To obtain an early and abundant harvest of tomatoes in the zone of risky farming, it is necessary to select early high-yielding varieties and it is desirable to grow them under film cover.

In the soil under the tomatoes you need to make 1 square. m up to 20 kg of humus (from horse or cow manure) is the basis, and I usually add complex fertilizer for tomatoes to the hole, and if not, then hardwood ash.

It is also necessary to observe crop rotation: tomatoes can be grown in one place for no more than three years, since there is a large removal of nutrients, and diseases accumulate with permanent cultivation in one place. The predecessors of tomatoes are cucumbers, beans, onions.

In the greenhouse and under the film, the temperature should not exceed 30-32 °, since at a higher temperature pollination of plants does not occur, and the ovaries fall off. To lower the temperature, you need to arrange a draft, i.e. open the ends of the greenhouse.

If at night the temperature reaches only 8-12 °, the greenhouse must be closed in the evening and opened in the morning. The ovaries can also fall off from a lack of nutrients, so during the summer the plants need to be fed with instant complex fertilizers with all the nutrients.

What happens to the leaves of tomatoes?

Recently, a summer resident called me and asked: why do leaves on tomatoes curl? There may be several reasons.

The plants are too hot and lack moisture.

The leaves begin to curl up to reduce evaporation. In this case, the lower leaves, which are less exposed to the sun, remain normal.

Excess nitrogen.

As a rule, the plant fattens the powerful stem, and the leaves on it are twisted. This can be eliminated by abundant watering. Foliar feeding with potassium (1 tsp of potassium sulfate per 1 liter of water) will balance nitrogen well, you can feed it with ash (a glass in a bucket of water) or microelements.

Small black aphid.

Initially, she settles in the axils of the leaves, so she is not visible. In the future, it passes to the stem and leaves. It is necessary to spray the plants very carefully, trying to wet all the sinuses and folds of the leaves.

Curly virus.

Tomato leaves begin to curl at the top, the central shoot stops growing, the leaves become light green or yellowish. Such a diseased plant must be removed immediately, since viral diseases are not treated and are sources of infection for healthy plants.

Through seedlings or seeds?

It is possible, of course, with seeds, but growing tomatoes through seedlings makes it possible to harvest earlier and in large volumes.

Pictured is 1 tomato undersized extra early. Grown by me by seed method in open ground. Harvest - 2 kg per bush. And in photo 2, the same variety, but grown through seedlings in a film greenhouse. The fruits ripen in July, they are larger, and the yield from one bush is up to 5 kg. This is what it means to create all the necessary conditions for a variety!

In the Non-Black Earth Region, with seed sowing in open ground, stable tomato crops can be obtained only if the summer is warm, but the tomatoes will still ripen only in August. For example, God's gift(photo 3) grown by me in a seedless way in the open field. The plant is up to 1 m high, fruits weighing up to 120 g, do not stepchild, and the crop is 4 kg per bush.

All other varieties are grown by seedling method.

Fiery star - early-medium ripening, not stepson, plant height 1 m, red fruits, weighing up to 350 g.

bullish heart early- plant height 1 m, does not stepchild, pink fruits, weighing up to 700 g.

Bull's heart- an early variety, up to 1.7 m high. Raspberry-colored fruits, fleshy, weighing up to 900 g.

bull heart white- early-medium ripening tomato, not stepson, plant height 1.8 m, fruits weighing up to 800 g, sweet.

pink wild honey- early-medium ripening, tall, pink fruits, good taste, weighing up to 300 g.

Siberians early- the tomato is undersized, fruitful, does not stepchild, fruits up to 70 g, good taste.

Tim- undersized, plant height up to 45 cm, early-medium ripening period, with small fruits, but very abundant fruiting, does not stepchild.

Selena- an early low-growing variety, yellow fruits, weighing up to 120 g, do not stepson.

Marmande- undersized, plant height up to 1 m, early ripening, red fruits, weighing up to 350 g, good taste.

Lilac sunset(R-20) - tall, medium ripening, fruits weighing up to 120 g, good taste.

Standard large-fruited- early-medium ripening tomato, plant height 1 m, not stepson, fruits are large, weighing up to 600 g.

I usually buy tomato seedlings in the market, but this year I decided to grow them myself. Unfortunately, the "sill" method does not suit me, because there is not enough free space. I heard that you can sow the seeds right away in the garden and make a mini-greenhouse over them. Tell me, how to grow seedlings in open ground under a film?

The method of obtaining seedlings of vegetable crops under a film cover is quite often used by gardeners who do not have the opportunity to do this in a greenhouse or in apartment conditions. Most often it is used for tomatoes.

Advantages of the method of growing seedlings under temporary shelter

The main advantage of this method of obtaining seedlings is that the "film" plants have a stronger immunity to adverse climatic conditions compared to. They are easier to tolerate transplantation and lowering the air temperature.

In addition, the film shelter allows you to sow seeds in the ground for seedlings almost a month earlier. So, under temporary shelters, seeds can be sown from the second decade of March, and seedlings will be ready for transplanting to a permanent place as early as the 20th of May. Accordingly, this will bring the harvest time closer.

