Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse will allow you to get a good early harvest of vegetables. Greenhouse cultivation greatly improves fruit quality. In order for plants to grow healthy, a number of conditions must be observed: preparation of the greenhouse and soil, disinfection, treatment from insects and fungi, preparation of seedlings and proper planting. Let’s consider each stage in detail.

Before growing tomato seedlings, you need to prepare a greenhouse. This should be done already at the beginning of March. Check the structure of the greenhouse, the strength and readiness of all parts: the frame, covering material, huts, irrigation systems and heating devices, if any. In the old greenhouse, replace the parts that have become unusable, restore the structure.

After that, clean the walls, the roof outside and inside – make sure that they transmit light well. To wash the greenhouse made of polycarbonate, you need to use soft sponges and brushes so as not to damage the surface. It is worth adding a little potassium permanganate to the cleaning solution for disinfection.

Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse

Soil

The next step is to prepare the soil for tomato seedlings. The soil in the greenhouse is processed twice a year: after harvesting and before new planting. In autumn, the remains of plant crops are removed, a layer of about 7 cm is removed to get rid of harmful microorganisms and fungi, and the soil is loosened.

You can choose ready-made soil or prepare your own, but at the same time remember that it is important for tomatoes:

  • the presence of sand in the composition;
  • acidity is less than 5.6 Ph;
  • content of biohumus;
  • absence of parasitic insects.

Disinfection

In order for the planting to be successful, it is necessary to disinfect the soil from all types of harmful microorganisms, fungus, and mold. There are 3 options for disinfection:

  • Organic – replacement of a soil layer with another soil.
  • Chemical treatment.
  • Thermal – pour boiling water over the entire land area.

If you chose a chemical method, it is better to cultivate the soil in the fall so that it does not harm the seeds and tomato plants. Chemical treatment is also possible in the spring, at least 2-3 weeks after planting.

Chemicals for processing:

  • Chlorine lime. Chlorine lime is used to prevent and get rid of infections: black leg, gall nematode, late blight, etc. To treat the greenhouse in the spring, prepare a mixture based on the calculation – 400 grams of chlorinated lime per 10 liters of water, which should stand for about a day. In order for the cultivation of tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse to be successful, the solution is sprayed on the walls and roof. After that, the sediment of the solution is smeared on the wooden elements.
  • Sulfur. This type of treatment is necessary to get rid of fungal and bacterial pathogens. Before processing, garden tools can be left indoors to prevent contamination. With the help of gas treatment of the greenhouse with gray, you can clean all hard-to-reach places that are difficult to reach with other types of disinfection. For hermetic greenhouses, 80 m of sulfur is used per 1 square meter. “Zavod Garant” greenhouses have external and internal galvanizing, so they are not afraid of corrosion from sulfur.
  • Formalin solution. It is used in the fall or a month before planting tomatoes in a concentration of 40%. In the process of work, it is necessary to use a gas mask. So that the formalin does not immediately evaporate, the temperature in the greenhouse should be less than 10-12 degrees. When the room is treated, the air must be heated to 25 degrees. As a result, you can get rid of whiteflies, various fungi and mold, spider mites.
  • Copper sulfate. It is safer to use this substance for plants in autumn. If you want to treat the greenhouse with copper sulfate in the spring, then prepare a 10% solution and spray the inside of the greenhouse.
  • Carbathion. They disinfect the soil a month before tomato seedlings. 2 liters of substance are enough for 1 square meter. It helps against root rot, fusarium wilt, and verticillium wilt.

Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse

Dates for planting seedlings

The terms of planting tomatoes in a greenhouse depend on the geography of planting, weather conditions and the type of greenhouse. Therefore, when choosing a planting time, focus on your conditions and climate features.

Exemplary optimal terms for planting tomatoes in the greenhouse will be:

  • In a greenhouse with connected heating – from April 5 to 20
  • In polycarbonate greenhouses – from April 20 to May 5;
  • In a film-type greenhouse – from May 20 to 31.

Preparation of seedlings for planting in the greenhouse

2-3 weeks before planting in the greenhouse, you need to prepare the seedlings so that they adapt and take root in new conditions.

For hardening, take the plants out into the fresh air. Gradually increase the time spent outside or on the balcony. At the beginning, expose the plants for hardening for several hours in the afternoon, having previously protected them from direct sunlight. Next, with each takeout, increase the time the tomatoes are outside and leave them in the sun for more time. At the end of the hardening procedure, leave them outside during the day and night.

Change the mode of watering the seedlings: take a longer break between waterings. But before planting, tomatoes must be watered abundantly.

In order for tomato sprouts to take root well, cut off 2-3 lower leaves. This should be done 1-2 days before planting so that the cuttings do not rot when planting.

Step-by-step landing instructions

  1. Choose the date and time of planting: it is recommended to plant tomatoes in the afternoon, when there is no bright sunlight.
  2. Prepare seedlings in 2-3 weeks. Determine the variety of tomatoes and the corresponding planting scheme.
  3. Abundantly water the soil in the greenhouse before planting tomatoes, prepare pegs for tying.
  4. According to the scheme that suits your type of tomato, dig holes for seedlings 20 to 25 centimeters deep. Maintain a distance of at least 50 centimeters between the holes.
  5. Make sure the soil is warm enough for tomato seedlings. The range from 12 to 15 degrees Celsius will be suitable for tomato seedlings.
  6. Fertilize the holes with nutrients containing nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate. Fertilizing the soil with manure before planting is not recommended.
  7. Carefully remove the tomato seedlings from the container and plant them vertically in the holes. Sprinkle the roots with sand, water and again sprinkle with sand, compact the soil on top.
  8. For overgrown seedlings, make a deeper hole, and fill it in not completely, so that part of the stem remains open.
  9. Next to each seedling, insert pegs to tie up the plants later. This should be done during planting so as not to damage the roots of future adult tomatoes.

Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse

Tomato planting schemes

  • Traditional: the same distance between the rows. For example, a distance of 50 cm is made between holes, and 70 cm between rows.
  • Two-row (ribbon): rows are formed in pairs. Here, the holes can be arranged in parallel or in a staggered order. The parallel method is more suitable for low-growing, standard varieties, and the checkerboard method – for tall ones.
  • Combined: combines 2 types of planting, depends on the properties of the variety and the location of the bushes in the greenhouse.

How to plant different varieties of tomatoes in a greenhouse

Low-growing varieties in several stems:

  • Landing in 2 rows. The distance between the rows is from 50 to 60 centimeters.
  • The distance between tomato plants is 40 centimeters.

Standard and determinant varieties in one stem:

  • The distance between rows is about 50 centimeters.
  • The distance between tomato plants is 35-40 centimeters.

In several stems:

  • The distance between rows is about 50 centimeters.
  • The distance between tomato plants is 60 centimeters.

Indeterminate varieties in one stem:

  • Landing in 2 rows. The distance between rows is about 70-80 centimeters.
  • The path between the rows is 100 centimeters.

Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse

Combination of varieties

Near the wall of the greenhouse, determinant crops are planted in one trunk with a distance between them of 34-40 cm. Then, behind it, a number of tall varieties are planted in one stem, keeping 60 cm between them. And next to them, ultra-early (standard super-determinant varieties) are planted with an interval of 25 cm.

With such a planting, it will be convenient for you to harvest primarily from ultra-early varieties, while other tomatoes will grow.

Following these simple rules for planting tomatoes will help you get a good harvest season after season.

Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse