Planting in a polycarbonate greenhouse - growing vegetables and seedlings in a polycarbonate greenhouse

Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse has some features, taking them into account, you can get an excellent harvest. Gardeners are interested in the question: planting tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, where to start?

We want to share with you the secrets of an early and rich harvest. Tell you how to properly grow seedlings and their subsequent planting in a greenhouse. Let's share the secrets of caring for tomatoes and combating possible difficulties: pests and diseases. By following our recommendations, you will grow an early harvest of tomatoes.

Why is it better to grow tomatoes as seedlings in a greenhouse?

There are many reasons for growing tomatoes in greenhouse conditions:

Possibility of harvesting ultra-early and late harvests - from early spring to late autumn.
Growing tall bushes that do not take root well in open ridges. It is these seedlings that produce large fruits up to 0.5 kg.
The possibility of planting productive heat-loving varieties that do not do well in harsh Russian conditions.

Greenhouse plants do not require additional care - all activities are simple and familiar, even a beginner can do it.

Tall tomatoes in a greenhouse

Growing Tips

In order for the tomato harvest to be of high quality and tasty, you must use the following recommendations and rules:

Vegetable diseases can be prevented by treating seeds before planting and disinfecting the soil;
many tomato diseases are the result of improper watering and care, so this factor must be carefully monitored;
in order to speed up the ripening process, additional lighting can be installed in a polycarbonate greenhouse, which is especially important when planting crops early;
the onset of fruit formation can be accelerated using artificial pollination with a brush;
it is necessary to transplant seedlings into greenhouse soil together with a seedling ball of soil;
Peat pots, which do not require removing seedlings from them, will help facilitate the process of transplanting into a greenhouse.

When to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse

You can determine the readiness of tomatoes for moving by the following signs:

Height 20-25 cm.
8-12 developed true leaves.
Formation of 1-2 inflorescences.
Approximate age: 50-55 days.

Let's take a look at the approximate timing.

Planting tomatoes by region

Planting seedlings in heated glass greenhouses:

Northern regions: early May.
Mid-latitudes: end of April.
Southern regions: early to mid-April.

Moving to unheated greenhouses:

Northern regions: second half of May.
Middle latitudes: first ten days of May.
Southern regions: end of April.

Planting in light film greenhouses:

Northern regions: early June.
Mid-latitudes: end of May.
Southern regions: early to mid-May.

You need to focus on the characteristics of a particular year - cold summer, warm spring, sharp frosts, prolonged thaw, etc.

Planting tomatoes according to the lunar calendar

Favorable dates according to lunar cycles for 2021:

in January 2021, you can plant tomatoes for seedlings on 2, 14, 17, 18, 20;
in February 2021, 6th - 9th, 11th, 12th, 14th;
in March it is best to plant tomatoes 7 - 10, 15, 16
In April, the best planting days for tomatoes are 6, 7, 11 - 12, 17, 18.
May when to plant tomatoes: 2, 3, 8,9, 15 - 18.

The seedlings planted these days develop strong, healthy, and disease-resistant.

Tomato seedlings

Review of the best varieties of tomatoes for planting in a greenhouse

The following varieties of greenhouse tomatoes have proven themselves reliably:

Major. Indeterminate high-yielding tomato. Fruits with dense pink pulp and a pleasant smell. The variety is resistant to both unfavorable conditions and diseases.
Miracle of the earth. A high-yielding and early-ripening variety that is very popular among gardeners. The seedlings are tall, the fruits are heart-shaped and very sweet. Some tomatoes can reach a weight of up to 900 g. Plants are resistant to sudden temperature changes and drought.
Gondola. Mid-season, indeterminate hybrid variety. The fruits weigh 150-500 g. The pulp is red and dense. Tomatoes have excellent keeping quality. They can be eaten fresh, salted, pickled, as part of side dishes and sauces.
Kohawa. Ultra-early ripening and high-yielding variety. The tomatoes are flat round, weighing up to 150-180 g. The first fruits appear on the 90th day of the plant’s life. The seedlings are resistant to fungal diseases.
Silhouette. High-yielding mid-early hybrid tomato. The fruits have an unusual rounded-flattened shape with excellent taste. The variety is resistant to unfavorable conditions.
Dina. Mid-season productive variety. The seedlings are medium-sized, the fruits are round, large (150-200 g), very sweet, interesting bright orange color, rich in keratin. The variety is resistant to diseases and drought.
Lelya. A recent discovery by breeders is an early ripening and high-yielding tomato. The fruits are small (up to 100 g) with bright red tasty pulp.
Hurricane. An early-ripening, productive variety. The average weight of tomatoes is 80-90 g. Suitable for consumption fresh, pickled, or processed. The first harvest is harvested 85-90 days after planting.
Long Keeper. Late high-yielding variety. The plant is of medium height, the fruits are large (up to 300 g), round. Tomatoes ripen well when stored.
Bull's heart. A variety that has long won recognition among gardeners. Depending on the variety, it produces black, red and yellow fruits weighing up to 300 g, with juicy and fleshy pulp. The plant has record yields.