Growing seedlings in open ground under a film can be conditionally divided into three stages:

• selection of crop varieties and site preparation;
• placement of landings;
• shelter construction.

Seed selection and site preparation

For growing seedlings under film cover, it is recommended to use zoned early and mid-season varieties of garden crops. As for tomatoes, the Far North, Sanka, Siberian early ripening, Ogorodnik varieties are suitable here.

The site for the film nursery should be prepared in advance: dig in the fall, apply organic matter and mineral fertilizers. In the spring, dig a shallow trench (up to 20 cm) along the width of the film.

Placement of landings and construction of shelter

Seeds for seedlings are best sown in a tape way, alternating narrow row-spacings with wide ones. It should be borne in mind that one sheet of film should be enough to cover 2 rows with narrow row spacing.

Shelter construction

In order to make a film shelter, you will need:

1. Film - it is better to use polyethylene with a thickness of at least 100 microns and a width of up to 160 cm.
2. Supports - special wire arcs from 160 to 180 cm long.

The arcs should be placed every meter across the planted row and pulled over the film. Fix the edges of the film (sprinkle) with earth on all sides. If a strong wind that can break the shelter is not a frequent guest in the region, you can not sprinkle one side of the film, but simply press it with something heavy. This will make the ventilation process easier.

With expected frosts, the nursery should be covered on top with a second layer of film.

Shelter can be removed when stable warm weather sets in, but before that, the nursery must be well ventilated for 5 days. And if the summer is predicted to be cold, vegetables are grown under a film, periodically airing a mini-greenhouse.

Growing early cabbage under a film - video

To obtain high tomato yields, gardeners use several methods of growing plants. Each method has its own individual technique. But, regardless of the choice, it is extremely difficult to grow strong vegetable bushes without seedlings. In obtaining strong seedlings with a well-developed root system, a film coating is required, which will need to be removed from the seedlings in a timely manner.

Film coating is the simplest structure for protecting the soil from external negative factors. It is located on the surface of the boxes, during the cultivation of seedlings at home.

Due to the structure of the film coating, the following microclimate is created inside the frame:

• optimal air temperature;
• constant soil moisture;

Such favorable factors are well reflected in the germination, growth and development of seedlings. And also these conditions will allow in the future to extend the growing season for plants and provide them with good immunity to various diseases.

It is worth paying attention: the polymer shelter is a short-term link from seed germination to a certain growth of seedlings.

Using and removing film

Before proceeding with covering the boxes with foil, you first need to plant the seeds. Sowing is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Fertile soil is poured into pre-prepared boxes 24x35 cm in size and 7-9 cm high.
2. With the help of improvised means, grooves are made about 1 cm deep.
3. Tomato seeds are located in each groove at a distance of 1 cm from each other.
4. Spilling the planting material by drip method, the seeds are backfilled with loose, sifted soil.

Having thus sowed, the boxes are covered with plastic wrap and removed to a dark place, with a constant temperature regime of + 25 degrees.

After 3-5 days, when the first seedlings appear, it is recommended to move the boxes to a well-lit place. The best place for further seed germination is considered to be a window sill, where the daytime temperature will vary within +22 degrees, and the night temperature will be about +16 - + 18 degrees. At the same time, it is not recommended to remove the film until the seeds germinate completely.

When the boxes are covered with dense seedlings, it will be possible to start hardening the seedlings. To do this, within 1 week, the film is gradually opened. Every day you need to increase the hardening time interval. After 10 days, after planting the seeds, the film can be completely removed from the boxes.

In order for tomato seeds to sprout together, and young seedlings to develop well, high soil and air humidity is required. At the slightest decrease in humidity, young plants may die. Therefore, before closing the box with a film, it is recommended to shed the soil well with warm water, but at the same time try not to swamp the soil. After 1 week, if dryness is observed during the examination of the soil, it will be possible to shed it once with warm water. In this case, the next irrigation should be carried out at intervals of several days.

Important: When growing seedlings of tomatoes, the drying of the soil should not be allowed. This is justified by the fact that the roots of the plant are located at the top layer of the soil, so if it is too dry, the plants will simply die.

Choice of film coating

Today, the consumer market offers several types of seedling cover film. Each product has its own distinctive features in terms of performance.

But, despite the variety of species, it is more rational to choose a material that will meet the following indicators:

1. Ease. The less the film will have weight, the less it will sag from condensate.
2. Light transmission. In order for the plants to receive enough light, the light transmission of the film should be about 80%.
3. UV resistant. Such qualities will save heat in the boxes, and save the seedlings from sunburn.
4. Environmental friendliness. Covering product should consist only of environmentally friendly material.

Tomato- a heat-loving plant, resistant to air droughts, it works well on loamy and sandy loamy soils. Tomato seedlings can be grown indoors using boxes, glasses, cans. Boxes can be kept in a room or greenhouse. For hardening seedlings during the day, boxes should be placed on the veranda or in other cool rooms. To get healthy tomato seedlings, seedlings that have not shed their seed coat are removed. Seedlings dive into cups 6x6 cm. Usually seedlings of early tomatoes are grown up to 50-60 days of age.

