15 secrets on how to grow a good crop of tomatoes in the open field and in the greenhouse (Photo & Video) + Reviews

How to grow a tomato crop

tomatoes - one of the most popular vegetables in the garden, which everyone loves. But it is not always possible to collect a large number of tasty and fragrant fruits. In order to get a good harvest of tomatoes in the open field and in the greenhouse every season, experienced gardeners are advised to follow simple recommendations.

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Basic principles for obtaining high yields

Tomatoes in a greenhouse

There are four main rules, the implementation of which allows you to collect a large number of fragrant tomatoes from the beds every year:

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1. Seed preparation

tomato seeds

Good seedlings and high yield - quality seeds. Serious producers treat them with special antifungal agents before selling them, which increases the germination of tomatoes.

You can also disinfect the seeds yourself with a solution of potassium permanganate (1 gram of the substance per 1 liter of water). To do this, the seeds are wrapped in a piece of gauze and placed in the prepared liquid for twenty minutes. After the time has elapsed, the seed should be washed well in cool water and dried.

It is believed that tomato seeds remain viable for nine years. But improper storage conditions and various other factors can significantly shorten this period. If you doubt the quality of the seeds, you can check them in a simple way.

Two to three weeks before sowing, place a couple of seeds in a linen cloth in warm water for a day. Then leave in the same patch in a warm place for 3-4 days. After planting the seeds on the ground and watch the seedlings: sprouts appeared - everything is fine with tomato seeds, there is no greenery - the seeds are not suitable for growing.

It is also possible to select unsuitable seed material visually. Do not leave hollow, too small or large seeds.

To speed up germination, it is recommended to put tomato seeds on a damp cloth and cover with a wet cloth for 18 hours. All this time it is necessary to maintain sufficient humidity.

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2. Growing seedlings

Tomatoes in glasses

To grow your own seedlings, in addition to seeds, you need to acquire seedling containers and soil. For sowing seeds, you can use both special peat containers (pots), cassettes, and the simplest plastic cups with drainage holes at the bottom. The soil is suitable for universal sowing or a mixture of sand and peat 1: 1.

Seedling containers are densely filled with soil, which is slightly moistened from above. The seeds are planted shallowly and not sown thickly, otherwise the seedlings will be weak with thin stems. Immediately after sowing, the containers are covered with a film to ensure optimal soil moisture, and placed in a warm place where the temperature is kept at 20-23 degrees. After the appearance of the first shoots, the film is removed.

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3. Seedling care

tomato seedling

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4. Buying seedlings

tomato seedling

If there is no desire or opportunity to grow seedlings, you can buy it. Good planting material can be easily found both in garden centers and at grandmothers in the market or from familiar gardeners.

When buying containers with seedlings, you should be guided by the following points:

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5. Planting seedlings in open ground

Planting seedlings

When the end of spring frosts comes (end of May - first half of June), you can start planting young tomatoes in open ground. It is recommended to carry out garden work on a cloudy, non-hot day or in the evening.

Best of all, tomato plants develop in sunny, but sheltered places with pre-prepared soil.

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6. Soil preparation

Soil preparation

Every gardener knows about the importance of crop rotation. After all the right approach to the planting plan allows you to avoid damage by diseases and pests, as well as maintain the fertility of the mail.

The best predecessors of tomatoes are: strawberries, carrot, cucumbers, onion, green manure. After them, the harvest will increase several times, and the fruits themselves will become much larger. If earlier turnips were grown on the beds with tomatoes, beet, cabbage crops This will also ensure good yields.

Plant nightshades after potatoes, pepper, eggplant, zucchini, peas, fennel, a variety of tall vegetables are not worth it. The harvest from such beds will be insignificant.

Another important factor is ensuring the quality of the soil.

Bring in compost recommended in autumn and spring. In autumn, humus, peat, bird droppings and other organic fertilizers are applied to a depth of 20-25 cm. In spring - 12-20 cm.

