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If the weather is stable outside the window, and the tomato seedlings have already grown enough, then it's time to think about planting plants in the ground. At the same time, you need to know at what distance to plant tomatoes in order to economically use land areas and at the same time get the maximum yield of vegetables. The distance between tomatoes depends on the height of the plants and the growing conditions. You can also use some tricks that will allow you to create compact plantings of tomatoes in the greenhouse and outdoors.
Why it is important to respect the recommended distances
You can get a good harvest of tomatoes only if the seedlings are correctly placed during planting. In pursuit of space saving, many gardeners plant plants too densely, which can lead to undesirable consequences:
- closely spaced plants shade each other, which does not allow them to develop normally and form fruits in the required amount.
- in the shade of tomato foliage, the fruits ripen longer, which is not desirable when growing crops in the open field;
- strongly developed roots inhibit the growth of neighboring plants, absorbing a large amount of nutrients;
- caring for thickened plantings is complicated;
- in protected conditions, there is no natural air circulation, and densely located tomato leaves can suffer from fungal diseases;
- close contact of densely spaced tomato leaves promotes the accelerated spread of diseases from one bush to another.
Thus, the thickened placement of tomatoes in the ground can lead to the development of diseases, a lack of nutrients and moisture, a slowdown in the ripening process of fruits and other consequences that negatively affect the yield of tomatoes.
Planting tomato seedlings at too great a distance from each other is also not a solution to the problem, since in this case it is required to give large land areas for planting. That is why a competent gardener should know what distances are optimal for plants and what schemes for planting tomato seedlings can be used outdoors and in a greenhouse.
Distances depending on the variety
All tomatoes, depending on the shape, height, spreading of the bush and the prevalence of its root system, are divided into three types:
- Stamp tomatoes sometimes called undersized. The height of their bushes does not exceed 45 cm.The root system of plants is compact, which makes it possible to plant tomatoes in 6-7 bushes per 1 m2 soil. The trunks of standard tomatoes are thick and strong. Such plants do not need a garter.
- Determinant tomato called medium-sized. Their height does not exceed 1.5 m. The root system is well developed. During the growing season, plants independently limit their growth, while requiring the formation of a bush. Grow determinant tomatoes in open and protected ground, planting 3-4 plants per 1m2 soil.
- Indeterminate varieties tomatoes grow throughout their life cycle. Their height can reach 3 m. The developed root system does not allow planting such bushes densely.So, the recommended planting scheme involves placing no more than 2 bushes per 1m2 soil. During the growing season, indeterminate tomatoes must be tied up, pinned, pinched.
Thus, when purchasing tomato seeds, you need to pay attention to their classification in order to determine at what distance they will need to be planted in the future and what rules for caring for plants to follow.
Schemes for planting tomatoes in open ground
Tomatoes should be planted outdoors in early June. At this time, there is no threat of frost, and night temperatures do not drop below + 10- + 120C. In a greenhouse environment, these conditions occur 2-3 weeks earlier.
Before planting seedlings, you should decide on a piece of land on which tomatoes will grow. This should be a well-lit, windless area with a predominance of nutrient soil. It is also worth paying attention to what cultures grew earlier in this place. The best precursors for tomatoes are cucumbers, zucchini, peas, onions, cabbage, garlic, and root vegetables. Tomatoes should not be planted in areas of soil where eggplants, peppers or potatoes used to grow.
To grow tomatoes, you must first prepare the soil. During autumn digging, manure, humus or other organic matter should be added to the soil. In the spring, with the arrival of heat, the soil must be loosened and fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium must be added to it. After such preparation, it is necessary to determine which scheme and technology for planting plants is better to use.
Disembarkation in rows
This technology is most common among gardeners. It is used by both experienced and novice farmers. It involves planting tomatoes in the ground in rows according to pre-made markings. Standard and determinant tomatoes can be planted using this technology. Depending on the height of the tomatoes, there should be distances from 25 to 40 cm between the plants in the same row.There should be 50-80 cm wide passages between the rows of tomatoes.
It is worth noting that planting tomatoes in rows is used only outdoors, since the technology requires large areas. At the same time, the advantage of the method is facilitated plant care, good lighting of the bushes, and excellent air circulation. All these factors allow tomatoes to grow freely and give a full harvest in a timely manner.
Parallel landing
This landing technique is similar to the above technique. The only difference is that you need to plant not one, but two rows of tomatoes between the technical aisles. This allows you to save land, while maintaining the convenience of planting maintenance. Plants of any height are planted using this technology, while observing the recommended distances: between two rows of distances of 25-50 cm, depending on the height of the bushes, the distance between the bushes in one row is 60-70 cm.
Between two ridges with parallel plantings of tomatoes, it is necessary to provide for the presence of a passage, the width of which should be equal to 80-100 cm. You can see the diagram of such planting of tomatoes below.
Parallel landing is sometimes called tape-nesting. They use it to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse and on open land.
Staggered Disembarkation
Staggered planting is more often used for growing determinant tomatoes in the open field. The method allows you to provide plants with maximum sun exposure. At the same time, caring for plants is not difficult, since access to each bush is free.
