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Tomatoes can also be grown in the open field, but then the timing of the harvest is significantly postponed. Moreover, by the time the tomatoes begin to bear fruit, they are killed by cold and late blight. The natural desire of gardeners to get an earlier tomato harvest leads to the fact that they erect various protective structures for plants. Hotbeds and greenhouses are relevant not only for the northern regions, where warm weather sets in much later, but also for the middle zone with its unpredictable climate.
The simplest design can be bought in a store or built yourself. A small greenhouse for a tomato does not require special physical effort and financial costs, it saves space in those areas where the construction of a large greenhouse is impossible.
Tomatoes in a greenhouse can be grown from stage planting seedlings before harvest. The greenhouse can also be used for growing tomato seedlings. The method is suitable for central Russia. The seedlings are strong, resistant to temperature extremes and disease.
Benefits of growing in a greenhouse
Growing a tomato in a greenhouse has a number of positive aspects:
- The timing of obtaining a tomato crop in a greenhouse is reduced;
- Plants are strong, seasoned, disease resistant;
- Tomatoes in a greenhouse do not stretch, as happens when growing seedlings in an apartment;
- Tomato seedlings are ready for planting in open ground, they do not have an adaptation period, they immediately start growing, which again significantly brings the harvesting closer;
- Plants are protected from negative environmental influences;
- The greenhouse has a low cost, it can be built on your own from scrap materials, which will further reduce costs.
In order for the benefits of the greenhouse to be tangible, when constructing it, follow the basic requirements:
- The width of the structure should be no more than 1 m for ease of plant care. For large sizes, you will have to get up inside;
- The length, when using a film coating, no more than 2 m, otherwise in windy weather the film will break or be inflated by the sail, in rainy weather water will accumulate on the film, and it will sag, may bend arcs or break;
- When used in a glass or polycarbonate coating, the length can be either 4 or 5 m;
- The minimum building height depends on the type of tomato you plan to plant. A margin of at least 30 cm in height is required;
- Calculate the number of required arcs based on the length of the greenhouse in meters, plus 1 additional arc. So, if you are planning a structure with a length of 3 meters, then 4 arcs will be required;
- Place the tomato greenhouse in the sunny part of the infield. It is convenient to place it by adjoining it to the wall of a house or a shed, so it turns out to be additionally insulated and more reliable. In this case, choose the wall that faces south.
Compliance with the listed requirements will allow you to operate the greenhouse as efficiently as possible.
Dates for planting a tomato in a greenhouse
A greenhouse is a structure that is neither heated nor heated. Therefore, plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse only if the ground is warmed up. A regular household thermometer will help you determine when to plant tomatoes in your greenhouse. Temperature the soil should be at least +15 degrees. This is a prerequisite.You should not be fooled by the high daytime temperatures, nighttime temperatures can drop to 0 degrees in the spring.
If the spring is early and warm, then the timing can vary from mid-May to the end of the month. If weather conditions do not allow for an earlier planting, and if a film coating is available, then the end of May is better for planting tomato seedlings. If a polycarbonate coating is used, then mid-May is the best time for planting tomato seedlings in a greenhouse.
In a greenhouse, you can grow seedlings from seeds yourself. To do this, make a warm bed. Best suited horse dung... It is laid on the bottom, covered with sand, and prepared soil is placed on top. Manure, decomposing, releases the required amount of heat. You can sow tomato seeds on such a bed. For the first 2 weeks, the greenhouse is not opened until shoots appear.
Video tips on how to warm up the ground for early planting of seedlings:
When to sow tomato seeds in a greenhouse? Make simple calculations. It takes 50-60 days to prepare seedlings for planting in open ground. Planting tomato seedlings in unprotected soil occurs in the first decade to mid-June, therefore, sowing is done in April.
Be prepared for the fact that the weather sometimes brings unexpected surprises in the form of a sharp cold snap or return frosts. Tomatoes in a greenhouse may die. In order not to be left without a crop, you can use an additional film coating, so that an air gap remains between them. You can also cover the planted plants with modern materials: lutrasil or agrospan, but even the simplest cover with newspapers or burlap can completely protect tomato seedlings from frost.
Top dressing of the tomato with the "Epin" preparation will protect the plants from recurrent frosts. The principle of action of the drug is that it increases the accumulation of sugars in cells and the concentration of cell sap, and reduces the water content. Therefore, tomatoes do not freeze.
Be attentive to weather forecasts, protect your landings. Observe the timing of planting a tomato in a greenhouse, otherwise you can lose your future harvest.