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7. Preparing seedlings before planting in the ground

Seedlings in pots

About two weeks before transplanting plants into open ground, boxes with seedlings must be taken out to a balcony or street if the air temperature is not lower than 10 degrees. First, seedling containers are hardened for about half an hour. Then the time is gradually increased. A few days before planting, seedling boxes can be left outside for the whole day and all night.

Watering plants is stopped a week before planting in open ground. If the leaves of tomatoes begin to fade a little, the soil can be moistened, but only a little.

By the time of planting, healthy seedlings should have a well-developed root system, reach a height of up to 25-30 cm, have from 6 to 9 dark green leaves on a straight stem.

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8. Features of planting seedlings in open ground

Planting seedlings

The first step is to water the soil well in seedling pots or boxes. Thus, the plants will be removed from the container easily and without damaging the root system.

Next, you need to make holes up to 10-15 cm deep. The layout of the beds depends on the characteristics of the variety. For example, Zhigalo tomato bushes reach a height of up to 30-45 cm and do not require much space. Tomatoes "Pink Honey" rise to 100-125 cm and spread up to 50-60 cm wide, so their seedlings are planted at a distance of up to 70 cm.

With a classic landing, the scheme looks like this:

The wells are abundantly filled with water and mineral fertilizers with humus are added to them in a ratio of 1: 3.

After preparing the landing site, it is necessary to turn the container with seedlings over and carefully remove the plant by pulling it by the trunk. The lower leaves should be removed, leaving only 2-3 on top. The seedling, together with a clod of earth, is placed in the hole so that the stem remains open. Only the rhizome should be in the ground.

Seedlings are added dropwise, tightly pressing the soil around the stem. From above, you can sprinkle with a layer of withered grass, sawdust or straw (maximum height 10 cm).

After planting, the seedlings are left alone for 8-10 days. During this period, the plants should take root in a new place and get stronger. If some tomatoes died in ten days, fresh seedlings can be planted in their place.

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9. Plain tomato garter

Garter tomato

It is worth taking care of the pegs immediately after planting the seedlings. Depending on the plant variety, the length of the supports can vary from 50 to 100 cm. Pegs should be placed on the north side, 10 cm away from the bush.

The first tomato garter is recommended when the fourth or fifth true leaf is formed on the stem. In total, for the entire season, the bushes are tied up about three to four times. Bushes are fixed with twine or bast.

Tomatoes should be tied up only under branches with fruits. This method provides the plant and crop with the greatest illumination and a sufficient amount of heat. In addition, this way the lower tomatoes do not come into contact with the ground and are less attacked by pests.

10. Trellis garter bushes

tapestries - This is a special design of pegs driven into the ground and slats or ropes horizontally attached to them. This method is ideal for growing medium and tall, large-fruited, richly fruiting tomato varieties.

Tapestry dressing of tomatoes

The use of tapestries allows you to:

Pegs 120-150 cm long are recommended to be driven not in front of each bush, but more often. Then the design will be much stronger. Laths or taut ropes are placed every 20-25 cm.

When the tomato bushes begin to grow, you can carry out the first garter. To do this, the stem is fixed to horizontal supports with soft twine. Subsequent garters are performed as the plants grow every 15-20 cm.

11. Plant care when growing outdoors

To increase the yield of crops, you must perform:

Hilling

To help the plant grow the root system as much as possible, as a result of which beautiful tomatoes will ripen, it is necessary to carry out hilling in a timely manner - to roll the lower part of the plants with moist, loosened soil.

hilling tomato

This procedure should be performed during periods when the roots are growing:

Spud the tomatoes with small rakes. The soil is first watered, and then slightly loosened so as not to damage the root system, and sprinkle it on one and the other side of the bush.

planting a plant

Pasynkovanie is the removal of lateral shootsso that the strength of the plant sews on the formation of large and beautiful fruits, and not tops.

Planting a plant

Extra branches are removed from an early age of the plant. First of all, the lower shoots growing under the brushes are removed. Stepchildren stop by the time the crop ripens.