To plant tomatoes in a checkerboard pattern, you need to outline two lines, the distance between which will be 40-50 cm. Tomatoes should be planted on one line, observing the distance between the bushes of 50-60 cm.After filling one line, you can start planting plants on the second line. This will fill the soil evenly and make the landings leveled.
Square-nested landing
This tomato growing technology is more commonly used in industrial plants. It involves planting not one, but three tomato seedlings at once in one hole (nest). The nests can be placed in an unlimited area in squares. They are created by marking several parallel lines, at a distance of 80 cm from each other. On each line, nests are made at a distance of 60 cm.
After the tomato seedlings, planted in a square-nest method, adapt to the new conditions, one less viable seedling is removed. The remaining two stronger ones are tied up.
Taking care of plants with such a planting scheme is rather complicated, however, in practice, the high efficiency of the technology has been proven.
Tomatoes are planted at a distance that depends on their height. So, indeterminate tomatoes are best grown in rows, since in this case massive bushes will receive a sufficient amount of sunlight, the roots will not be deficient in nutrients and moisture. This arrangement will allow you to grow the maximum yield of vegetables without any particular difficulties, because the plants will be located without restricting access to them.
Medium-sized, determinant tomatoes are best planted in a checkerboard pattern to save free soil. Low-growing, standard tomatoes will take up little space, but at the same time they will give a good harvest when planted in parallel rows. At the same time, despite all the recommendations, the choice of a scheme for planting tomatoes in open ground depends primarily on the preferences of the gardener and the availability of free soil.
Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse
Most gardeners traditionally grow tomatoes in a greenhouse and greenhouse. This allows plants to be planted in early spring, thereby speeding up the harvesting process. Low and tall tomatoes can be planted in protected ground. At the same time, farmers recommend giving preference to indeterminate tomatoes, which grow and bear fruit until late autumn. Greenhouse conditions in this case allow maintaining a favorable microclimate for plants as long as possible.
Soil preparation
Prepare the ground for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse necessary in the spring. To do this, sift and disinfect or partially replace the top layer of the soil, since it contains pest larvae, seeds and roots of weeds. The soil can be disinfected by heating or spilling with a manganese solution. Also, during the preparation of the soil, it is necessary to add rotted manure and a complex of mineral fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus to it. After fertilization, the soil in the greenhouse should be leveled.
Classic planting methods
After preparing the soil for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to determine at what distance you need to plant seedlings, given the tallness of the variety. In this case, you can use one of the above landing schemes. However, it is worth remembering:
- planting in rows is not advisable for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, since it requires the use of large areas;
- square-nested tomato planting is also not recommended for protected conditions, as it requires large areas and makes it difficult to care for plants in a confined space.
At the same time, most often, when growing tomatoes in greenhouses, gardeners use the classic scheme of parallel placement of seedlings.This diagram with the designation of the recommended distances for medium-sized determinant tomatoes is shown below.
The staggered tomato planting method is also popular with farmers who grow tomatoes in greenhouses and greenhouses. An example of the location of the holes according to this principle can be seen below in the photo.
Combined disembarkation
Often gardeners resort to a little trick - a combined planting. It consists in the fact that tall, indeterminate and undersized, standard tomatoes grow on the same area at the same time. In this case, tall plants must be placed in the middle of the ridge, and low-growing tomatoes along its edges. Using this way growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, special attention should be paid to the formation of bushes.
Bush formation
For normal growth, development and abundant fruiting, it is necessary to plant tomato seedlings, observing certain distances. When purchasing seeds of a particular variety on the package, you can see the recommended distances, however, it should be borne in mind that the manufacturer indicates them taking into account the correct formation of the bush.
Indeterminate tomatoes are shaped so that one main fruiting stem remains. This can be achieved by removing stepchildren. Closer to autumn, indeterminate bushes can be pinched in order for the plants to give their strength to the ripening of already existing fruits. Indeterminate bushes must be tied up.
Determinate, medium-sized tomatoes also need to be formed during growth. The technology of forming bushes in this case involves pinching the main stem upon reaching a certain height and removing the stepsons. At the same time, only some stepsons are removed, leaving 3-4 fruiting branches from below.
You do not need to pinch standard and undersized tomatoes. They, as a rule, independently regulate the intensity of their growth. However, in low-growing tomatoes, it is still sometimes necessary to remove lush leaves and stepsons.
There are no leaves on the flower shoots, while the stepsons already form leaves in the early period.
Planted tomatoes can be affected by various fungal diseases. Often their source is contaminated soil. To prevent diseases at all stages of cultivation, the lower leaves that touch the soil should be removed.
Details about the formation of tomato bushes you can learn from the video:
Let's summarize
Every gardener should know at what distance to plant tomatoes. This is especially important when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, where there is no natural air circulation, as this can become an impetus for the development of fungal diseases. Observance of distances when planting seedlings and correct formation of tomato bushes allows you to avoid such troubles and at the same time increase the yield of the crop. When growing tomatoes outdoors, observing the recommended spacing allows the plants to receive more sunlight, resulting in the tomatoes ripening faster. Thus, the distance between the seedlings chosen at the time of planting is the basis for a good harvest.