It’s better not to stop at one variety, but to grow ultra-early, mid-ripening and late-ripening ones so that you can have delicious tomatoes all summer long. When choosing a tomato variety, focus on the following characteristics: yield, shelf life, ripening time, taste, bush size, approximate weight, fruit size.

Tomato varieties

Harvest and storage

Harvest ripening times vary depending on:

climate;
quality of care;
varieties of tomatoes;
sowing time.

The following degrees of ripeness are distinguished:

green;
dairy;
brown (pink);
red.

The harvest is harvested when the fruits are fully ripe and turn red or reach a brown (pinkish, yellowish) color. In 10-15 days, being in a sunny place, they will mature. Green tomatoes can also ripen, but their taste will be less intense. When only red fruits are collected, the ripening ones become smaller, so it is recommended to additionally remove the pink ones. Harvesting is done every 2-3 days, and when maximum fruiting is achieved - daily. The crop is harvested with stalks.

Milky and pink ripe tomatoes for ripening are placed in conditions of good lighting, with an air temperature of 15 to 20 ° C and a humidity of no more than 80%. At high temperatures, fruits lose their elasticity. The harvest is placed in one layer and kept for one to two weeks until ripening, the room is regularly ventilated.

The average shelf life of fresh harvest is 2-3 months. It can be increased by immersing ripe fruits in heated (up to 60 °C) water for 1.5-2 minutes. Then they are wiped dry, wrapped in paper and placed in boxes or crates, covered with sawdust. Early and mid-season varieties are not stored for long. They are best eaten fresh or frozen and thawed as needed.

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How to grow tomato seedlings correctly

A rich harvest begins with proper seedling preparation. Take care of future plantings, starting with purchasing seeds and breeding seedlings.

Preparing seeds for sowing tomatoes

Seeds for seedlings are sown from the beginning of February to the last days of March. The timing varies depending on the type of culture:

Early. End of March.
Mid-season. Continuing March.
Late. End of February.

If you do not want to waste time preparing the seed, purchase pelleted seeds; they are already processed by the manufacturer. They are planted in the ground immediately, dry. The rest of the “seeds” require simple preparation:

Disinfection in Fitosporin solution for 15 minutes.
Soak for 15 minutes in a growth stimulator solution. We recommend using sodium humate: ¼ teaspoon per 1 liter of water.

After such simple preparation, the seeds are ready for sowing.

Treatment of tomato seeds with Fitosporin-M

Preparing the soil for seedlings

Tomato seedlings do not require special soil - any fertile and loose soil will do. You can purchase humus and turf soil treated from viruses, fungi and pests at a garden store. Take a closer look at the special soil mixture for nightshades and tomatoes. “Living Earth” and “Tomato and Pepper” soil are popular.

Planting seeds for seedlings is simple:

Make holes in the bottom of each container to drain excess water and allow air to reach the roots.
Pour the soil mixture into the prepared cups.
Make shallow (1-1.5 cm) grooves. If you have ready-made drawers, maintain a distance of 5-7 cm between them with recesses.
Spill the soil with heated water.
Place the seeds in the depressions, cover with soil, and compact the substrate a little with your hands.
Cover with glass or wrap with cling film.
Place containers on pallets.

Move the boxes and glasses to a well-lit, warm place and wait for the first shoots.

Caring for tomato seedlings

The first seedlings appear after 7 days. By the 5th week of development, you need to make sure that the plants do not stretch out - this is the time of their increased growth. The seedlings are kept in a well-lit place, the pots are turned 180 degrees every day so that the seedlings do not reach for the light.

The temperature regime is maintained as follows:

First week. During the day - 16-18 °C, at night - 13-15 °C.
Before the dive. During the day - 18-20 °C, at night - 15-16 °C.
After the pick. During the day - 20-22 °C, at night - 16-18 °C.
Before moving to the greenhouses. During the day - 18-20 °C, at night - 15-16 °C.

Watering should be done as follows:

The first watering is when sprouts appear.
The second - after 7-14 days.
The third is before the pick.
After picking - weekly watering.

Use water heated to room temperature, and water the plants at the roots.

