Tomato seedling planting time for greenhouse: when to plant

The time of planting tomato seedlings for a greenhouse is difficult to calculate in advance, especially if the greenhouse is cold and spring weather is unstable, which is typical for both temperate and cold latitudes. In any case, the future harvest should be protected from the influence of weather changes by choosing the right cold-resistant variety, and correctly preparing and transplanting young seedlings.

The right choice of seeds for greenhouses

Correctly selected tomato seeds dictate the entire future harvest. For greenhouses, varieties with a long growing season or with a long vine significantly exceeding the height of the greenhouse are not suitableFor seedlings intended for indoor cultivation, it is important to have the ability to self-pollinate and sufficient resistance to diseases associated with high levels of humidity, therefore, we sow only varieties intended specifically for indoor cultivation. Also, the high yield of each individual bush and the possibility of repeated collections are important - preferably until late autumn. You need to read information about the fruiting of the variety before growing tomatoes. All information on how to sow tomatoes of this type and for how long to attribute the harvest of the future harvest is located on the packaging with planting material.

Seeds harvested by yourself, during one of the previous harvests, should gain strength for at least one year - they can only be planted after missing one or two summer seasons. It is important to remember that for sowing material for seedlings, only pure, not mixed varieties are used. Not a single experienced gardener sows seeds that he inherited from unknown varieties or, if there is a suspicion that the tomatoes once sown are represented by a hybrid species.

When to sow seeds for seedlings

The time when you can sow tomato seeds is calculated based on several factors at once:

• characteristics of the greenhouse (insulated, cold);
• forecasts for spring (if late frosts are expected);
• the ability to germinate seeds at home (or the need to immediately sow tomatoes indoors).

Simple math comes into play to help determine landing times at specific latitudes. So, from the moment of sowing a tomato seed to the day the tomato seedlings are planted in the greenhouse, two months (55-65 days) will pass. By the end of this period, certain conditions must be met - the daytime temperature in the greenhouse should not fall below 24 С, at night - stay within 17 ^{С. In a heated greenhouse, such conditions are not difficult to achieve, so the timing of planting seedlings will not be limited by any time of the year.}

Having a simple cottage greenhouse without heating, the gardener must be prepared for the fact that half of the growing season, tomato seedlings will be heated at home. In some cases, seedlings are planted in a permanent place no earlier than the 20th of May. However, even with the best scenario, with good stable weather and sufficient humidity, the transfer of tomato seedlings to a "cold" type greenhouse will only take place on the first days of the last spring month (approximately May 3-5).

Considering all the above factors, you can approximately set the optimal period for planting tomatoes for seedlings. For mid-latitudes with a temperate climate and when choosing an early variety of tomatoes, the dates when tomatoes are sown fluctuate between March 1-5; for southern latitudes, with a predominantly warm spring and, if desired, to grow late-ripening varieties, planting dates for greenhouses are postponed to the end of February.In any case, only seeds that have been processed and disinfected are sown.

When to plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse

The understandable desire of the gardener to plant tomato seedlings early and harvest the first crop, when ovaries are just beginning to form in neighboring greenhouses, can result in the death of all seedlings or, in the best case, an extension of the seedling adaptation period. Excessive care of plants and transferring seedlings to a greenhouse, when green "grandmothers" have already formed on the lower fruit stems, is also not the best option, since the first ovaries, during adaptation, are likely to fall off. So when is the best time to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse?

And again everything is decided by the mathematical account, only now you have to evaluate the appearance of the seedling itself:

• 15 cm is the correct height for a short mature bush and 30 cm for a tall one;
• From 8 to 12 real leaves - this is how much a tomato bush should have, ready for transplanting to a permanent place;
• from 5 to 7 mm - this should be the thickness of the stem;
• 1 to 2 flowers without a hint of ovary formation is a good indicator that seedlings can be planted in a greenhouse.

Of course, even if all of these signs are present, weather conditions will be the decisive factor in the issue of transplantation. If we take as a sample the average spring without abnormal temperature indicators, then the timing when you need to plant tomatoes can fit into the following framework:

• from 27 to 29 April - in a capital greenhouse with constant heating;
• from May 2 to May 5 - in a capital greenhouse without artificial heating, but with an internal film shelter;
• from May 15 to May 21 - in a capital greenhouse without heating and a film tent inside;
• from May 23 to May 28 - under a simple film frame, reinforced on arcs.

In addition, we must remember that not all gardeners have the opportunity to grow seedlings on their own and go to the nearest market to buy. How to determine the time of disembarkation in this case?

Purchased seedlings must be planted on the day of purchase - it is impossible to rehabilitate it if the sprouts are not viable. Therefore, immediately pay attention to the appearance of seedlings and keep in mind - sellers' stories that seedlings magically come to life in a greenhouse are a pure marketing ploy Purchased plants should not:

• be sluggish or have broken stems and leaves;
• have damaged, spotty leaves;
• have a thick stem and dense, leathery leaves;
• to be already covered with flowers or have buds.

Be sure to ask the seller if the seedlings were hardened and under what conditions. Ideally, if the plants turn out to be greenhouse, that is, they have undergone adaptation in the same conditions where they will be grown in the future.

When to plant seedlings - the secrets of proper adaptation

We have already figured out that the timing of planting should be determined by the appearance of the plants and the temperature conditions in the greenhouse. Now let's talk about how to bring the tomato seedlings themselves to a state where transplanting to a new place will cause her minimal harm. The most important stage of preparation will be the hardening of tomatoes planted in individual containers, by bringing the conditions of their stay closer to those that await them in a permanent place.

When to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse? Two weeks before the expected date of planting a tomato in a greenhouse, the temperature in the room where the seedlings are located is artificially lowered, for which you just need to open the upper sections of the windows. After 3-4 days of such a “primary” adaptation, tomato seedlings can already be taken out onto the balcony or placed in front of the open lower section of the window (if there is no draft). Gradually, during the week, the presence of seedlings on the balcony is increased from one hour to six. Plants already in the greenhouse are hardened by simply opening the frames for the same period.

At the end of the first week of adaptation, if there are already flowers on the seedlings, the whole plant is sprayed from a spray bottle with a solution of 0.5 g of boric acid and 0.5 l of water. A couple of days before planting tomatoes in a greenhouse, pinch off the bottom two leaves. However, this is not necessary if there is no certainty about the accuracy of the timing of the transplant, since after pinching the leaves, the fruit brush will begin to develop faster and it will be impossible to stop the process.In this case, the period when planting tomatoes in the greenhouse will be dictated by necessity.

If the gardener decides to plant tomatoes early, or the tomatoes for seedlings have already gone through all the stages of preparation and it is undesirable to delay further, you should separate the plants that are already fully ripe from those that can still wait with a transplant. Inside an unheated greenhouse, a film tunnel is pulled, preferably a double one, with a gap between the walls from 1 to 3 cm, and fully prepared, hardened seedlings are transferred to a permanent place. Tomatoes for the greenhouse can thus be planted in several stages, which means that the harvest can be stretched over a longer period.

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