The procedure is recommended to be carried out in the early morning or in the evening, but not in the heat. Shoots can not be broken out, this can damage the plant. It is best to break off the branches, cut with a sharp knife or secateurs.

Additionally, it may be necessary to remove excess flower brushes in which the fruits could not form.

Top dressing

Organic and mineral fertilizers help improve soil composition, develop the root system, increase plant immunity and increase yield.

The first top dressing is recommended to be applied two weeks after planting seedlings in open ground. As a fertilizer, a solution of mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20) is most often used. Subsequent top dressing is performed with minerals (for example, natrophoska in the proportion of 60 grams per 10 liters of water).

Adding feed

You can fertilize tomatoes no more than once every ten days. Before flowering, each bush requires about 1 liter of top dressing, after flowering - 2-5 liters.

During the fruiting period, crops can be fed with such substances:

12. Watering tomato bushes

Watering tomato bushes

After planting, the first strait is carried out in 10-14 days. In June, you can water once a week. From July, the number of waterings is increased to 2-3 times a week, depending on the weather.

You need to water the bushes under the root in the evening. Morning and evening water treatments can harm the plant.

13. Spraying

Spraying tomato bushes with Bordeaux liquid or onion tincture, boric acid significantly increases crop yields. The first two substances contribute to the good development of the plant, and the third - stimulates the formation of new growth points and fruit set.

To prepare Bordeaux liquid, you need to take quicklime and dissolve it in water (proportions of 100 grams per 5 liters). In another container, 100 grams of copper sulfate are mixed with a small amount of hot water. The diluted preparation is poured into a 5 liter container with water.

Spraying a tomato

After that, a solution of vitriol and slaked lime is combined in one container. The finished product has a sky-blue tint.

For onion tincture, it is necessary to grind onion with a meat grinder or blender onion and garlic (100 grams each). The resulting slurry is placed in a three-liter jar and filled three-quarters with water. The liquid is insisted for three days, periodically shaking the container.

In parallel with the tincture, bird droppings should be prepared. To do this, take 200 grams of fertilizer, pour water and let it brew. Three days later, bird droppings are mixed with onion tincture and filtered.

Spraying is carried out every week immediately after planting in the ground. Bordeaux liquid and onion tincture are constantly alternated.

Spraying with boric acid is performed during the flowering of the second and third flower brushes. To prepare a weak solution, you need to take 10 grams of powder and dilute it in 10 liters of water.

14. Pollination

The tomato is a self-pollinating plant that produces a lot of high-quality pollen. But if you want to reap large yields, then the culture should be helped by attracting helper insects (bees and bumblebees).

pollination process

To do this, it’s just worth sowing bright annual honey plants between tomato bushes: mustard, rapeseed, coriander or basil. These crops will not only attract bees to beds, but also contribute to the improvement of the taste of fruits and loosen the soil.

Sometimes a tomato fails to self-pollinate. The reasons for this may be:

Artificial pollination of tomatoes

In such cases, it is necessary to help the plant to help pollinate. You can easily tap the flowering brush or tilt the bud with the protruding pestle and shake it. The ideal time for artificial pollination is from 10 am to 2 pm. The procedure is recommended to be repeated after four days. Immediately after pollination, the plants must be watered or sprayed on the flower.

15. Features of growing in greenhouses

Tomatoes in a greenhouse

Although the greenhouse conditions are different from the open ground, the growing processes are quite similar.

Tomato seedlings are planted in a greenhouse in the first half of May. The beds are prepared 7-10 days before planting. Soil requirements are the same as for outdoor cultivation. Watering, pinching, spraying, fertilizing is carried out in the same regularity.

Greenhouse tomatoes are tied up when the bushes are already strong. For this, tapestries are most often used.

Important points to consider when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse:

The pride of a real summer resident

Tomato is an unpretentious, but very responsive plant. All of the above actions help to significantly increase crop yields and get a large number of fragrant fruits. But the main thing is not to overdo it in care. Everything is good in moderation!