Greenhouse preparation
Growing tomatoes successfully in a greenhouse depends on how you prepare the soil. It is better to do it yourself to be sure of the result. Garden land is not enough for a tomato, it will only be the basis of a greenhouse soil.
The soil taken from the garden must be enriched. There are several options for soil compositions for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse:
- Garden land, peat, humus, taken in equal parts. If the mixture is measured in buckets, then add wood ash (0.5 l) and superphosphate (2 tbsp) to each bucket;
- Sod land, cleared of weed roots, peat, river sand, chalk (50 g). Spill the mixture well with a solution of ready-made mineral fertilizers.
The main requirement for the soil for tomatoes is that it should be light, nutritious, with normal acidity, and allow air and moisture to pass through well.
Tomatoes grow well in soil after crops such as:
- Cabbage;
- Cucumbers;
- Zucchini, squash, pumpkin
- Greens and radishes;
- Carrot;
- Turnip;
- Siderata.
For tomatoes, soil is not suitable after:
- A tomato;
- Early potatoes;
- Pertsev;
- Eggplant.
If the greenhouse has been in the same place for several years, then the soil must be changed. Because it accumulates late blight pathogens and various pests. In addition, the soil is very much depleted, any cultivated plant absorbs a large amount of microelements from the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to return them there.
Replacing the soil is a rather laborious process. Experienced gardeners suggest using the FAS sulfur stick for soil disinfection.When fumigating a greenhouse with a checker, pathogens and pests are destroyed. This measure is very effective.
After the procedure, the soil should be enriched with trace elements. Horse manure compost with the addition of vermicompost (2 kg of mixture per bucket of soil) has proven itself well when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse.
The instructions for preparing the soil are simple and will help you grow tomatoes in a greenhouse before harvesting or grow tomato seedlings.
Preparing seedlings for planting in a greenhouse
No less relevant is the question of how to prepare tomato seedlings so that they can tolerate relocation to a new place of residence well. The conditions of the apartment and the greenhouse are very different from each other. And the temperature conditions, and the degree of illumination, and even what spectrum of sunlight the plants receive.
- If tomato seedlings are pre-planted in separate containers, this will save the root system from damage. Plants will spend less time adapting. Because under unfavorable conditions, tomato seedlings spend up to 2 weeks to recover. And only after that does it start to grow;
- Be sure to harden the plants before planting in the greenhouse. To do this, in 2-3 weeks, they begin to act with cold air, opening the vents, first for 1-2 hours, then gradually increasing the time. At the next stage of hardening, the seedlings are transferred to a balcony or loggia in the daytime, and when the night temperatures become positive, they are left overnight. Those who have the opportunity, then containers with tomato seedlings are taken out to greenhouses, but they are not planted yet;
- Preparatory activities include feeding tomato seedlings before planting in a greenhouse. Do this a week in advance to support the plants. The simplest feeding with a solution of wood ash or potassium chloride;
- Before planting a tomato in a greenhouse, watering is gradually reduced, and in a week, in general, it is stopped. Spray flowering plants with boric acid solution (1 tsp per 1 liter of water). The procedure will protect flowers and buds from falling off.
Healthy tomato seedlings have a strong stem, short internodes, and a well-developed root. The color of the leaves is deep green, there should be at least 6-10 of them, the presence of buds is possible.
Planting seedlings in a greenhouse
When planting tomato seedlings in a greenhouse, consider the following:
- You should not thicken the plantings, the plants will receive less sunlight, there will be a threat of the development of diseases that are very fond of high humidity in thickened plantings. In addition, with a dense planting of tomato seedlings, it is very difficult to care for it;
- The distance between the plants should be at least 40 cm. For planting, prepare holes with a depth of 20-30 cm. Each hole is spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection and additionally fertilized with humus, compost and ash. Wells are prepared in advance;
- Immediately before planting, the holes are spilled abundantly with water so that dirt forms, tomatoes are planted in it in a greenhouse. There is no need to deeply bury the plant. The root collar can be deepened no more than 3 cm if the tomato seedlings have not outgrown;
- For overgrown seedlings, the hole is made deeper, and the plant deepens more deeply. But this is done gradually. Overgrown tomatoes are placed in a hole along with an earthen lump, they are at first, as it were, in a pit, gradually pour in an earthen mixture, every three days by no more than 3 cm.This method makes it possible for tomato seedlings to build up the root system gradually. Tomatoes do not switch exclusively to the formation of additional roots, the plant develops and forms flower stalks. After planting tomatoes in a greenhouse, you do not need to water them immediately. At the initial stage, there is enough moisture.
