a lack of light, as well as when seeds are planted in contaminated soil.

• Pulling seedlings. Lack of light, high temperature and waterlogging of the soil are the main reasons for pulling out tomato seedlings (however, like any other).
• Yellowing leaves seedlings.

By the way! About, what to do if tomato seedlings start to turn yellow, and you can not determine the disease, read.

• If a leaves began to acquire beetroot purple hue and seedlings began to noticeably lag behind in growth, then she obviously lack of phosphorus nutrition.

Video: problems when growing tomato seedlings and how to solve them

When to plant tomato seedlings in open ground and greenhouse

As for the timing, the planting of tomato seedlings is carried out only when the threat of the last spring frosts has passed, and the soil has warmed up sufficiently.

Note! The site already has 2 materials about when and how to plant tomato seedlings, as well as about rules for its further cultivation:

Video: when and how to plant tomatoes - detailed instructions from sowing to harvesting

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