Planting time for seedlings. Seedlings with a height of 15 - 30 cm are suitable for planting in the ground, there can be 6 - 10 true leaves on it. To obtain especially early production, containers of 10 x 10 cm are used, in this case, the age of seedlings when planted in the soil can reach 65 - 70 days (with the first flowering brush). For medium and late varieties, the age of seedlings at planting is 40 - 50 days.

Tomato seedlings are planted in the ground when the threat of spring frost has passed. For an early tomato, row spacing is 50-60 cm, and the distance between plants in rows is 30-35 cm; for mid-late, the distance between rows and in rows is increased by 10-15 cm. Seedlings of tall varieties are planted according to the 60X60 cm pattern. After planting, the plants are watered abundantly and the soil around them is covered with humus or dry earth. Seedlings should be planted in the holes 2-3 cm deeper than they grew before planting in the ground.

Further care consists of loosening the soil, weeding, fertilizing and watering. Tomatoes are rarely watered, but in large doses, so as not to create high humidity, which contributes to the development of late blight, the main enemy of this crop.

To combat it, plants are sprayed with a 0.4-0.5% solution of copper sulphate, having previously collected all the fruits, including unripe ones.

To enhance the formation of fruits and speed up their ripening, on early varieties of tomato, remove stepchildren - young shoots that form in the axils of the leaves.

Reckless method. In regions with a frost-free period of 150 - 180 days, it is recommended to grow a tomato for mass gathering in late August - September using a seedless method. To do this, it is better to take medium-early and medium-late varieties, sow the seeds in holes, to a depth of 2-3 cm. Sow 5-6 seeds, break through in the phase of 2-3 leaves.

Agrotechnics of tomatoes under film cover

It has been established that seedless tomato plants form a powerful root system, and therefore better absorb soil moisture and are less susceptible to diseases.

Many gardeners, when planting and caring for tomatoes, face various problems that arise as a result of incorrect actions. We will focus on the most common mistakes vegetable growers make.

1. Ill-considered purchase of seeds. If you are growing tomatoes in a large volume, it is better to choose hybrids. First, they suffer less from various diseases. Secondly, their yield is 30% higher than that of varietal tomatoes. However, you should not completely abandon the varieties: many of them have an excellent taste and original shape.

2. It is wrong to plant varieties for open ground in a greenhouse and, conversely, greenhouse hybrids - in open ground. Bottom line: low determinant varieties are not able to master the volume of the greenhouse and give a significantly lower yield compared to the greenhouse. Greenhouse hybrids in the open field will also not be able to realize their potential. Reason: short growing season, sudden temperature changes, poor pollination due to high humidity.

3. An inexperienced vegetable grower will buy the thickest plastic film for the greenhouse, considering it the most reliable. It is better to use unstabilized hydrophilic polyethylene film. Its advantageous difference is that flat-drop condensate is formed on the surface. In other words, the resulting droplets roll down without forming a droplet. In addition, antistatic additives repel dust, keeping the transparency of the film for a long time. At night, it loses less heat, which is facilitated by a layer of moisture on the inside. All this has a beneficial effect on the crop.

4. Do you think if more light and heat - better seedlings? Not quite right. Tomato seedlings grow best with 15-16 hours of light and night temperature of 8-10 °C.

5. Sellers often offer inflorescence tomato seedlings, proving that the buyer will get an early harvest. This is wrong. When transplanting on overripe seedlings, it will be necessary to remove the inflorescences and build up the root system. Moreover, plants should be watered abundantly immediately before planting. If this is done a day or two earlier, the stems will become juicy and brittle, which will increase their fragility. Water is poured into the prepared hole and tomatoes are planted literally in the mud so that they take root better. If you water them from above, a crust forms and the plants die.

6. Gardeners often mistakenly water tomatoes daily, like cucumbers. In fact, they need watering rare, but plentiful - once every 7-10 days. In this case, water should not fall on the leaves. The humidity in the greenhouse increases, which contributes to the development of phytophthora on tomatoes.

7. Delay in stepsoning. It is necessary to remove stepchildren at a shoot height of 3-4 cm - no more. Another misconception is that you need to leave stumps. In the place where they remain, pathogens immediately appear. It is more correct to pluck the stepchildren at the very base.

8. Wrong formation of plants. Vegetable growers sometimes feel sorry for removing strong side shoots or pinching the top. The result is a spreading bush without fruits.

9. Formation of powerful shoots and large leaves to the detriment of fruiting. This happens more often if manure is brought under the tomatoes, so it’s better to refuse it. It is important that plants receive magnesium on time. Its disadvantage is easy to notice by the darkened tissue of the leaves between the veins. In this case, it is worth carrying out foliar top dressing with magnesium sulfate (0.5%).

10. In the protection of plants from pests and diseases, one should not refuse prevention, one should not wait for symptoms of damage and damage. In greenhouses, the first preventive treatment should be carried out even in the seedling period.

11. You should not harvest hybrid seeds for further cultivation - nothing good will come of them.