- The soil around the plants is compacted and mulched. In row spacings, the soil can be loosened to reduce moisture. If everything is done correctly, then tomato seedlings in a greenhouse quickly take root;
- Further care at first comes down to loosening, the first 2 weeks tomatoes in a greenhouse do not need watering. Then watering resumes. Watering infrequently, but abundantly;
- After three weeks, you can carry out the first feeding of the tomato: potassium sulfate (30 g), superphosphate (50 g), ammonium nitrate (15 g) are diluted in a bucket of water. For 1 plant, 1 liter of solution is used. The second feeding is three weeks after the first, and the final one is about a month from the end of the growing season.
Simple steps will preserve healthy seedlings and shorten the adaptation period. Video tips for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse:
Greenhouse materials
A greenhouse differs from a greenhouse primarily in size and shape. The greenhouse is lower, more compact, so it is easier to create the conditions necessary for seedling in it.
To build a greenhouse requires much more space, financial investments, its construction is not within the power of one person. And the greenhouse, due to its simplicity and size, can be mastered by everyone, even the weaker sex.
The base can be a metal structure or wood. The coating can also be selected at your discretion:
- Polyethylene film is a versatile material, popular among gardeners, has a low cost, easy to stretch and easy to fold, suitable for any frame. There are modern types of films: multilayer and reinforced, which will last more than one season;
- Glass transmits sunlight well. Cons: it can only be mounted on a wooden base, it is technically very difficult to mount on a metal base, glass is a fragile material, easily damaged if mishandled;
- Polycarbonate is a modern universal material with a wide range of positive characteristics. Therefore, its popularity is gaining momentum every year. Due to its honeycomb structure, it scatters direct sunlight. The material is durable, does not deform, it is attached to both a wooden and a metal base. Installation of polycarbonate is not difficult.
The choice of coverage depends on your financial capabilities and how long you plan to use the greenhouse.
DIY tomato greenhouse
The simplest tomato structures can be made independently:
- The simplest arc greenhouse known to every gardener. Arcs made of polypropylene are stuck into the ground, a polyethylene film is pulled over it, which is securely fixed on the sides, pressing with bricks. To give strength, the structure can be strengthened with horizontal narrow bars. The best distance between the arcs is 50 cm.Video instructions for making a greenhouse:
- Another simple greenhouse made of wooden trellises. Assembles quickly at no extra cost;
- Stationary erectediya have greater durability and practicality. They are more convenient in operation. A box is made of the boards, on which the frame is attached. Covering material is stretched over the frame. The advantage of a stationary greenhouse for a tomato is that you can make the height as you wish or based on the tomato variety;
- Greenhouses with a metal frame durable, they can be made collapsible, but their cost is quite high. Polycarbonate cover can be used;
- Greenhouse from window frames can be made solid. Now many have old window frames in stock due to their replacement with plastic glazing. The zealous owner will not lose anything. You will need: window frames, brick for the foundation, bars and fasteners. It is expensive to use a brick for the foundation, but it will last a long time, stable and withstand the weight of the window frames. The length of the foundation will depend on the number of frames available. Don't make the greenhouse too long. This will cause inconvenience in operation. On top of the brick foundation, a beam is reinforced, on which boards of the required size are attached in 1 or 2 rows. The topmost side board is cut at an angle along its entire length. Window frames will be attached to the boards.The base can, of course, be made entirely of wood, if the greenhouse is not planned to be used for too long.
It is better to make a greenhouse made of old frames with a lean-to, and a folding roof.
Manufacturers offer ready-made greenhouses:
- Greenhouse butterfly has raised sides for good ventilation and maximum sunshine and warmth in good weather. When open, it really looks like an insect with raised wings;
- Greenhouse-breadbasket it is very convenient for its opening mechanism like a container for storing bread, which is used in kitchens. Very lightweight, can be freely moved around the site, has a minimum of joints, which does not allow cold air to penetrate inside;
- Belgian greenhouse has a flat shed roof, very simple design, which maximizes its reliability. The convenient lifting mechanism also adds points to it. Suitable for growing tall varieties of tomatoes.
Our skilled gardeners easily build such greenhouses for tomatoes on their own according to factory models.
Conclusion
A greenhouse is the simplest garden structure to protect a tomato from cold weather, from pests and diseases. With its proper operation and organization of plantings, you will not only get an early harvest of tomatoes, but also protect the plants from late blight. The greenhouse device does not require significant financial costs, effort and time from you, it is easy to assemble and disassemble, move to a new place. Tomatoes are easy to care for and the temperature inside is easy to regulate.