After picking, additional feeding is needed:

A week later. 1 tbsp. spoon of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water. Consumption: 1/2 cup of suspension per 1 bush.
In 14 days. For 10 liters of water - 1 tbsp. spoon of the drug “Signor Tomato”, 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate. Consumption: 1 glass of solution per 1 plant.
In 2 weeks. For a bucket of water - 1 tbsp. spoon of nitrophoska. For 1 bush - 1 glass of solution.

Fertilizing is carried out after watering. If the soil settles, add more substrate.

Picking tomatoes

If you are propagating seedlings in common boxes, when 2-3 leaves appear, the seedlings are given a pick:

Take pots with a height and diameter of 8 cm, fill them with the same seedling soil mixture.
Spill the soil with manganese solution (0.5 g per 1 liter of water).
It is better to replant only the strongest and most robust seedlings.

When picking, you can bury seedlings that are too elongated up to the cotyledon leaves.

Picking tomatoes

How to plant tomato seedlings?

How to prepare tomato seedlings for planting in the ground

Already in April - May it is worth starting hardening:

Open windows in rooms where plants are located. Start with several hours, gradually increasing the ventilation time. At the same time, avoid drafts.
As soon as the weather gets warm outside, move the plants to the balcony. Start with a 2-hour “walk” and gradually increase the time.

Hardened seedlings acquire a characteristic greenish-purple hue. It should be sent for “walks” pre-watered.

The last preparatory step is pinching 2-3 lower leaf plates. In their place, short “stumps” (2-3 cm) are left. This promotes improved air circulation and good lighting of the plantings.

conclusions

Using a polycarbonate greenhouse for growing tomatoes is very convenient and profitable. Such a product requires less investment than traditional buildings, but at the same time it is much stronger and more reliable.

In such a greenhouse you can grow any classical crops, providing them with standard care and the classical method. The building materials allow sunlight to pass through well and prevent the crop from freezing when temperatures drop sharply.

You can learn about growing cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse here.

Preparing a greenhouse for planting tomatoes

Before moving tomatoes, you need to properly prepare the greenhouse

How to prepare the soil for planting tomatoes

Typically, greenhouse soil is changed once every five years. During this time, it manages to be completely depleted, even if fertilizers were applied regularly.

The first step in the fall is to disinfect the greenhouse substrate using improvised means:

A solution (1%) of Bordeaux mixture.
Suspension (1%) of copper sulfate.
Dolomite flour (50 g per 1 m²).

Then we start preparing the land:

The lower insulating layer is installed - first a 10-centimeter layer of sawdust, dry pine needles or straw. On top is another 10-centimeter layer of rotted compost.
The insulating bedding is filled with garden soil - a high ridge 30-40 cm high is obtained.
If the ground is turf, fertilizers are applied during digging (per 1 m²): 3 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate in granules, 1 tbsp. spoon of potassium magnesia, 1 tbsp. spoon of potassium sulfate, 2 tbsp. spoons of ash, 1 teaspoon of urea (replacement - sodium nitrate).
If the soil is clayey or loamy, an additional bucket (per 1 m²) of peat, humus and crushed sawdust is required.
If the substrate is peat, additionally add (per 1 m²) 1 bucket of turf, humus, wood shavings or sawdust, and ½ bucket of coarse sand.

After such procedures, the greenhouse is completely ready for the spring transfer of seedlings.

Temperature

Tomatoes can be transplanted into a greenhouse when the temperature is set:

Priming. Not lower than 13 °C at a 10-centimeter depth.
Air. 20-25 °C.

If your greenhouse is heated, these conditions can be created artificially at any time - plant seedlings in early spring and eat fresh tomatoes until late autumn.

How to plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse step by step

Popular planting schemes for tomato seedlings:

Low-growing and early-ripening, developing into 2-3 stems. Checkerboard arrangement: between rows - 50-55 cm, between plants in one line - 35-40 cm.
Determinate, standard. Between rows - 40-45 cm, between bushes of the same row - 20 cm.
Gigantic. They are planted staggered according to the pattern: between rows - 75-80 cm, between tomatoes of the same row - 55-60 cm.

The transplant is planned for a cool, cloudy day, step-by-step instructions:

Holes are made 40 cm deep.
They are poured with a warm (50-60 °C) suspension of potassium permanganate. For 10 liters of water - 1 g of potassium permanganate. One well requires 1-1.5 liters of solution. Another option is disinfection with Zaslon. You need 250 g of product per 10 liters of water. Consumption per well is 0.5 liters of solution.
I plant the seedlings with a ball of earth directly into the soil, liquefied by irrigation. If tomatoes were grown in peat cups, I do not remove them.
I plant low-growing plants straight, and overgrown plants at a slight angle.
I place the tomatoes with already formed inflorescences towards the greenhouse aisle so that they are not shaded by their neighbors.
I cover each seedling with loose soil and compact it with my palms.
Finally, you need to add mulch - last year's compost, straw, sawdust, mowed and dried grass.

