Beginner gardeners often wonder: should tomatoes be planted in the shade or in the sun? The answer to it is unequivocal, given the fact that culture originated in southern countries. The more heat and sunlight received when growing tomatoes, the richer their color and sweeter taste will be. Let’s consider in more detail whether it is possible to plant tomatoes in the shade and what tricks will help to get a good harvest if you do not have a sunny area for tomatoes.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to provide ideal conditions for all cultures on a small plot. So is it possible to plant tomatoes in the shade or partial shade, what will happen to them in this case?
The role of sunlight in the development of tomatoes
Natural lighting is considered rational and balanced for all plants. Due to the lack of sunlight in the cells, the process of photosynthesis is disrupted, plants slow down in growth, and their immunity decreases.
The development of tomatoes is directly related to the intensity and duration of light radiation. In the open ground, the culture successfully bears fruit with illumination from 5 thousand to 40 thousand lux, in greenhouses – from 8 thousand to 20 thousand lux.
With a lack of sunlight:
- plants are pulled out;
- leaves turn pale
- flowering is delayed;
- formed buds fall off.
The minimum culture requirements are 6 hours of direct sunlight every day. With 8 hours of sunlight, tomatoes grow even better. It is ideal if the tomato bed is located on the south side of the site. Planting on the west side also gives good results.
Is it permissible to plant a tomato in a dense shade?
Planting tomatoes where there is a chronic lack of light (for example, on the north side of a building or a fence) is certainly not worth it. In this case, the bushes will not develop well, will turn out to be weak and elongated. Even if the fruits ripen under such conditions, their taste will be fresh or sour.
It is better to plant crops that easily tolerate shading in a shady area. They love the shade of spicy herbs, leaf lettuce, curly beans, parsnips, garlic, greens.
Are tomatoes planted in the shade of trees?
Often, the greenhouse for tomatoes is located so that there are fruit trees nearby. This often happens in small areas. Over time, the garden grows, pears and apple trees become taller. Sometimes the shadow of a tall tree from the neighboring dacha falls on the greenhouse structure.
If there is only a lace shade, planting tomatoes is permissible if a number of conditions are met.
Features of growing tomatoes in the shade
If there is a lack of light due to nearby trees, you can try to increase its amount. Growing tomatoes will be more successful if you influence a number of factors:
- The planting of tomato bushes should be more spacious so that the tomatoes do not block each other’s light. It is desirable that each row of tomatoes has an aisle, then the light ratio will be higher.
- Plants in adjacent rows should be selected according to height. The northern row should be higher than the southern row. In a greenhouse with two beds, low-growing varieties should be planted on the southern side, and tall varieties on the northern side.
- It is necessary to select varieties whose description indicates their shade tolerance, and varieties with weak foliage. It is better to avoid planting varieties with thick foliage, otherwise their fruits will be tasteless. Among the shade-tolerant varieties, summer residents especially single out De Barao.
- For a better access of light, the stepsons and leaves are regularly cut off from the plants. At the beginning of the development of the bushes, it is better not to touch the leaves. Part of the leaf apparatus can be removed during fruiting (leaving 2 leaves for each brush).
- You can achieve reflection of light from the walls of the greenhouse by using screens made of light siding or white agrofiber. The screen is installed along the northern wall of the building. It is better to paint the frame of the building with white paint. As a result, it will become noticeably lighter in the greenhouse.
- To increase the light flow passing through the roof and walls, the greenhouse should be washed regularly. If the coating is heavily polluted, only 50% of the incoming light passes through.
With the use of some tricks, tomatoes can be successfully grown in low light conditions. It is not worth hoping that the culture will produce a crop in the complete absence of direct sunlight. This situation does not contribute to the normal growth and development of bushes.