Some gardeners leave a small hole near each tomato - this is convenient for economical root feeding.

Caring for tomatoes after planting

After transplanting 5-6 days, you need to give them time to adapt to unusual conditions. After a week, carefully loosen the soil around each bush to improve air access to the roots. Then you can begin periodic care.

How to properly water tomatoes in a greenhouse

We will tell you in detail about the features of watering tomatoes:

This crop requires relatively moderate but frequent watering.
After each watering, loosening and ventilation are required.
For water procedures, use water heated under the sun. Pour it into buckets and barrels in the morning, and use it already warm for evening watering.
It is best to water the plants manually using a hose (at low pressure) or a watering can.
Tomatoes are watered only at the root. Even the smallest drops of water falling on the leaves can cause sunburn.

Approximate schedule of water procedures:

After transplantation, do not water the seedlings for 7-10 days. Otherwise, the development of the root system will be inhibited, and the green part will stretch out.
Before the fruit starts to set, plants need frequent and abundant watering - once every 5-6 days. One bush needs at least 4-5 liters of water per watering. The soil should be well moistened to a depth of 15-20 cm.
When the first tomatoes appear, watering is increased to once every 3-4 days. However, water consumption is reduced - 3-4 liters per bush is enough.

The fact that the plant is suffering from thirst can be easily understood by the curled upper leaves. And if there is an excess of moisture, even young tomatoes begin to burst.

How to fertilize tomatoes in a greenhouse

Greenhouse tomatoes need 3-4 feedings during the summer season.

3 weeks after transplant. For 10 liters of water - 1 tbsp. a spoonful of nitrophoska, 0.5 liters of liquid cow manure. For each bush - 1 liter of solution.
After 10 days. For 10 liters of water - 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate, 1 teaspoon of potassium sulfate. Approximate consumption: ½ bucket of suspension - per 1 m².
In 2 weeks. For 10 liters of water - 2 tbsp. spoons of ash, 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate. Consumption - 6-8 liters of fertilizer per 1 m².
When tomatoes begin to ripen. For 10 liters of water - 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate, 1 tbsp. spoon of potassium humate. Approximate consumption is ½ bucket of mixture per 1 m².

Such complex fertilizing is sufficient for the harmonious development of the plant.

Fertilizer for feeding tomatoes

How to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse

As a rule, the first pinching is carried out before the seedlings are moved or in the first days after transplantation. In place of each stepson, you must leave a 2-3 cm “stump”. This is necessary so that a new process does not begin to develop in its place.

Rules for growing greenhouse tomatoes

Pinch the shoots with your nails and disinfect your hands after each contact with plants to avoid becoming a carrier of infections.
Plan the procedure in the morning - at this time the stems break off more easily.
The frequency of stepsoning is 1 time per week.
After the tomatoes are filled, do not forget to pluck all the lower branches. This is necessary to improve air circulation and prevent fruit rotting.

If you have few seedlings, do not throw away the shoots. Dip their torn ends into water - after a few days the strongest specimens will take root. They can also be planted in a greenhouse and wait for a small harvest.

Ventilation of tomatoes

Gardeners who plant tomatoes in a greenhouse sometimes forget about an important matter - ventilation. The procedure is needed after each watering of the plant. Tomatoes do not tolerate high air humidity. In such unfavorable conditions, the risk of late blight and other fungal infections increases.

Here is an example of a temperature regime:

Initial period of development: day - 20-25 °C, night - 16-18 °C.
Formation, ripening of fruits: day - 24-25 °C, night - 17-18 °C.

The air humidity level should remain stably within 60-65%. Ventilation is especially important when tomatoes are flowering. If condensation forms, the tomatoes will grow tasteless, sour and watery.

How to tie up tomatoes in a greenhouse

When planting seedlings, do not forget to install supports - trellises or pegs - next to each bush. If there are few plants, the latter will be more convenient - use wooden slats, iron rods, or scraps of thin plastic pipes. The peg should be 20-25 cm higher than the plant. For stability, it is driven into the ground at approximately the same distance. The support is installed near the stem, gartering is carried out as necessary.

When growing tall tomatoes, it is best to install permanent trellises. This will also save space in the greenhouse: it will be possible to plant 3-4 plants per 1 m². Strong stakes up to 2 m high are driven in between rows. Wire or strong rope is pulled between them every 35-40 cm. Growing tomatoes are passed between the supports, forming a kind of “braid”.

Garter pins

What is required for the full growth of tomatoes?

In order for tomatoes to develop normally, the following conditions must be created for them:

Providing the right amount of sunlight. It is important to understand that tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse receive approximately half of the natural light. Since the polymer is not completely transparent and absorbs some of the light, its contamination can significantly reduce the amount of light received by plants.
Sufficient humidity. Tomatoes require frequent and abundant watering. However, if there is high humidity, they may die. Tomatoes require 65 to 70 percent humidity, and in a greenhouse it often reaches 100 percent, which encourages the rapid proliferation of harmful microorganisms. Therefore, it is important to ventilate the greenhouse on time.
Temperature regulation. It should not be very high, which provokes the transformation of pollen on flowers into sterile, and at the same time their pollination does not occur.
Timely pinching, which prevents the plant from spending energy on growing green mass and directs it to the development of fruits.
Topping (if tall varieties are grown). It involves pinching the tops of plants to stop the growth of indeterminates and ensure that all fruits can ripen.

What difficulties may arise when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse?

Greenhouse tomatoes are sometimes overcome by illnesses and enemies. But both pests and diseases can be successfully resisted using preventive methods.

Pest control on tomatoes

The most harmful enemies of greenhouse tomatoes:

Wireworms. To prevent the spread of pests, about a week before moving the tomatoes, build simple traps: make holes around the perimeter in which you place and bury pieces of raw vegetables. After a few days, check the bait and destroy the pests. Wireworms can be found and collected manually by deep digging of the soil. Prevention of pest occurrence - liming, application of mineral fertilizers. When the disease is prevalent, use the insecticide “Bazudin” - according to the instructions, mix the powder with the soil.
Medvedka. Pest eggs can enter the greenhouse when the soil is replaced. In the beginning, it can be effectively resisted with folk remedies: infusion of red pepper (150 g per 10 liters of water), vinegar water (2-3 tablespoons per 10 liters) - about 0.5 liters of liquid are poured into the pest's burrows. If the problem is serious, turn to insecticides - “Thunder”, “Medvetox”, “Grizzly”.
Whitefly. Before the tomatoes begin to bloom, the butterfly is effectively combated with Sochva liquid smoke. If the whitefly has completely flooded the greenhouse, spray with a “Phosbecid” suspension - 10 ml per 10 liters of water. Treatment is done before or after sunset. To consolidate the result, spraying is repeated twice more with a break of 15-20 days.
Caterpillars and cutworm butterflies. Traps - jars of fermenting kvass - are effective against flying specimens. The drink is diluted with water (1:3), a little yeast is added. The caterpillars are collected by hand, and the tomatoes are treated against them with an infusion of wormwood or potato tops. Among the drugs that are effective are “Fitoverm” and “Agravertin”.

Periodically inspect the plantings for pests. It is easier to destroy them in the initial stages with folk remedies than to use harmful insecticides.

Fighting whitefly in the garden

Scoop butterfly

Fighting mole crickets in the garden

Prevention of tomato diseases in the greenhouse

Common diseases of greenhouse tomatoes:

Fomoz (brown rot). Diseases are countered by disinfecting the substrate before planting and avoiding fresh manure and nitrogen fertilizers. Infected stems and fruits are promptly picked off and destroyed. Plants are treated with “Barrier” or “Fundazol”.
Gray rot. Prevention of the problem is to adhere to the watering schedule. If the disease has made itself felt, the tomatoes are fed with calcium nitrate - 40-50 g per 5 liters of water. You can add phosphorus-potassium fertilizer or a folk remedy - ash solution (250 g of ash per 10 liters of water).
Apex rot. Prevention of disease - compliance with the correct temperature regime, watering schedule, timely application of calcium supplements.
Fusarium. You can prevent the disease by carefully handling the seedlings (the disease develops when the roots are damaged), watering with preheated water, and warming up the greenhouse soil before moving the seedlings.
Mosaic. It is better to dig up and destroy diseased bushes - if they are infected with the virus, they will no longer be productive. Disease prevention is to disinfect seeds before sowing in a 1% manganese solution. They also disinfect seedlings as they grow - 2-3 times with a break of 3 weeks. 1 g of potassium permanganate is diluted in 10 liters of water and used for irrigation.

Rot on tomatoes in a greenhouse

Now you know how to grow healthy and productive tomatoes in a greenhouse. The very first important stage is propagation of seedlings. Don’t forget about preparing the greenhouse for moving seedlings and preventing diseases and pests. A good harvest comes from plants that are well cared for - watered on time and efficiently, fed, tied up and planted.